Things To Do
Sunday, May 24, 9am: Church Service
We will be attending the 9am Church Service for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. If you'd like to join us, it's a 2-hour service. During the first hour, speakers give talks about various gospel topics and the sacrament is passed to congregants (you don't have to partake though). During the second hour, the women, men, and children gather separately in their respective classes to further discuss selected gospel topics. You are welcome to stay for either or both hours! Dress is Sunday Best or Come As You Are. You are welcomed no matter how you come!
Monday, May 25, 8am: Church Memorial Day Breakfast
Our church is holding a Memorial Day breakfast this Monday! Pancakes, bacon, eggs, and plenty of good company.
Ridgecrest-Exclusive Restaurant: Taquería Bernardinos
A family favorite because nothing on the menu is bad! There’s a daily special in addition to a $10 daily plate. All the soups are good–even the menudo (Saturday’s special). The pico de gallo salsa is legendary! If you want green salsa or something a little hotter, just ask. Horchata, aguas frescas, jarritos and more are on the drinks menu. Katie loves their beans and rice, and she frequently gets the Asada Plate: carne asada, tortilla, and beans and rice. The Macho Burrito has guacamole inside. Her mom named the “Not So Junior Burrito” which is on the spicier side of their offerings. We like their carne asada nachos or the Magnifico Plate which has carne asada topped with a cheese enchilada, a salad on the side, and rice and beans.
Ridgecrest-Exclusive Restaurant: Saigon Flavor
A cozy, small eatery with a loud waiter. A good, semi-pricey option if you're in the mood for Vietnamese! The pho and the vermicelli bowls are good. Katie loves their chow mein. They also have spring rolls and banh mi.
Ridgecrest-Exclusive Restaurant: Lugo's Grill
This restaurant has something for everyone! They have a large menu including breakfast, Mexican, American favorites, burgers, and sandwiches.
Ridgecrest-Exclusive Restaurant: Classic Gyros Mediterranean Grill
Mediterranean gyros, bowls, and the like served off a Subway- or Chipotle-like line. The baklava is pretty good, too! If you don’t want to drive out to Inyokern for their burgers and fries, they serve them in town at this location, too! Indoor or outdoor seating.
Ridgecrest-Exclusive Restaurant: Tokyo House Japanese Restaurant
Locals enjoy sushi or teppanyaki (like Benihana) here. We recommend upgrading to fried rice. The lunch-only pineapple chicken is delicious!
Restaurant: Dumpling Street
A new restaurant in town. Find their menu online and be ready to order as soon as you’re seated for a better experience! Whether you get pan fried or steamed, Wonton soup or soup dumplings, rice or noodles, it’s pretty tasty! Order more than you think you want! It’s a little pricey.
Restaurant: Pizza Factory
Next to the movie theater on the north border of town, they have a small room with posters that show some of the movies filmed in or near Ridgecrest. Their antipasto salad is delightful as is their pastrami pizza!
Restaurant: Habit Burger & Grill
In their app, scroll down to the limited time $10 Gotta Habit Meal Deal for half a burger, chicken tenders, a side salad, and a drink.
Restaurant: Wendy's
Somewhat new to Ridgecrest! Their location is right in the middle of town, so traffic can make it less appealing than other places. We love their fair prices and frosties, though!
Activity: Places to Travel Nearby
Ridgecrest is about 2 hours from anywhere! Bigger places “nearby” that you may have heard of are Death Valley, Bakersfield, Barstow, and Lancaster/Palmdale. The further north you travel, the cooler it gets. If you go a little more than 2 hours north, you’ll reach Bishop. It’s a quaint day-trip town with spectacular surrounding mountain views, nearby hikes, and Eric Schat’s Bakery which is known for their sandwiches and European-style bakery.
Activity: Indian Wells Brewing Company
We love doing taste tests with out-of-town guests! At the brewery, you can find local and craft sodas with fun–and disgusting–flavors. The lemonades and alien-themed sodas are usually good. Fog is interesting. Just say no to bacon, cut grass, vomit, and those flavors your gut tells you to skip! 6-packs of sodas are usually $10-15. Skip the drive up and find green apple or sarsaparilla (among other flavors) packs at Albertsons on South China Lake.
Activity: Maturango Museum and China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station
The two are right next to each other! Come visit and learn what Ridgecrest is famous for or learn more about our desert home through art. Admission for adults is about $5 at each location.
Activity: College Heights and Rademacher Hills
Katie works at Cerro Coso Community College, which is at the top of College Heights Boulevard. There are beautiful sunrises, sunsets, and city light views from this vantage point! If you want to take a good walk, the College Heights walking path begins close to China Lake Boulevard at Dolphin on the lower end; park in the dirt. Walk 1 mile up the hill to Kendall (halfway) and continue onward to the upper end of the path for a steep incline that last mile. Don’t want to walk up a paved path? Drive up College Heights but turn left at the end of the walking path just before the college fence. Continue on until you get to a dirt parking area and explore the Rademacher Hills. Katie’s brother did his Eagle Scout Project there several years ago so there should be rocks lining the marked path up to the saddle. There’s a lot of paths in the hills, so use your favorite hiking website to figure out which one is right for you and your abilities!
Activity: Land Sharks
Other people call them Fish Rocks, but they can be wrong! This is a side-of-the road attraction on the way out to Trona. You can make it a photo opp or climb around them.
Activity: Sierra Lanes
This neighborhood entertainment hub was destroyed in the 7.1 earthquake of 2019. It has recently been resurrected, and now includes mini golf, a bounce area for kids, arcade games, bowling, laser tag, and golf simulator. Hometown hint: Play as many rounds of golf as you want as long as you skip the 10th/final hole (it'll eat your ball once you play it)! Bowling lanes are billed by the hour and may be taken by leagues depending on the day.
Activity: Splash Pad at the Kerr McGee Community Center
Our local pool is still being rebuilt to be ADA compliant, so the stop-gap amid the sweltering heat is the Splash Pad attached to Freedom Park. Park in the south Kerr-McGee lot and cool off! Just be sure to behave because you’ll be right next to the police department!
Activity: Trona Pinnacles
Used in several films because of its other-worldly landscape, the Trona Pinnacles are a special local site! The 500+ tufa spires are interesting landforms you can climb around and take photos of. Anywhere out that direction is great for nighttime sky and shooting star viewing! If there’s been any recent rains, the dirt road can become rutted like a washboard. Go slow and avoid mud!! With any outdoor activity in the Mojave Desert as temperatures warm up, be aware of where you park, how much fuel you have, carry water and sunscreen, and listen for the rattle of rattlesnakes. Mojave Greens (of any color), sidewinders, scorpions, spiders and tarantulas, and desert tortoises can appear anywhere at any time. Do NOT approach wildlife–especially the rattling or viper-looking kind. It is illegal to touch the tortoises which are a protected species.