I wish you had more time to actually SEE Fresno. But I get it, you are traveling through and don’t have much time, but want to stop in Fresno and say you did something. Ate. Slept. Shopped. Looked at stuff.
It’s cool, I got you.
And I will put my frustration for how gritty 99 in Fresno is, and always has been, aside for now because today we figure out the best place to exit off Highway 99 in Fresno.
Whether you are planning out your trip through Fresno or figuring it out in the passenger seat on the road, these are the best, freeway close, things. Picked by an actual Fresnan.
The Most Fresno Thing To Do Along 99: Downtown Fresno
If you want to really get a small piece of actually visiting Fresno but don’t want to wander far from Highway 99, hit up Downtown.
For beer geek fun, look for the Ventura or Tulare Street exits, head a block or so East and visit the regional beer king, Tioga Sequoia. You will have some good times.
This is also located in our Brewery District so Procreations Brewing is close by.
And in a different part of Downtown, South of Shaw Brewing (with great pizzas) is close enough to 99 that it won’t kill your schedule.
Did you see the baseball stadium? Yeah, that’s where the Fresno Grizzlies play (aka the Single A team of the Colorado Rockies). It’s a really nice park to stop and see a game.
If you love art, there are an abnormal amount of murals to see in Downtown Fresno, part of Downtown is actually referred to as the Mural District. A handy map of many of the murals can be found here.
For you folks that might want to do some quick vintage/thrift shopping, Yoshi World is right off the freeway (and in the same area as some of the restaurants I am about to tell you about.
There’s a lot more going on Downtown, there really is, I suggest checking out the Downtown Fresno Partnership website for all the details.
But you might not have time for that today, you need to get back on the road. Or maybe eat…
Best Places to Eat Along Highway 99 in Fresno
On the national scene is Chef Paul’s Cafe. When celebs come to town, this is the place many go. It just made a major must-visit list too.
Another nationally known place is La Elegante, voted to have the best tacos in Fresno, by those who know. It may not look like much on the outside but got what it takes for Mexican food.
Tamale Mama is in the same area too and has also been getting a lot of attention lately.
Both of these spots are in a challenging part of town. Don’t be scared, I am just giving you a heads-up that it may be not something you’re used to. But you’ll be fine.
Voted by many to be the best food in Downtown is Libelula. This is a bit further into Downtown, but it might be worth it to you (only breakfast and lunch).
This is not Downtown but a bit North of it along 99, if you want what many consider a great local burger, try Triangle Drive-In.
There is one In-&-Out you can stop at. It is at the Shaw Avenue exit, Eastside of 99. It gets busy like all In-&-Outs do, sometimes the drive-thru spills out onto Shaw Avenue. They are working on making this better but it is not completed at the time of writing this.
Fresno Highway 99 Things Of Another
(photo cred goes to this blog)
One of, if not the most unique attractions in Fresno is the Forestiere Underground Gardens (Shaw Avenue exit, go East).
A long time ago this dude dug out an underground complex to live in and did some amazing work with citrus trees that are still around today.
If you have the time on your trip, book a tour, it’s pretty cool!
Fresno’s Roeding Park literally backs up to the East side of 99 between Belmont and Olive Streets. Inside the city park is the renowned and newly expanded Fresno Chaffee Zoo. It truly is a gem.
Not to mention Storyland and Playland. All good places to let the kids run around.
If you’re one of those who like checking out graveyards, there are plenty on Belmont just East of 99. You can even see one from Triangle.
THE NEWEST AREA TO STOP ALONG 99: HERNDON AVENUE
This area once had the (now demolished) famous Klein’s Truck Stop. Now, you have a Five Guys burger that was SOME FREAKING HOW voted better than In & Out for best burger place in the country. Five Guys just copied In & Out, how the hell could THEY have a better burger!!!??
Anyway, there is also a Target, if you need supplies and a Starbucks. Along with many other shopping and quick food opportunities.
There is a movie theater too, if you have the time for that. For now, there is an Olive Garden and High-Speed Rail construction.
Oh, and there’s a rad song:
Best Hotels to Stay at Along Highway 99 in Fresno
Like I said at the beginning of this post, it’s not exactly vacation-style stopovers here along Highway 99, and that includes hotels. But, you can find places to sleep and get back on the road.
The two hotels I would recommend in Fresno off Highway 99 that will likely give you the least amount of drama from the surrounding area are right next to each other and make it easy to get back on the road:
Hampton Inn & Suites Fresno Northwest:
- Look at booking a room through Booking.com.
- Look at booking a room through Trip.com.
- Look at booking through Trivago.
Holiday Inn Express & Suites Northwest:
- Look at booking through Booking.com.
- Look at booking through Trip.com.
- Look to book through Trivago.
You can take the Herndon exit or the Veterans Blvd exit to get to these hotels. There is some High-Speed Rail construction going on but there are signs to direct you through that to the hotels.
Next to these hotels is a Starbucks, a smoke shop, an Einstein Bros Bagels, and a new Taco Bell. But that is it for super walkable as the rest of the area is being prepped for California High-Speed Rail.
Walkable-sih, on the East side of the rail tracks, there’s a Target, Olive Garden, Crumbl, a Tesla charging station, and all kinds of other food and shopping options (even a movie theater).
Good luck to you and enjoy your brief Fresno stop. I will keep updating this post with ideas and new things. Thanks for reading. Feel free to reach out to me on social media @thefresnan, for any questions.
–Mikey ‘The Fresnan’
Disclosures: Downtown photo credit: Blogspot.com. Links to hotels are affiliate links which changes nothing for you but gives me a small cut if you book something, just so that ya know, bro.
