Where are some beautiful places to go between northern Ca. and Souther, Ca.?

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magic621a

Santa Barbara is a gorgeous town, but a bit expensive.

Cambria, which is on the Central Coast, is a beautiful town, right on the water.

Santa Cruz is a great surfing town, with the boardwalk, featuring all sorts of carnival rides.

racegrrli

Solvang - cute danish town.
pismo beach - beachy
valencia - 6 flags

miasmama

santa barbara. it's gorgeous there. also try santa cruz. they are both great places to vacation.

km9cm2e

Yosemite National Park comes to mind .....

ÃŸÎ±ÃŸÎµ

Anywhere along the coastline should be pretty nice.

BigHaig

Santa Barbara. About 1.5 hrs N. of Los Angeles.

YO MIKA!

oakland, SF bay area

tahoe

trinity river near weaverville

santa cruz

jane

Theme Parks/Entertainment: Universal Studios, Six Flags, Disneyland, California Adventures, Sea World, Hurricane Harbor.

Shopping/Food: City Walk, Promenade, Santa Monica Pier, etc.

Iunona C

Let's see.... North to South: In San Francisco you can check out Fisherman's Wharf - they are famous for their sourdough bread; have lunch at Bubba Gump's, take tours of Alcatraz and check out their aquarium. Sometimes they also have street markets with vendors of jewlery, art, etc. Don't forget the Golden Gate bridge. A good perspective of it is actually above the bridge, on the hill where the military base/fort/guard thingy used to be.

In Monterey Bay, you can go to the Monterey Bay aquarium - it's very cool with all kinds of marine life and birds, eat at Bubba Gumps and then head south by taking hwy 1 as the scenic route. You'll pass through a forest (I can't remember the name, but it's well known) where you can camp. If your trek is in the day, keep taking the scenic route(a two lane road) south with the ocean to your left.

Along the way, you'll pass a historic bridge and a few really good look out points. Some are cliffs overlooking the beautiful blue water while others can lead you to a great view of elephant seals, harbor seals and the occasional sea otters (and if you're lucky, like I was, you might even spot the pot smoking lady trying to fish).

Along the road you could also see snowy egrets, great blue herons, and red tailed hawks. It's amazing to see the flora (plantlife) changing as you go south, from the red soil and green lush plants in San Francisco, the pines and sand dunes covered in ice plants in Monterey Bay, to the tan/gray/green rocky cliffs above the ocean, to the fields of grass, more ice plant and lush green hills... to the chaparral of Southern Calif.

You'll also pass the Hearst Castle on your way. It is a great sightseeing destination, especially if you want to see what someone with a lot of money can do. (Statues)

Eventually you'll turn southeastward toward the 101. In Santa Barbara (301 West Cabrillo Blvd) you can take a boat trip to go whale watching. Trust me, the blue whales, gray whales, humbacks, different species of dolphins are worth it.

As you go further south, you will pass through Ventura County. There you can check out Ventura Harbor and, eat at Greek At the Harbor, I recommend the lentil soup, or have some really great clam chowder served in "buoy" at Andria's Seafood Restaurant. Or you can check out Channel Islands harbor and eat at the Whale's Tail, which overlooks the harbor. They have pretty good drinks. Both harbors are off the Victoria exit.

The Thousand Oaks Civic Center hosts a ton of concerts and musicals on a regular basis you might want to check out.

If you're still hungry, you can go south on the 101, exit Fallbrook (turn left on Ventura) and check out Casa de Carlos. Their bean dip is complenetary and delicious. If Mexican isn't your style, you can try heading east on Ventura blvd, to New Light &Healthy, a sushi restaurant with an all you can eat buffet. On your left will be a big red sign that says "Sushi". Best sushi in the area, trust me.

For entertainment, you can head to Hollywood/Los Angeles to check out the walk of fame on Hollywood Blvd., their Wax museum, Mann's Chinese Theater, the Key club, House of Blues (HOB), The Roxy, the El Rey, El Capitan and the Wiltern for music performances. Good luck with parking!

You can go birding (birdwatching) in Malibu at the Malibu lagoon, where you should see all kinds of terns, gulls, brown pelicans, plovers, mallards, and egrets. You can eat at Malibu Seafood Market, a few miles north of the lagoon. they have great Ahi burgers, tacos, oysters and scallops.

