Nut Tree Airport

I f you’ve ever travelled the I-80 from San Francisco to Sacramento, you have probably stopped at the Nut Tree. This iconic California landmark served up the best food and fun a road trip had to offer for generations of tourists. Today, there is an excellent general aviation airport in Vacaville as well, and it all started with a fruit stand. The original Nut Tree was opened in 1921 along the Lincoln Highway by Helen and Ed “Bunny” Power as a small roadside fruit stand built near the site of Helen’s childhood home. The actual “nut tree” was a black walnut that had been planted by pioneer Sallie Fox from a seed she had picked up along a trail in Arizona in 1859. It is hard to say whether the Power family could have envisioned what they had created – but when the Lincoln Highway became Interstate 80 things took off. The Nut Tree became a driving force in retail for most of the 20th century, and it really was the state’s first major road stop. It only took a year for Helen and “Bunny” to see the potential and they began offering prepared food, serving 950 cars daily by 1923. By 1949, the Nut Tree had grown to include a flower shop, a gift shop, and an award-winning, all-electric kitchen. Every decade seemed to bring more growth and in the 1950s they added a toy store, a railroad, and even an airstrip. The dining rooms were rebuilt, quadrupling the total seating capacity to 500. By the 1970s AT A GLANCE NUT TREE AIRPORT WHAT: A general aviation airport with a fascinating history WHERE: Vacaville, California WEBSITE: www.flynuttree.com ort Where nostalgia takes flight