Casa de Fruta (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

: literally "House of Fruit") is a large

roadside attraction A roadside attraction is a feature along the side of a road meant to attract tourists. In general, these are places one might stop on the way to somewhere, rather than being a destination. They are frequently advertised with billboard (advertis ...

located in an unincorporated area of

Santa Clara County Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259 as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County form the ...

, just west of the

Merced County Merced County ( ) is a county located in the northern San Joaquin Valley section of the Central Valley, in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 281,202. The county seat is Merced. The county is named after ...

line, in the Pacheco Valley of

Northern California Northern California (commonly shortened to NorCal) is a geocultural region that comprises the northern portion of the U.S. state of California, spanning the northernmost 48 of the state's List of counties in California, 58 counties. Northern Ca ...

, along State Route 152.

History

The locale was known to American Indians and was first written about when Spanish missionaries discovered the

artesian well An artesian well is a well that brings groundwater to the surface without pumping because it is under pressure within a body of rock or sediment known as an aquifer. When trapped water in an aquifer is surrounded by layers of Permeability (ea ...

there in the 1790s. The water source was popular during the

Gold Rush A gold rush or gold fever is a discovery of gold—sometimes accompanied by other precious metals and rare-earth minerals—that brings an onrush of miners seeking their fortune. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, ...

. Casa de Fruta was founded as an

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit tree, fruit- or nut (fruit), nut-producing trees that are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also so ...

by the Bisceglia brothers, who were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

immigrants, in 1908. Three teenaged grand-nephews of the first owner of the orchard opened a roadside

cherry A cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus ''Prunus'', and is a fleshy drupe (stone fruit). Commercial cherries are obtained from cultivars of several species, such as the sweet '' Prunus avium'' and the sour '' Prunus cerasus''. The na ...

stand in 1943, and eventually sold other fruits. In 1967 the remaining two grand-nephews opened a restaurant, Casa de Coffee, gas station, Casa de Diesel, children's playground (including Casa de Choo-Choo, a scale model miniature train with a full size man for the engineer, for children to ride), and gift shop, now known as Casa de Gifts. Other attractions include Casa de Sluice, Casa de Wine and Deli, Casa de Sweets, and roaming peacocks.

California State Route 152 State Route 152 (SR 152) is a state highway that runs from east to west near the middle of the U.S. state of California from State Route 1 in Watsonville to State Route 99 southeast of Merced. Its western portion (which is also known as Pache ...

passed in front of Case de Fruta as a two-lane highway for many years, but was widened to four lanes in 1992. The old alignment of the highway still exists as the Casa de Fruta Parkway, which is accessed via an exit from SR 152.

Facilities and activities

Casa de Fruta today includes a

recreational vehicle A recreational vehicle, often abbreviated as RV, is a motor vehicle or trailer that includes living quarters designed for accommodation. Types of RVs include motorhomes, campervans, coaches, caravans (also known as travel trailers and ca ...

resort, hotel, candy store, wine shop, cafe, gas station, and a park with a carousel, playground, and miniature train. All are named with the "Casa de" theme: even the bathrooms in the Chevron Gas Station are called Casa de Restrooms. For 25 years cafe guests were greeted by the "Cup Flipper", who spun their coffee cups until they stood upright. This feat earned him an appearance on TV, in

Late Night with David Letterman ''Late Night with David Letterman'' is an American television talk show broadcast by NBC. The show is the first installment of the '' Late Night''. Hosted by David Letterman, it aired from February1, 1982 to June 25, 1993, and was replaced by ...

. It is the current home of the Northern California

Renaissance Faire A Renaissance Festival (medieval fair or ren faire) is an outdoor gathering that aims to entertain its guests by recreating a historical setting, most often the English Renaissance. Renaissance festivals generally include costumed entertainers ...

, which takes place in September and October each year.Northern California Renaissance Faire website
accessed 2013-01-05.

References

External links

* Buildings and structures in Santa Clara County, California Roadside attractions in California Tourist attractions in Santa Clara County, California 1908 establishments in California {{SantaClaraCountyCA-geo-stub