Oakdale is a community in California’s North Central Valley. It is somewhat off the beaten path, about 15 miles northeast of Modesto. If you are a chocolate lover, try to be in Oakdale the third weekend in May when the town has the annual Oakdale Chocolate Festival. On the main street, Chocolate Avenue, you can treat your sweet tooth to every sort of chocolate delight you can imagine; cakes, ice cream, cookies, fudge and cheesecake. This event attracts fifty thousand to sixty thousand people a year, so cheap hotels in Oakland are booked up early. The festival includes a classic car show, a tennis tournament, a five-kilometer run, children’s games, and arts and crafts.

Chocolate isn’t the only tasty attraction in this California town. At Oakdale Cheese and Specialties you can take the cheese-making tour and sample the products. The aged Gouda is excellent. There is an on-site picnic area and a petting zoo for children. At the Knights Ferry Recreation Area you can see the 355-foot-long Knights Ferry Covered Bridge. This hauntingly beautiful structure across the Stanislaus River was built in 1863 near the ruins of an old gristmill. The park has picnic and barbeque areas, and a camp ground that is reached only by boat. You can fish, hike, canoe, and go white water rafting. For information on discount hotels in Oakdale check our listings at EasyToBook.com.