Friday, May 25, 2012

Roadside Attractions

There aren't any Huge Balls of Twine or The World's Largest Tree Stump alongside Hwy 99 in Central California, but on our trip up to the Fresno Zoo last January we saw lots of signs for the Bravo Farms Cheese Factory in Traver, California, a tiny town right off the freeway. We didn't stop but did see some very funky and well, cheesy looking wood buildings on the side of the road.

Well, this past Monday, since Keith had taken an extra vacation day, we decided to drive back up to the Fresno Zoo for a nice day out. And we stopped at the Bravo Farms Cheese Factory on the way home, Keith not really wanting to, but me definitely wanting to.

Traver California is a very tiny little town, population 713. It has a main street with a gas station/mini market, and another little market and a school. Oh, and a post office. And the aforementioned Cheese Factory. Where they really do make cheese. And you can watch them make cheese. And sample the cheese. And they also have wine tasting.

They have an indoor/outdoor bar and grill, a big gift and cheese shop with all sorts of wines, nuts, odds and ends, a huge cheese making room with glass windows so you can watch them stir vats of cheese, a central courtyard with tables and a big barbecue grill full of chicken and steak, an ice cream parlor, and a gas station. I'm sure there was more but we wanted to get back on the road and home to feed the cats before it got too late.

This is the central courtyard, and we are definitely making a trip back up here just to have lunch and shop later this year. 



I didn't take these pictures, but rather stole them off the internet, but if you are ever traveling through Tulare County California, definitely stop at the Bravo Farms Cheese Factory. I'll bet you can't leave without buying something. We got some cheese and some honey orange almonds that are absolutely delicious.

This is the main street in Traver. Out of curiosity we drove through the little town, which took maybe 5 minutes.


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