If you’re wondering whether visiting Tequila with kids is a good idea, let me just say this: yes!!!! And it’s far more interesting than you might expect. Even though we were only in Guadalajara for 3 nights, we managed to squeeze in a day trip to Tequila and have no regrets. We planned a Tequila day trip from Guadalajara with kids, hired a private driver (highly recommend) and set off at 9:30 a.m. for what turned out to be a fun day trip. Tequila isn’t just about tastings. It’s a historic town with deep agave-growing traditions dating back to pre-Hispanic times. Founded in 1530 and designated a Pueblo Mágico in 2003, its agave landscapes and historic distilleries were recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2006. What? Did you think Chris and I were just going here to booze it up? For families with tween and teens who are ready to explore history, agriculture and Mexican traditions in a hands-on way, Tequila town delivers.
As you may recall, we’ve taken our kids to Irish distilleries, Sonoma wineries and plenty of boozy outings in Niagara on the Lake. So OBVIOUSLY we had to take our kids to Tequila, Mexico!
How to Plan a Tequila Day Trip from Guadalajara with Kids
When I first started researching things to do in Tequila with kids, I found plenty of structured tour options for a Tequila day trip from Guadalajara (many priced around CAD $80 per person) and they honestly seemed like a convenient choice. But you know how we travel. I like flexibility. I like the freedom to stop for photos, linger over lunch or wander into a shop that catches our eye.
I also considered the popular tequila train experience, which sounded fun, but it was significantly pricier and limited how much independent time we’d have to explore Tequila on our own.
In the end, we hired a private driver for our Tequila day trip from Guadalajara (I found Danny through a Guadalajara expat group), and it was absolutely the right decision for our family. Having a driver meant zero stress about navigating highways, parking or timing. An UBER would have been about CAD 60-80 so cost wise it was on par. We left Guadalajara at 9:30 a.m., explored at our own pace, and returned around 8 p.m. which would have been hard to do with a fixed group tour schedule.
Also, we had a 12 and 14 year old with us and we weren’t looking for a mega party vibe. Not to worry, Chris and I enjoyed quite a few drinks and shots on this day trip to Tequila!
Our driver, Danny, shared great stories during the drive and charged about CAD120 for the full 12 hours, which felt very reasonable for the flexibility it gave us. He also offers guide services if you want a combined driver-guide experience, but since I had already booked a separate tour in Tequila, we opted for transportation only.
Danny is even launching his own tequila brand, so we sampled his pink tequila (the pomegranate gives it colour, not flavour). He also had drinks and snacks available in the car, which made the ride feel relaxed and comfortable (especially with kids).
The drive from Guadalajara takes about an hour to an hour and a half (traffic dependent). We left at 9:30 a.m. and were back in Centro around 8 p.m., making it a full but manageable day.
If you’re visiting Tequila with kids, I highly recommend:
- Starting the day around 9 a.m.
- Booking a short educational tour
- Building in snack breaks
- Allowing time to explore downtown independently
Start at Cafe Ghostie & Tour with AI Chile Tours Tequila
We began our day at Cafe Ghostie, which was the starting point for our three-hour immersive experience with AI Chile tours tequila. They are in the midst of launching a family focused tour and we got to test the experience out before they officially launch it. This experience is 550 Mexican pesos per adult and MXN 400 per child under 12.
Upon arrival we met Bex who is the passionate owner of the Cafe. Her parents grew up in the immediate area and even though she grew up in the States, her heart yearned to return to her ancestral town. Her family LOVES Halloween so her cafe (which now sits in her grandmother’s old home) is themed with local art (many paintings from local kids), fun Halloween decor and memorabilia. She greeted us with agave syrup shots and we soon started decorating our Cantarito mugs which were included with the tour.
The cafe sells fun drinks and it was still early so we ordered some coffee, latte and milkshakes at the café (not part of the tour) and enjoyed them while we painted our mugs. They have a few breakfast items and dairy free options here if you’re looking for a place to hang out in Tequila with your children.
Bex then walked us over to the main square where we noticed the popular TEQUILA sign and felt the buzz.
We weren’t there for too long because Bex dropped us off to a bright red “chili” vehicle where our guide officially began introducing us to Tequila’s history and agave culture.
I think we need to take minute to truly appreciate the Chile shaped vehicle you get to ride in when you take an AI Chile tours. They have a few tours (including one where you can ride horses) but we opted for the family one. All of their tour attendees get to ride this cool vehicle!
Neat huh?
Touring a Working Distillery: La Rienda Distillery
One of the most fascinating parts of visiting Tequila with kids was touring a real, working distillery. While there were many tour operators and guides to choose from, we gravitated towards AI Chile and learned that all their guides are certified by SECTUR (Mexico’s Ministry of Tourism) and that they meet all the legal requirements to operate in the Pueblo Mágico of Tequila, Jalisco. Our guide was not only local to the area but he was a wealth of information and took us through the entire distillery tour himself. Usually the tour guide would have passed us on to those who work at the distillery, but not here!
We were driven (in the cool Chile adorned limo style vehicle) to Destiladora La Rienda, a tequila distillery with over 50 years of producing tequila using traditional methods in Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico. We checked-in and received a sample shot before being escorted around by our guide. This is a working distillery so we got to see the production taking place during our Saturday visit. I was told that they work every day of the week!!!
