I love talking to East Coast people or random strangers from Europe all about California. So many people think that if you’re planning to visit California that you’re going to be surfing, getting tan… and then getting plastic surgery, but that’s just not the case. That’s why we’ve created this California travel guide. Most of the best things to do in California aren’t even at the beach!
Having lived in both San Francisco and Orange County, having grown up visiting family in Northern California and the Los Angeles area, and of course traveling all over the rest of the state, we’ve gotten to experience hundreds of small towns and hiking spots. Some of the best things to do in California are way off the beaten path, while others are indeed in the middle of Los Angeles. We’ve got recommendations for where to go in California and how to plan your time. If you have any questions about a town or a National Park, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help you plan a great adventure in California!
How to Visit California: Understanding the Layout of the Golden State
California is a huge state with millions of people. Because maps are weird and sometime that size of a state or country is a little skewed, someone new to the West Coast might not fully grasp the enormity of California. The driving map below should help clear up confusion about what’s driveable in a day or not.
Note: there are train routes through Amtrak that will get you between major cities and the Coaster to cover the Southern coast of San Diego county, but California by train isn’t as easy as European destinations or even the state of New York.
Get a copy of The Road Trip Survival Guide! Conquer your California road trip before you even leave the house!
California Road Trip Routes
If you want to see as much of California’s diverse landscape and cross off a bunch of your National Park bucket list, you should plan to do the grand loop of the California coast and the Sierras. Our California National Parks road trip plan takes about 10 days and can be extended for extra time exploring.
Of course we need to start with the best road trips for our California travel guide. These travel plans will either take you across a specific region or they’ll guide you along a theme. With endless scenic highways and long stretches of interstate connecting the cities, you can plan a wide variety of sights and stops for a California road trip! Here are some California road trip routes to plan:
- California National Parks Road Trip
- California Mountains Road Trip
- California Parks and Lighthouses Road Trip
- California Central Coast Road Trip
- Complete California Coast Road Trip
- El Camino Real California Missions Road Trip
Southern California Destinations
Southern California is more than Los Angeles. SoCal includes San Diego, Palm Springs, Orange County and more! Spring through fall it’s mostly sunshine and beaches, but there are also incredible hiking spots in Southern California, including phenomenal super bloom spots!
Everything we include our our SoCal region is within a three hour drive, most destinations are closer to each other, but three hours tops.
San Diego Things to Do
One of our favorite getaway cities in the USA, San Diego can be luxury or totally budget. We’ve been countless times, and between the free things to do in San Diego and the great food, it’s the perfect family destination. And the San Diego Pride Festival is awesome! If you can swing it right as a part of a SoCal trip, spend three days in San Diego and enjoy the beach, the city, and all the fun and museums of Balboa Park. And PS, the Lafayette Hotel is very near the park and it’s an awesome home base for SD.
Another part of San Diego that you can’t miss is Cabrillo National Monument. This is part of the National Park System and it’s beautiful, with hiking, two lighthouses, tidepools and more. The Island Palms Resort is a great place to stay for enjoying this westernmost part of SD.
Best Orange County Things to DO (including Disneyland)
Orange County is more than Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm… We love the theme parks, but there’s so much more! Orange County CA is a great family destination from Huntington Beach to Disneyland and Buena Park. Actually, Buena Park has tons of things to do and a great food scene, so it can be a good home base for enjoying the OC (far from the beach though).
And for Disneyland info, we have a whole Disney Travel page, but that has some Walt Disney World stuff too. California is home to Disneyland and California Adventure, both of which are a blast. Whether you’re planning for your first Disneyland vacation or your tenth, the parks are always changing and there are always new things going on, from entertainment to new crowd management systems. I used to work in Disneyland, so it’s got a soft spot in my heart, and now visiting with our own kids, I enjoy it even more. And while I love Disneyland’s many attractions, Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is one of my favorite spots. Also, Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel is my favorite of all the Disney hotels, and it has its own entrance into California Adventure.
Los Angeles Area Fun Things to DO
Despite all our time in Los Angeles, we haven’t written a ton about it. We so often are visiting friends and just enjoying the free things to do in LA. It really is a fun place to visit and is more than Hollywood Blvd. From the beaches of Manhattan and Hermosa to Malibu, you can have completely different experiences every day you’re in the Los Angeles area. Check out our guide to the Santa Monica Pier and surrounding neighborhood for fun things to do in this iconic spot, and then stay tuned for us to get some more great LA travel ideas published.
Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley
We LOVE Palm Springs! The town is fun and adorable, there is wonderful hiking, and you really do experience a side of nature that you might not think about when you’re planning your California travel. From downtown to Joshua Tree National Park, the many palm oasis to horseback riding around Palm Springs, we’ve got ideas for it all!
We recommend at least two days in Palm Springs to really enjoy it. You can stay for a week and not run out of things to do, but two days is fine. Don’t forget, visiting Palm Springs means also exploring the Coachella Valley’s other towns too. You’ll be so glad you did!
Things To Do on the Central Coast
We would quickly say that California’s Central Coast is one of the most overlooked regions of the state. We have done several road trips through the area and love it. From wine and agritourism in the Santa Maria Valley to history and culture at Hearst Castle, you’ll find all kinds of things to do on the Central Coast. Our kids LOVE San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay (we do too) and they are thrilled each time we return.
