Head out on The Original Road Trip and explore California’s Central Coast— 350 miles of the world’s most beautiful coastline. This incomparable region stretches from Ventura just north of Los Angeles to Santa Clara south of San Francisco and it is divided into the four distinct regions of Monterey Bay, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, and Ventura. Discover the magnificence of the Central Coast to find a true California vacation, complete with coastal roads, Pacific sunsets, national and state parks, world-class wine regions, and classic beach towns.
California Central Coast
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is home to the Hollywood entertainment industry and an American icon – you’ve seen it in the movies and on TV, you’ve read about it in books and magazines. Now come and see it for yourself.
No trip to LA would be complete without visit to TLC Chinese Theatre to see the hands and footprints of its famous celebrities and of course to go star spotting along the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Hollywood Boulevard! If you want the chance to see the celebrities in action, then take a trip to the world’s largest working movie studio at Universal Studios Hollywood and do a tour of their infamous backlot where blockbuster Hollywood movies, such as Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho were made. Families won’t want to miss the thrills and spills of Universal’s amazing rides and attractions such as Transformers, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Music lovers will feel right at home in downtown’s L.A. Live complex, home to the Grammy Museum, which features exhibits and memorabilia tracing Los Angeles’ prominent role in the popular music industry.
Los Angeles is also home to the famous shopping district of Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. Rodeo Drive embodies all the glam of the big screen where you’ll find the flagship locations for some of the most prestigious brands in the world.
Another fantastic place to see stars – and panoramic views of the city – is the Griffith Observatory atop a hill in Griffith Park northwest of downtown. This is just one of the city’s many must-see stops for culture seekers.
There’s the Getty Centre with its soaring architecture and cosy museum rooms full of sought-after permanent and traveling art exhibits. The Los Angeles County Museum of Art features more than 120,000 works, representing ancient and modern culture. Nearby, the Craft & Folk Art Museum, the Page Museum (home to the La Brea Tar Pits), the Architecture & Design Museum and the Petersen Automotive Museum will round out your museum hopping.
Everyone in Los Angeles has a favourite beach, and each beach has its own vibe, from the famed beach at Malibu to lively Manhattan Beach.
Santa Monica’s 5.6-kilometer stretch of sand is marked by the world-famous pier at the end of Route 66. The pier – with its amusement park, arcade and aquarium – is only a short walk from Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, an outdoor mall offering shopping in a festive environment.
Neighbouring Venice Beach is equally enchanting, but at the same time, a world apart from Santa Monica – the beach is spacious and its iconic sidewalk features a notoriously quirky mix of people.
Oxnard
Nestled along the Pacific Coast between Malibu and Santa Barbara, Oxnard is the gateway to the Channel Islands National Parks & Marine Sanctuary. Oxnard offers a myriad of activities from its clean, uncrowded golden beaches, to its historic museums and fresh crops with two weekly Farmers’ Markets. Oceanfront and marina view accommodations can be found as well as other flagship properties each offering distinct settings and amenities. Oxnard’s picturesque Channel Islands Harbor is filled with outdoor adventure including kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, jet skis, bike riding and more. There, visitors can jump aboard with Island Packers, Ventura County’s official concessionaire to the Channel Islands National Park and take an amazing journey to the Channel Islands.
Along the way, catch sights of dolphins lapping playfully alongside the boat. On the islands, visitors can discover an outdoor paradise of adventure and choose to hike, snorkel, dive or kayak through the clear kelp forests, sea caves and coves offering some of the best conditions worldwide. History comes alive at Heritage Square which contains Victorian farmhouses, which were refurbished, restored and saved from destruction from the Oxnard Plain. Just blocks away, sits the Carnegie Art Museum, a former Andrew Carnegie Library containing rotating exhibits and fine art. When it’s time to relax, visitors will find a variety of restaurants including international tastes which range from Brazilian to Italian to Japanese and, of course, fresh seafood! Shopping and more eateries can be found at The Collection at Riverpark which contains the Annex, a public market with additional dining and entertainment offerings. The Collection also houses Levity Live featuring top notch comedians. Car buffs will have fun exploring two car museums – The Mullin Automotive Museum and the Murphy Auto Museum.
