Page 24 - 2023-2024 Travel Guide to California

CITIES
Service. But Ontario isn’t all about business.
It emphasizes family fun, epitomized by
the annual Car Show and Community
Event in May, and the nearly century-old
Christmas on Euclid (Avenue), with its
Christmas-in-the-desert decorations, hol-
iday snacks, live music and traditional
nativity scenes. The NBA’s G League Ontario
Clippers take to the basketball hardwoods
in the 11,000-seat Toyota Arena.
MAMMOTH LAKES: Adventure
Year Round
Forty miles from Yosemite National Park at
7,880 feet above sea level, the alpine com-
munity of Mammoth Lakes is a prime place
to enjoy year-round recreation in the
eastern Sierra Nevada. In summer, you can
go horseback riding in the Ansel Adams
Wilderness. Taking to the lake waters to
enjoy paddle boarding in the gorgeous
Mammoth Lakes Basin is another popular
must-do, as is walking in alpine meadows
speckled with wildflowers. In the fastness
of winter, skiing comes into its own;
indeed, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area,
averaging 300 inches of snowfall a year,
boasts some of the West’s best skiing and
snowboarding. If taking it easy amid out-
door splendors is more to your liking,
take in 360-degree views of the eastern
Sierra from a gondola on your way to the
11,053-foot summit of Mammoth Moun-
tain. For a community of just 6,900
residents, Mammoth Lakes offers plenty of
urban pleasures, too. Among them, party-
ing to blues music and showcasing more
than 90 breweries pouring over 200 craft
beers at the annual summer Mammoth Fes-
tival of Beers and Bluesapalooza.
GILROY: Garlic, Outlet Shopping
& a Historic Paseo
Billing itself as the Garlic Capital of the
World, Gilroy celebrates every imaginable
edible aspect of the “stinking rose,” from
22 2023-24 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
garlic-flavored ice cream and wine to ir-
resistible garlic-speckled fries. Gilroy, a city
of 61,600 at the southern end of the Santa
Clara Valley, both honors the valley’s agri-
cultural roots and offers visitors a wide
range of sites and outdoor activities,
including a wine trail and a taco trail that
features authentic Mexican food at afford-
able prices. Gilroy Premium Outlets, 1.6
miles north of downtown on the east side of
US Route 101, hosts 145 factory outlet stores
selling famous brands at steeply discounted
prices. City-owned Gilroy Gardens com-
bines well-kept landscaping with water
features and charmingly old-school theme
park rides such as paddleboats and a
carousel on 530 engaging acres. Downtown
Gilroy is the city’s traditional core with the
Gilroy Historic Paseo pathway that con-
nects the shops and restaurants on
Monterey Street as you stroll by historic
murals and interpretative panels to learn
more about the city’s storied past.
EUREKA: Redwoods & Victorians
Tucked into the northwestern corner of
California, 270 miles north of San Francisco
on Humboldt Bay, Eureka has the largest
deep-water port between San Francisco Bay
and Washington’s Puget Sound. The city of
26,000 also serves as the unofficial capital
of the state’s Redwood Empire. Once famed
for its timber, mines and fisheries, today’s
Eureka is a leading West Coast purveyor of
succulent farmed oysters. Most signifi-
cantly for visitors, Eureka nurtures an
attractive preserve of Victorian architecture
such as the grand 1886 Carson Mansion at
2nd and M streets. Shops, restaurants and
B&Bs occupy some of the staggering 1,500
Eureka buildings listed on the National
Register of Historic Places. One million-
acre Six Rivers National Forest is a near
neighbor. Tall conifers grow in the forest’s
mountainous terrain. The Trinity, Klamath
and Smith rivers, among others, offer
whitewater rafting, fishing and kayaking.
Camping is available, usually by reserva-
tion, on terra firma.
FIND YOUR
CITY FUN
Palm Springs
visitpalmsprings.com
Pasadena
visitpasadena.com
Napa
visitnapavalley.com
Berkeley
visitberkeley.com
Ontario
gocvb.org
Mammoth Lakes
visitmammoth.com
Gilroy
visitgilroy.com
Eureka
visiteureka.com
CALIMEDIA/SHUTTERTOCK