April 10, 20215 yr I'm taking my wife to California towards the end of July for our 20th Anniversary. Neither of us have been before, and I want to try to see as much as possible. I've put together a fairly aggressive plan for the 12 days that we will be there. I realize that we will not get to fully explore any of the areas we are going to visit but perhaps if we ever go back we can focus our next trip on a particular area depending on what we like from this go around. We will be flying into Ontario (LA) mid morning and from there I plan to rent a car and drive to San Diego for a few days after which we will spend a day driving along the coast from SD to LA and spend whatever time is leftover in the LA area until dinner after which I will drive a couple hours north to Visalia where we will stop for the night. The next day we will spend exploring Sequoia National Park then spend the night in Fresno and the next day at Yosemite. We will then head to San Francisco for three nights. I plan to perhaps travel up to Napa one day and spend the other two in San Francisco or Oakland. We will then spend the next two days traveling the Pacific Coast Highway back to LA we will then have day and a half to spend in LA as our flight home doesn't leave until 4PM. I've already got hotel reservations for each night but they can be changed if need be. I've avoided staying in downtown areas opting instead for hotels which will have parking and plan to take public transit into areas like downtown San Francisco. My wife loves the beach, and I'd rather go to the mountains, so it seems like my plan will accomplish things that will make each of us happy. My question you you all is what are some things that are can't miss that we should definitely make plans to include in our trip. We really aren't interested in theme parks, and will probably not include any zoos (I know San Diego zoo is top notch) or museums as we can do these types of things closer to home. I'm really more interested in the natural sites such as the coast, mountains, etc. as well as landmarks such as the Golden Gate bridge. Plus these are things that we should be able to do regardless of Covid restrictions. If you have any suggestions for things that you think are can't miss, please let me know. I've still got time to make plans and change our itinerary. Thanks.
April 10, 20215 yr We went to the Central Coast region (half way between LA and SF) a few years back and I fell in love. I’ve not done Napa, but the friends we were with had and they say Napa, while beautiful, is much more expensive and pretentious than the Central Coast. I’m more of a fan of the wines from this region, too. Nearby is the Hearst Castle which is really cool. HWY 1 goes through here - and San Luis Obispo - so you will have a blast. My only food recommendation is to pull off at Arroyo Grande and go to Frutiland La Casa del Sabor.... Assuming you like Mexican. It’s nationally renowned. Thank me later.
April 11, 20215 yr I've only been to Northern CA. Carmel by the Sea is really pretty. I was there when the mayor was some guy named Eastwood. Area is gorgeous and you are close to San Francisco and the Napa Valley area. Big Sur is also not too far away.
April 11, 20215 yr Following the PCH is a great trip. The ocean is always right outside the window. You’ll quickly discover that outside of those major cities, California is really a bunch of small towns. Stop as much as you can. You’ll fall in love. San Luis Obispo is one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. And I’ve traveled regularly for over 20 years.
April 11, 20215 yr Sounds like a really nice trip. I also endorse Carmel as a nice town to visit. You can do the 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach Golf Course next to Carmel. The Golden Gate Bridge is very impressive in person. San Francisco is by far my favorite city of the big ones in California. I love the Pacific Coast Hwy drive. I really liked Hearst Castle. San Clemente, halfway between LA and San Diego, has a nice area by the ocean to chill out and get a meal with a view. I know you said no zoos but if you like zoos at all San Diego Zoo is definitely worth a visit. They have a different group of animals there than what you usually see in zoos. Enjoy!
April 12, 20215 yr SF - gotta ride a cable car and check out Lombard Street. There used to be tours of the cable car mechanical facilities. Fisherman's Wharf is usually on people's list. We took a ferry over to Saucalito from there to get a good view of the Golden Gate from the water. We also took a quick tour of the bay including Alcatraz. An actual tour of Alcatraz was longer and we just did not want to spend that much time.
