Last-Minute Getaways:

Free & Refreshing Day Trips from Bakersfield This Fall.

Need a change of scenery but don’t have time for a full-blown vacation? We’ve got you. Whether the kids preparing to head back to school or you’re simply craving a little adventure without the stress of planning, these last-minute day trips are exactly what your late summer needs. All within 90 minutes of Bakersfield, each destination offers a refreshing reset - perfect for solo escapes, mom-friend meetups, or spontaneous weekend wandering.

From outdoor concerts under the stars in Paso Robles to hummingbird-filled trails near the Kern River, these experiences are low-effort, high-reward, and (bonus!) free or budget-friendly. We’ve done the legwork to round up specific events happening this August through October 2025, so all you have to do is pick a day, pack up your favorite tote, and hit the road.

Plan your perfect local escape - last minute and completely worth it.

PASO ROBLES: Concerts in the Park

Paso Robles Concerts in the Park is a long running, popular, FREE community event for all ages. The concert series takes place on Thursday evenings through the summer and typically draws approximately 2,500 visitors to the Downtown City Park.

Proceeds from concession sales and donations collected at the concerts benefit the REC Foundation (Recreation Enhances Community, a local non profit organization that helps provide recreation scholarships to members of our community.

Wind Wolves Preserve – Trails, Hikes & Scenic Views

Wind Wolves Preserve is in an ecologically unique region where the Transverse Ranges, Coast Ranges, Sierra Nevada, western Mojave Desert and San Joaquin Valley influences converge. Due to elevation ranges from 640 to 6,005 feet, the Preserve has an impressive array of landforms and habitats that serve as a critical landscape linkage and wildlife corridor between the Coast Ranges and Sierra Nevada.

On the San Joaquin Valley floor, the Preserve is a 30-square-mile veritable sea of grasslands with remnant stands of saltbush. These grasslands are home to the endangered San Joaquin kit fox and blunt-nosed leopard lizard as well as one of the largest stands of the endangered Bakersfield cactus. The Preserve’s main wetland is home to the Buena Vista Lake ornate shrew—one of the most endangered mammals in the United States. Rolling grasslands rise from the valley floor, transitioning into classic California blue oak and valley oak savanna with extensive riparian wetlands. The oak savanna ascends into juniper and pinyon forests that vault into stands of ponderosa pine and big cone spruce.

Volunteers have played a major role in working with staff to restore this heroic landscape. Fourteen years of monthly work parties have removed invasive tamarisk from 30 miles of stream channels. Volunteers have made miles of boundary fencing antelope friendly, as well as make kit fox dens for the recruitment of kit foxes. And volunteers through school, family work parties, and collaborating organizations have planted tens of thousands of native trees and shrubs.

Silver City Ghost Town

During the late 1960's and early 1970's the Dave & Arvilla Mills family began hauling in historic local Kern Valley structures, (many of which were slated for destruction) to the present site in Bodfish. "Represented in this composite town are over twenty historic buildings (most not visible from Lake Isabella Blvd) from the mining camps of Keyesville, Whiskey Flat, old Isabella, Claraville, Hot Springs, Miracle, Southfork and other local frontier settlements" Silver City was closed for over 15 years until it was purchased by the Corlew family in 1990 and re-opened to the public shortly thereafter.

Bakersfield Museum of Art

Spend a leisurely day exploring the museum followed by a great family meal downtown. Along with a packed calendar of events, August 9th is Second Saturday:

In participation with Downtown Bakersfield’s Second Saturday events, BMoA offers visitors fun community programs, family-friendly art projects, and access to our exhibitions. This is a general admission program.