Ventura
With a magnificent Californian coastline setting in between Malibu and Santa Barbara, Ventura offers uncrowded beaches and laid-back flair. Spend the whole day in shorts and flip-flops; Catch a wave, hit a brewery, discover farm-to-fork delights, and dance to live music. Feeling adventurous? Just off Ventura’s coast lies Channel Islands National Park and Marine Sanctuary, often referred to as North America’s Galapagos. Smugglers Cove on Santa Cruz Island is considered one of the top 10 beach hikes in California. This eight-mile round-trip trail ascends along a grassy plateau that provides great views of the Pacific Ocean and the other islands, before winding down through a scenic olive grove to a stellar beach that reflects both the blue sky and the water, amidst complete solitude. Other activities available around the islands include snorkeling, diving, sea cave kayaking, and whale watching. Then arrive back at Ventura Harbor and grab dinner with views of an ocean sunset over the marina. Other local attractions include Ventura County Fairground home to the famous Ventura County Fair, Ventura Harbour, and Seaside Park. Ventura invites you to take that Southern California beach vacation you’ve always dreamed of!
Santa Barbara
Nestled between the Santa Ynez Mountains and Pacific Ocean on the Central Coast of California, Santa Barbara offers sweeping ocean panoramas amidst its Spanish-style architecture all located just 144 kilometers north of Los Angeles. Red tile roofs dot the landscape of green rolling hills that flatten out into sandy beaches and a bustling harbor.
Stearns Wharf connects sea and land with its fresh seafood eateries and a marine life center. The nearby Channel Islands and wine country encourage more scenic adventure, while historic theaters lining State Street are ideal for unwinding and taking in a show.
For a fun-packed morning, hire some bikes and cycle along the palm tree-lined promenade. Alternatively, for a day full of animal action, head to Santa Barbara Zoo. From giraffes to gorillas, there are loads of animals to see. For more wildlife adventures get everyone together for a dolphin and whale watching cruise where you’ll surely see some of the Pacific Ocean’s most wonderful creatures in their natural habitats.
San Luis Obispo.
Simply called SLO by locals, San Luis Obispo is the cultural, commercial and entertainment hub of California’s scenic Central Coast. The city is located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, and is nestled among thousands of acres of protected open space for hiking and mountain biking. And you’ll want to get outdoors: SLO enjoys year-round sun and a warm Mediterranean climate. Attractions include a bustling weekly farmers’ market every Thursday, the famous Bubblegum Alley, and cultural things to do for the whole family. Explore the SLO Children’s Museum, peruse the SLO Museum of Art, and uncover the city’s past at the History Center. Adjacent, you’ll find one of California’s historic gems, the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa.
A walk through the charming downtown core will take visitors along a scenic creek walk, past multiple public works of art, cafes, and dozens of boutique and popular stores. All of that walking will work up an appetite, and SLO’s agricultural roots offer up an authentic farm-to-fork experience to satiate, complemented by local craft beer and award winning wines. In fact, Wine Enthusiast named the SLO wine region as one of the top 10 wine getaways for 2018!
Drive through the Santa Ynez Valley, situated just 30 minutes away, to sample some of California’s best wine tasting destinations at the wineries dotted along the route or enjoy exciting times exploring the incredible coastline, nearby parks, hiking trails, museums (such as the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum or the modern Santa Barbara Museum of Art), and shopping that Santa Barbara has to offer. Be sure to visit the historic Santa Barbara Mission and take a stroll along State Street where you’ll find an amazing array of fancy shopping outlets and trendy restaurants all waiting to be discovered.
Monterey
Monterey County is one of the premier vacation destinations for iconic California experiences. Skip the delay of city traffic and wind along the breathtaking Big Sur coastline on legendary Highway One to experience one of the premier road trips in the United States. Catch a glimpse of a whale from the comfort of the beach or sip handcrafted wines from a tasting room overlooking the picturesque Salinas Valley. Indulge in a rejuvenating day at a world-renowned spa or take the plunge via the “world’s highest tandem jump’ at Sky Dive Monterey Bay.
Salinas’ National Steinbeck Museum celebrates the life and work of one of the USA’s most noteworthy Nobel Prize-winning authors. Visit The John Steinbeck House for a peek into the writer’s childhood and have lunch at the House’s beloved restaurant. Don’t miss a trip to historic Cannery Row; this former turn-of-the-century cannery hub has been revitalized with waterfront dining, entertainment, colorful coastline, wine tasting and lots more. For even more history, explore Fort Ord National Monument, the site of an old military base set amid rolling hills and featuring kilometers of trails to hike, bike or horseback ride.
