Taco Bell's Retirement Community, Explained

Before we get into the ins and outs of The Cantinas, let's get one thing straight: No, this is not a real retirement community, any more than Reese's University was a real institution of higher education. A weekend long event taking place in California, Taco Bell describes life at The Cantinas as revolving around pickleball, aerobics, and early-bird Taco Tuesdays.

Taco Bell Rewards program members will be given exclusive access to the tickets (if you aren't a member already, you can join for free at any time), which come in two options: day pass or weekend membership. The day passes are, natrually, good for one day — either Saturday, August 17 or Sunday, August 18. They include access to the event itself, the activities planned, and Taco Bell food (presumably the dining will be free, though it isn't explicitly stated in the press release). The weekend pass covers the same things but for both days, plus overnight accomidations and "entertainment," though no word yet on what exactly that entertainment will be. If the promotional pictures are to be trusted, there will be swimming pools, golf cart joyrides, and dance parties, in addition to the promised pickleball games.

While The Cantinas may not be a real retirement community, it is a real place. Exclusively for members of the Taco Bell Rewards program, the event will be held August 17 to 18 in San Diego, California. Unfortunately — if this event appeals to you but you happen to be busy those dates — The Cantinas is a pop-up, not a permanent installation. It's possible if the event is successful Taco Bell will recreate the experience in other cities in the future, but at this moment there do not appear to be any plans to do so.

A day pass to The Cantinas will run you $50 for two people (technically, each Taco Bell Rewards member purchases one ticket that comes with a plus one), and gets you acess to the event from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday or 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sunday. If you'd prefer to spend the full weekend, tickets are $150 for two people — again, the Taco Bell Rewards member and their plus one. You can only score one ticket per person, so if you're planning to try to go with a crew, make sure each rewards member is assigned a buddy.

Booking will be available starting on July 16 at noon Eastern time through the Taco Bell app, you must be signed in to your rewards account to be able to access the page. There will be 45 total weekend memberships and 70 day passes (35 per day).