April 12, 20215 yr 1 minute ago, Bluegrasscard said: SF - gotta ride a cable car and check out Lombard Street. There used to be tours of the cable car mechanical facilities. Fisherman's Wharf is usually on people's list. We took a ferry over to Saucalito from there to get a good view of the Golden Gate from the water. We also took a quick tour of the bay including Alcatraz. An actual tour of Alcatraz was longer and we just did not want to spend that much time. If you stay in SF, eat at Scomas at least once!
April 12, 20215 yr Author On 4/10/2021 at 6:41 PM, bugatti said: We went to the Central Coast region (half way between LA and SF) a few years back and I fell in love. I’ve not done Napa, but the friends we were with had and they say Napa, while beautiful, is much more expensive and pretentious than the Central Coast. I’m more of a fan of the wines from this region, too. Nearby is the Hearst Castle which is really cool. HWY 1 goes through here - and San Luis Obispo - so you will have a blast. My only food recommendation is to pull off at Arroyo Grande and go to Frutiland La Casa del Sabor.... Assuming you like Mexican. It’s nationally renowned. Thank me later. As of now, I believe the Hearst Castle remains closed for tours. Hopefully that might change by mid July. We both love Mexican food. I looked up Frutiland on Yelp and there food looks amazing, and it seems like we would likely get to there location within lunchtime so it might be an ideal stop that day. Thanks.
April 12, 20215 yr Author On 4/10/2021 at 8:16 PM, The Raven said: I've only been to Northern CA. Carmel by the Sea is really pretty. I was there when the mayor was some guy named Eastwood. Area is gorgeous and you are close to San Francisco and the Napa Valley area. Big Sur is also not too far away. Carmel by the Sea is for sure one of the towns I plan to visit.
April 12, 20215 yr Author On 4/10/2021 at 10:45 PM, HoopJunkie said: Following the PCH is a great trip. The ocean is always right outside the window. You’ll quickly discover that outside of those major cities, California is really a bunch of small towns. Stop as much as you can. You’ll fall in love. San Luis Obispo is one of my favorite places I’ve ever been. And I’ve traveled regularly for over 20 years. Thanks for the recommendation.
April 12, 20215 yr Author On 4/10/2021 at 10:46 PM, Voice of Reason said: Sounds like a really nice trip. I also endorse Carmel as a nice town to visit. You can do the 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach Golf Course next to Carmel. The Golden Gate Bridge is very impressive in person. San Francisco is by far my favorite city of the big ones in California. I love the Pacific Coast Hwy drive. I really liked Hearst Castle. San Clemente, halfway between LA and San Diego, has a nice area by the ocean to chill out and get a meal with a view. I know you said no zoos but if you like zoos at all San Diego Zoo is definitely worth a visit. They have a different group of animals there than what you usually see in zoos. Enjoy! I plan to travel 17 mile drive, would love to get to see Pebble Beach, hopefully Covid won't restrict access from at least visiting the clubhouse. We've been to a lot of zoos and I know that San Diego is supposed to be one of the best if not the best in the country, just with limited time in the area, I think there our other things that we can do which can only be seen in that area. Plus I think Covid restrictions are still limiting what can be done at the zoo.
April 12, 20215 yr Author 13 hours ago, Bluegrasscard said: SF - gotta ride a cable car and check out Lombard Street. There used to be tours of the cable car mechanical facilities. Fisherman's Wharf is usually on people's list. We took a ferry over to Saucalito from there to get a good view of the Golden Gate from the water. We also took a quick tour of the bay including Alcatraz. An actual tour of Alcatraz was longer and we just did not want to spend that much time. I would like to see Alcatraz, but it's my understanding that as of now the tours are of the exterior only. Doesn't really seem worth it if you can't see the inside of the prison.
April 12, 20215 yr Author 13 hours ago, HoopJunkie said: If you stay in SF, eat at Scomas at least once! I'll look into this. Thanks for the recommendation.
April 13, 20215 yr 18 hours ago, Irish Cat said: I would like to see Alcatraz, but it's my understanding that as of now the tours are of the exterior only. Doesn't really seem worth it if you can't see the inside of the prison. Alcatraz was my favorite part of our time in SF. It wouldn’t be worth the time for the exterior only. The Golden Gate didn’t do much for me.
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