Whale Watching Tips
That’s right! Even though you can see whales all along the California Coast we have consistently seen them when we’re in this area. We’ve seen both blue whales and gray whales along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) here. If that’s one of your goals with doing a California Coast road trip, be sure that you take time to pull over and just watch the horizon of the ocean. The best places to see whales on the Central Coast include:
- Big Sur
- Cambria (Moonstone Beach and bluff)
- Nipomo Dunes (Guadalupe, CA)
- Off the Channel Islands (accessible via Ventura)
Whale watching from the California shore takes patience, but it’s doable and very likely in fall and spring. Good luck!
Santa Maria Valley
The Santa Maria Valley has long been one of our favorite destinations in California and it’s so easily overlooked by so many. It’s part of Santa Barbara County, but Santa Maria and its small neighboring towns are much more low key than the more well know Santa Barbara. This is the heart of wine and agritourism on the Central Coast, it’s a blast with kids, and it’s got some really wonderful restaurants, including its own barbecue style.
Tip: when you’re visiting the Santa Maria Valley, go a little off the beaten path as you head towards the beaches and visit the town of Guadalupe, CA. It’s one of the cutest towns in California and it’s full of murals!
San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay and San Simeon
If we ever move back to California, it’ll be to the San Luis Obispo area. Home to Cal Poly SLO and Morro Bay, this part of the California Coast is much more sleepy than what you’ll find from Santa Barbara south. The fog rolls in often and the food is awesome. We love this part of the coast for kayaking, hiking, and enjoying famous sites.
And you know what’s just north of San Luis Obispo? Cambria and San Simeon! Here you’ll find Central Coast wineries and Hearst Castle. One visit to this part of the coast and you’ll be planning your return trip. There are state parks, beaches, an elephant seal colony and much more. This part of the coast is really pretty, and it’s the last stretch before you hit the Big Sur coast on the way to the San Francisco Bay Area.
Best of Northern California
From the Bay Area and up to the Oregon border, Northern California is its own land. It’s a part of the state unlike anywhere else. San Francisco, Sacramento, Napa and Sonoma counties, and even up into Redwoods National Park, you’ll find a gazillion different sorts of sights and activities.
NorCal has several airports to fly into, with San Francisco (SFO), Oakland (OAK) and Sacremento (SMF) being the largest. SJC, down in San Jose, is also good sized and even has international flights!
If you have always wanted to do the train down the coast, you can actually catch Amtrak’s Coast Starlight from Seattle all the way to Los Angeles, stopping in Portland, Crater Lake National Park, the Siskiyou Mountains and then the Bay Area.
San Francisco Bay Area Things to Do
Someday we’ll create our complete guide to San Francisco with kids that includes everything from SFMOMA to the Castro, but for now, let’s keep it with the things that give you both the best city experiences AND that show you more of the San Francisco Bay Area. There are some interesting National Park sites and iconic spots (like Golden Gate National Recreation Area) you just have to visit with or without kids. Have you explored the best kept secret in San Francisco, aka Telegraph Hill? Have you been to the National Park that doubled as the Forest Moon of Endor? These are just some of the things that make visiting SF so fun!
Top Northern California Coast Sights and Things to Do
Once you cross the Golden Gate Bridge you enter a whole new world. From Marin County to Del Norte County, you’ve got lighthouses (several including the Battery Point and Trinidad lights), vineyards and sleepy towns. It’s actually fascinating to see how different this part of California is in comparison with SoCal’s coastal towns. You’d never guess that they’re in the same state, especially as you make your way into Redwoods National and State Parks.
There are some really wonderful hotels and inns along the coast. We enjoyed both the Bodega Bay Lodge and Carter House Inn, two very different hotels, and they really added to our Northern California Coast experience. Great home bases for exploring Sonoma County (Bodega Bad Lodge) and Eureka and the Redwoods (Carter House). You’ll get to drive all the way to the Oregon Coast along this route, and then you start one of the best stretches of driving in the USA, the Oregon Coast road trip.
California National Parks
Some of the most iconic National Parks are found in California. While we still have a few to visit we’ve been to most of them. The Sierras are home to Yosemite, Kings Canyon, Sequoia and Death Valley. As you head to the coast you find Joshua Tree, Pinnacles, Muir Woods, Cabrillo, and more. There are so many amazing National Park sites. And be sure to check out some of our recommendations for National Park lodges and hotels near the parks. There are many options to consider based on budget and time of year you’re visiting:
- Tenaya Lodge at Yosemite
- Evergreen Lodge at Yosemite
- Wuksachi Lodge at Sequoia NP
- John Muir Lodge at Kings Canyon NP
As a bonus, check out the area outside of the parks in the mountain, from Big Bear northward, including Mammoth Lakes. It’s beautiful and there’s so much good food, great hiking to do and really unique geologic sites!
We truly love our time exploring California and know you will too. If you have any questions or need help planning a trip, send us a note. We have knowledge and experience beyond what we’ve shared here, and have lots of contacts all around the state.
Happy adventuring!