We started off at the private museum with historic tools and artifacts. We then got to see and learn about the agave cultivation, maturation and harvest. Seeing the cooking ovens in action was very cool!!!
We didn’t see the bottling line but saw the maturation and distillation tank and the aging cellar.
Even the kids had a chance to taste the agave husks and sample the syrups. Though of course the tequila samplers were only for the adults. One tip is to keep an eye out for the wasps because they came out of nowhere and I did get stung because I brushed something off my head, not knowing it was a wasp! This was an educational tour with a focus on agriculture, chemistry, craftsmanship and tradition…not “just” drinking. Even my kids were curious for most parts of this tour. So that’s a win!
Yes, we did visit the gift shop and yes we did buy a few bottles for our liquor cabinet back home.
Visiting the Agave Fields
After the distillery, we were driven out to the agave fields but I will mention that this is not a REAL field….okay, the plants were real but you can see that it was set up for tourists. Upon arriving we saw some vendor stalls and realized that we could purchase some drinks for our Centenario mugs so that we could sip as we wandered around and took pictures.
We got back in the Chile vehicle and on our drive back into town, our guide pointed out some other distilleries and shared more historical stories so that we had a general overview and would be able to navigate the area by foot at the end of the tour.
Exploring Downtown Tequila at Your Own Pace
The tour ended in Tequila’s historic downtown, giving us time to explore independently.
We wandered through colourful streets, popped into shops and eventually found ourselves at a food hall filled with local vendors and mariachi music.
The kids weren’t huge fans of the live mariachi but they loved the food. Which is what really matters. The food hall had a bunch of tables and we quickly realized that each stall had two tables, so if you weren’t buying most of the food from them, you couldn’t really sit there. The kids and I ended up ordering tortas and tacos from Martha’s so we got a table and luckily, Chris’ seafood was ordered from Marisco’s next door so we all sat together. Yes I enjoyed birria (140MXN) here and a torta ahogada (90MXN) and yes, even though the kids ordered boring burgers (110MXN each), they dug into the Torta and the Birria! This food hall was a great spot if you’re looking for casual places to eat in Tequila. They accepted credit cards here and I looked on Google Maps and the food hall isn’t really showing but here’s a Google Maps pin to direct you there!
We wandered around the town and bumped into an ice cream shop with avocado ice cream and dairy free options so the kids obviously had to stop and take a break.
They whined when we decided to stop again for a drink but hey, this was a day for Chris and I-so we told them to zip it!
We stopped for a cocktail at Restaurant and Bar Portales del Cielo and although the service was extremely slow, it was a much needed pause to savour a fun cocktail that came with a popsicle! They also have some craft beers here and the decor was a total vibe!
Additional Distillery Stops (And a Food Lesson Learned)
We walked over El Tequileño Distillery towards the edge of the town and sampled a few tequilas before purchasing their Reposado (I’ve always preferred Reposados over Anejos, funny enough). Now this wasn’t a full tequila tour with kids, it was a quick pop in to sample a few expressions before purchasing what we wanted. The price was very similar to what we saw at various tequila stores and it was actually a smidge cheaper to purchase the same brand via Uber eats in Guadalajara!
We then walked back into town and had Danny pick us up for the return journey back to Guadalajara. You know that Cantaritos the kids drew on? Chris and I tossed ours but the kids held onto theirs and they drink water out of it now that they’re back in Toronto. We saw many shops around Tequila town allowing you to order drinks that would be poured into your own mugs which I think is a fun way to sample drinks around Tequila!
On the drive home, our driver recommended another distillery stop for a quick bite. Yes we were greeted with more tequila samples upon arriving here. I think I had about 7 shots throughout the day and this was us trying to be good! Jarritos La Puerta Del Agave was a great spot if you want to have a few drinks and enjoy live music. They even had a playground for kids. We made the mistake of not ordering tacos (despite seeing the tortillas being made in front of us) and ended up with raw hot dogs. Lesson learned: when in Mexico, ALWAYS order tacos. I REALLY wanted to order one of those ginormous mugs that were half my height and wished I was there with more friends.
Traffic was heavier on the return, but we were back in Centro by 8 p.m. — just in time to tuck the kids in before sneaking out for a quiet nightcap in Guadalajara.
Is Tequila Worth Visiting with Kids?
Yes but with the right expectations. You won’t get the party vibe similar to going with your adult friends.
Tequila is:
- Walkable
- Visually engaging
- Historically significant
- Educational in an interactive way
It’s not a theme park. It’s a cultural experience. But for tweens who are curious and open to learning how things are made (especially something as globally recognized as tequila which they might be imbibing in a few years) it’s surprisingly compelling.
Pair it with ice cream, flexible timing and a private driver and it becomes a memorable family activity for a day trip from Guadalajara.
Quick mention that the best time to visit Tequila, Jalisco is during the dry season (October to June) as most tours operate during this time and field visits are more manageable.
If you’re planning a family trip to Guadalajara, adding a Tequila day trip with kids is absolutely worth it. Between UNESCO-listed agave fields, hands-on distillery tours, colourful streets and fantastic food, Tequila offers a meaningful cultural experience that goes far beyond the drink it’s famous for.
