The return of The Nut Tree

Vacaville is a small but growing town between Sacramento and San Francisco where I-80 and 505 converge. At that crossroads once stood a little slice of heaven.

It grew into one of California's favorite roadside stops with a renowned restaurant that hosted not only children and farmers, but world leaders and celebrities

The Nut Tree was a cross between a mico-Disneyland, a fruit stand and a restaurant. As a kid, I loved when my family would stop there. I would ride the small gauge train and the big wooden rocking horses in front of the gift shop. I must have been 10 years old when my father bought me a huge print of a Curtis P-40 Warhawk that adorned the wall of my room until high school, or until I could convince my mom to let me put up the Farah Fawcett poster. I was able to take my son for a visit before they demolished it, the train had stopped running for a few years, but he did love the rocking horses. Now it looks as though The Nut Tree is going to be rebuilt, almost.

If all goes according to plan, next summer will see completion of the first phase of a new Nut Tree, with a family amusement park, specialty retail, a court for bocce, and several eateries.

I am sure that my mother and father thought it was just a tourist trap, but seen through my 10 year old eyes, it was the coolest place.