The Quaint Town of JulianMade Famous by Gold Mines and Apple Pie
Julian is a historic gold mining town located about one hour east of San Diego. The town is famous for its homegrown apples and out-of-this-world apple pies.
(click here to find out our favorite place in Julian for pie).
Julian was founded after the Civil War when people began heading west to seek their fortunes in a new, mostly unsettled new land. Among these dreamers were cousins Drue Bailey and Mike Julian who settled in what is now Julian. In 1869, the first flecks of gold were found in a creek. It was San Diego County’s first and only gold rush.
The town was named Julian in honor of Mike. The town was never big, at the most the population was 600, which is more than reside in the historic district today. The gold rush was short-lived, but the pioneers discovered another treasure: rich land for farming. Julian proved to be a great place for growing apples. 
This is a picture of the Julian Pump House which was constructed in 1911 around the 50 foot deep hand-dug well. It pumped water to a nearby water tower. In the late 1800s, the property was the site of the town livery stable complete with watering trough on the street.
Today visitors can enjoy modern plumbing, old-fashioned fruit stands and strolling down Main Street for the day. You can take an old-fashioned horse drawn carriage ride and hear about the historic sites and local folklore.
Shopping and Eating
Of course, no visit to Julian would be complete without a stop for a slice of homemade
apple pie
(or get a whole pie which is probably cheaper for your whole family).
There's more than apple pie to buy of course. From specialty clothing to Old West photos, Main Street is a picture of what shopping might have been like in the Wild West days. No superstores or Home Depots. Husbands, be warned to bring a book if your wife likes to browse. There's just a few blocks of stores including:
1. Kathy's Dress Shop 2. Birdwatcher 3. 4th Street Boutique 4. Julian Bookhouse 5. Pistols & Petticoats 6. Pie Town Gear
Our family has two favorite stores and of course, both of them have to do with food!
The first one is The Candy Basket. This old-fashioned candy store is tucked in a cute alley with other stores like Pistols & Petticoats. It is upstairs so if you have a lot of baby gear, you may want to leave that on street level.
Our other favorite is the Julian Cider Mill. It's the best because of their delicious homemade apple cider. You can get a cup of cider, cold or hot. Cold is $1.00 and hot is $1.50. Yummy! And they sell it by the gallon too. And there’s so much to find in the store from jalapeno jelly (this tastes so good spread on wheat thins with cream cheese) to the famous apple butter. You’ll find candy, caramel apples, honey, dried fruits, apple butter, jams and jellies, marmalades, salad dressings, teas, preserves…you get the picture!
As you walk through the town, you'll see fun vertical sign markers like this to help you find the restaurants and shops you're looking for.
Town Hall often has events like craft fairs and also the public restroom which is always good to know about!
On your way to Julian, stop by Dudley's Famous Bakery. Maybe you've seen their breads in a San Diego grocery store. They have delicious breads, fruit bars, pies, pastries, a deli and a gift shop.
Here's a picture of my holding my very favorite treat from Dudley's, The Dudley's Fruit Bar. Mmm...so good, you've got to try it! Dudley's is located 7 miles from Julian at 30218 Highway 78.
Lodging and Camping
If you want to stay overnight, you can choose between hotels, B&Bs and camping. Some lodges include:
-Julian Lodge
Many of the B&Bs are couples only, so keep that in mind when you're making plans for accommodations.
I'm not much of a camper, but we opted for the
wilderness cabins
in nearby William Heise Park and had a blast. You may want to try that or if you're more adventurous, you can stay in tents too.
There are lots of hiking trails around Julian. This is my family taking a break on the Cedar Trail from William Heise Park. Learn more about the hiking in Willaim Heise Park
here.
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The Candy Basket has over 450 types of candy, handmade fudge, salt water taffy and chocolates. There are many sugar-free selections and even a selection of various candies made out of ginger. Out of the 450 types of candy, guess what my son picked? A Tootsie Roll! They sell the candy by the pound, but there’s no minimum purchase which is nice, so I only spent 14 cents!