Famous for its stunning shoreline, quaint galleries, trendy restaurants and boutique style shopping as well being a favourite haunt of its most famous civil servant, the Honourable Mayor Clint Eastwood, a stop off at Carmel by the Sea needs to be close to the top of everyone’s Monterey Peninsula to do list. Popular attractions and activities include the historic Carmel Mission, the iconic Pebble Beach Golf Club, the beautiful Point Lobos State Reserve Park, and of course the wonderful surfing, kayaking and other exciting water sports at Carmel River State Beach.
With endless and unique opportunities to choose from, and a little something special for everyone, it’s time to live like you mean it in Monterey.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
No California coastal itinerary is complete without a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium! Serving as a premier aquarium on the West Coast and a global leader in ocean research and conservation, this is the place that inspired the setting of Pixar’s Finding Dory and the BBC’s Big Blue Live. The Aquarium’s 322,000 square feet showcase Pacific Ocean habitats with acclaimed marine exhibits such as the three-story Kelp Forest, one-million-gallon Open Sea exhibit, and the two-story home to charismatic Sea Otters. Expansive ocean-front decks overlook the sea and behind-the-scenes tours show how the Aquarium cares for thousands of live animals and their habitats.
The Aquarium also offers onsite, ocean-view dining at The Monterey Bay Aquarium Restaurant and Cafe, putting their Seafood Watch program and sustainable culinary trends into action. Discover the wonders of the Monterey Bay and how protecting our oceans benefits the world.
Santa Cruz
Offering some of the best fun in the Golden State, Santa Cruz is the quintessential California beach town. After all, it’s where three vacationing Hawaiian princes first surfed the USA in 1885, and it’s the place Jack O’Neill invented the wetsuit in the 1950s. Santa Cruz’s history is cemented in this iconic California sport. Surfers tote their boards to the beach, where families relax on the sand as children splash and play in the water.
For beginners, surf instructors provide wetsuits and surfboards and get you up on the waves. Once you’re ready, grab your big stick and head to one of Santa Cruz County’s mellow beaches and experience what “Surf City” is all about.
The spectacular Californian coastline of the Santa Cruz area also offers fantastic, fishing, kayaking and dolphin and whale watching cruises along with the chance to meet up with other local wildlife like sea otters and seals. Hikers, backpackers and other outdoor enthusiasts are well catered for at Big Basin Redwood State Park, California’s oldest state park, about an hour’s drive from Santa Cruz – enjoy mountain biking, hiking, and horse riding through scenic redwood groves.
And of course no trip to Santa Cruz would be complete without a visit to one of the Santa Cruz regional wineries– bring a picnic, buy a bottle and soak up the views across Silicon Valley.
From coastal redwood forests to the sparkling blue waters of Monterey Bay, plus over 300 days of sunshine a year, Santa Cruz is always in season.
San Francisco
San Francisco is one of the world’s greatest destinations, thanks in part to the diversity of cultural influences that all helped to shape this iconic city. The writers of the Beat Generation, the hippies of the Summer of Love in the late 1960s and the gay and lesbian communities all contributed to make the city what it is today.
San Francisco is a place of landmarks and photo opportunities, not the least of which is the Golden Gate Bridge. Crossing the famous suspension bridge that spans San Francisco Bay via bicycle, by car or on foot has got to be near the top of your San Francisco to do list.
San Francisco has an immense range of attractions including the infamous Alcatraz cruise, Golden Gate Park, Fisherman’s Wharf, over 200 parks and beaches, world-class shopping and evening entertainment. One of the best ways to see it all is by climbing aboard one of the cable cars serving California Street, Chinatown, Nob Hill and Ghirardelli Square near Fisherman’s Wharf – mission accomplished.
Downtown San Francisco is a village of museums, Union Square hosts the impressive theatre district, visit Lincoln Park for the most staggering view of the Golden Gate Bridge and visit the Legion of Honour, World War One memorial. When the sun goes down, the choices are endless with Jazz, bars, bistros and restaurants all ready and waiting. You’ll find no-frills Mexican in the Mission District and Castro districts alongside up-and-coming sushi and Chinese restaurants.
Dim sum is everywhere in Chinatown, and North Beach is famous for its Italian food. In the shopping paradise of Union Square, find Michelin-starred and celebrity chef restaurants alongside old-school establishments and casual eateries.