If you have a chance, go to San Pedro. Check out Cabrillo aquarium. It is the most resourcefull aquarium I have ever visited and they host several educational, fun and cheap events... and they have a touch tank! After that, check out the tidepools on the shore. I find a lot of marine life every time I go, like sea anemones, limpets, periwinkles, sea hares, sea stars, mussels, crabs and the occasional algae, fish and octopus. Just make sure you're there at low tide. For food, I recommend either Acapulco for something familiar, or the Green Onion for a more authentic Mexican feel.

Marina Del Rey has a restaurant with the best Bloody mary I've ever had, Edie's Diner.

That's as far as I can go for now. Have fun.

P.S. There's also Huntington Library, Magic Mountain, Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, L.A. Convention and Long Beach Convention Centers, Dodger Stadium, Universal Studios and City Walk..

Andria's Seafood Restaurant
1449 Spinnaker Dr # A, Ventura, CA
(805) 654-0546

Edie's Diner
4211 Admiralty Way
Marina Del Rey, CA 90292
(310) 577-4558

New Light & Healthy Sushi
19817 Ventura Blvd.
Woodland Hills, CA 91364
(818) 884-7802

Whale's Tail
3950 Bluefin Cir
Oxnard, CA 93035
(805) 985-2511

StephC

omg the west coast beaches are beautiful, when i visited my aunt in california we took a roadtrip from san diego to northern cali then seattle, if your driving, you'll pass a lot of open waters, there's also the redwood forest, home to the tallest trees in the US i believe and i visited stanford university, grand canyon, hollywood, celebrity homes, you can take up surfing, disneyland, water-skiing, there's a lot of outdoorsy things to do in cali here's a good link http://gocalifornia.about.com/od/topcalifornia/California_Vacation.htm?terms=california

actingurl101

Definently San Diego! Theres seaworld, soak city, and there are MANY clean and nice beaches!

The_Info_Ninja

fort brag it is awsome there

janette m

SAN DIEGO TRUST ME=]

Â¡Hola! Mi nombre es Tamara.

The California State Fair (in Sacramento)
http://www.bigfun.org/
(The 2007 California State Fair will run from August 17 - September 3, 2007, with Mondays closed/Open Labor Day.)

San Francisco's Pier 39
http://www.pier39.com/
(They have the Aquarium of the Bay, the Blue and Gold Fleet that can take you to Alcatraz Island for a tour, and a great place to eat, called Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

AND if you go during the month of September, you can catch "Viva Las Americas" on Saturday, September 15, 2007, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, when PIER 39 celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month!

OR visit during Saturday, October 6, 2007 to Sunday, October 7, 2007 from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM, for Fleet Week also at PIER 39.)

Hola! I am 25 yr old mom and wife from CA, now living in UT. I am Hispanic and LDS/Mormon. I was born and raised in CA, and I can tell you that if you want culture and history, you should visit the many beautiful locations there.

If you go to CA, might I recommend...

The California State Fair
http://www.bigfun.org/
(The 2007 California State Fair will run from August 17 - September 3, 2007, with Mondays closed/Open Labor Day.)

San Francisco's Pier 39
http://www.pier39.com/

They have the Aquarium of the Bay, the Blue and Gold Fleet that can take you to Alcatraz Island for a tour, and a great place to eat, called Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

AND if you go during the month of September, you can catch "Viva Las Americas" on Saturday, September 15, 2007, from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM, when PIER 39 celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month!

OR visit during Saturday, October 6, 2007 to Sunday, October 7, 2007 from 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM, for Fleet Week also at PIER 39.

OTHER PLACES IN CA TO VISIT...

Monterey Bay Aquarium
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
Hearst Castle
http://www.hearstcastle.org/
Winchester Mystery House
http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/
Santa Cruz Boardwalk
http://www.beachboardwalk.com/
Lake Tahoe-CA/NV
http://www.visitinglaketahoe.com/

Corinne in Bflo.

Get a guide/travel book of California from a book store!!! Or call the Chamber of Commerce in one (or several) of the cities you'll be traveling through and they can send you lots of information that they create for tourists. Even the AAA (actually called the Automobile Club of California) can send you the information you're looking for. There are thousands of things to do and see between Northern and Southern CA. Have lots of fun!!!!!!!! And bring a good camera!!!

Alaskan Girl

Disney Land

Alexandria or Xin Wee Jang

Imperial beach most southern city in the state
San Diego is very nice
Oceanside has great beaches
long Beach has some of the best ocean views
Anaheim can't miss Disneyland
L.A. your crazy to miss that too
Santa Barbara great ocean views from beaches
Santa Maria friendly people
San Jose lots of fun stuff to do
San Fransisco very beautiful
Oakland great place
Sacramento have to visit the capital
Santa Rosa

rockabillymonkey

Middle Ca.?

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