Page 79 - 2018 Travel Guide to California

there are plenty of treats for visitors to
enjoy. Whether your preference is digging
for clams, surfing the perfect wave,
strolling small village streets, sampling
fresh regional cuisine and world-famous
wines, or lazing on the beach and
watching the changing tide, it’s all right
here on the Central Coast—and there’s
enough for everyone.
City & Town
Downtown Santa Cruz lies between the
city’s vibrant beach attractions and the
redwood-rich mountains, where the Uni-
versity of California at Santa Cruz is
perched among groves of the huge trees.
Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey is steps
from the city’s historic buildings that date
from the 18th and 19th centuries—before SPECIAL
»
EVENTS 2018
WINTER WINE CLASSIC Jan. 27, Santa Barbara californiawinefestival.com
SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Jan. 31-Feb. 10, Santa Barbara sbiff.org
AT&T PEBBLE BEACH NATIONAL PRO-AM Feb. 5-11, Pebble Beach attpbgolf.com
SANTA BARBARA RESTAURANT WEEK Feb. 23-March 4, Santa Barbara sbrestaurantweeks.com
JAZZ BASH BY THE BAY March 2-4, Monterey jazzbashmonterey.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL March 13-18, San Luis Obispo slofilmfest.org
TASTE OF SOLVANG March 14-18, Solvang solvangusa.com
PEBBLE BEACH FOOD & WINE April 5-8, Pebble Beach pbfw.com
STEINBECK FESTIVAL May 4-6, Salinas steinbeck.org
PASO ROBLES WINE FESTIVAL May 17-20, Paso Robles pasowine.com/events/winefest
CARMEL ART FESTIVAL May 18-20, Carmel carmelartfestival.org
CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL May 19-20, Oxnard strawberry-fest.org
I MADONNARI May 25-28, Santa Barbara imadonnarifestival.com
LOS OLIVOS JAZZ & OLIVE FESTIVAL June 9, Los Olivos jazzandolivefestival.org
SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION June 22-24, Santa Barbara solsticeparade.com
SAN BENITO COUNTY SADDLE HORSE SHOW & RODEO June 22-24, Hollister
sanbenitocountyrodeo.com
CARMEL BACH FESTIVAL July 14-28, Carmel bachfestival.org
FEAST OF LANTERNS July 20-28, Pacific Grove feast-of-lanterns.org
OLD SPANISH DAYS FIESTA Aug. 1-5, Santa Barbara oldspanishdays-fiesta.org
PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE Aug. 26, Pebble Beach pebblebeachconcours.net
MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL Sept. 21-23, Monterey montereyjazzfestival.org
GOLETA LEMON FESTIVAL Sept. 29-30, Goleta lemonfestival.com
FIRST NIGHT MONTEREY Dec. 31, Monterey firstnightmonterey.org
BIG SUR COASTLINE and Highway 1 from the air, opposite; horseback riding on
the beach at Oceano, right.
»
MUS
T
SEE,
DO
» California Origins Visit Mission Santa
Barbara, established in 1786 and known as “Queen
of the Missions.” It was the 10th of 21 California
Missions to be founded by the Spanish
Franciscans.
› santabarbaramission.org
» Wild Coast Cruise Highway 1 along the majestic
Big Sur coast, where the sky touches the sea.
› bigsurcalifornia.org
» American Riviera Step off Stearns Wharf in
Santa Barbara and stroll along the miles of
beaches studded with palm trees.
› santabarbaraca.com
» Monterey’s Historic District Find Old
Monterey’s adobes and gardens from the Spanish
and Mexican eras, including the site of California’s
first Constitutional Convention, scattered near
Fisherman’s Wharf.
› seemonterey.com
» Nine Sisters Stretching between Morro Bay
and San Luis Obispo, the craggy peaks of the Nine
Sisters provide beautiful vistas in the Central
Coast. Get up close to one of them, Morro Rock, in
Morro Bay.
› morrobay.org
2018 T R AV E L G U I D E TO C A L I F O R N I A 77