Page 51 - 2024/2025 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.
SPECIAL EVENTS 2024
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
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• 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
AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM Jan. 31-Feb. 4, Pebble Beach attpbgolf.com
SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Feb. 7-17, Santa Barbara sbiff.org
GARAGISTE WINE FESTIVAL Feb. 9-10, Solvang garagistefestival.com
JAZZ BASH BY THE BAY March 1-3, Monterey jazzbashmonterey.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Apr. 25-30, San Luis Obispo slofilmfest.org
GOOD OLD DAYS STREET FESTIVAL May 4-5, Pacific Grove pacificgrove.org
TASTE OF SANTA BARBARA May 13-19, Santa Barbara santabarbaraca.com
PASO WINE FEST May 16-19, Paso Robles pasowine.com/winefest
CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL May 18-19, Oxnard castrawberryufestival.org
I MADONNARI ITALIAN STREET PAINTING FESTIVAL May 25-27, Santa Barbara ccp.sbceo.org/i-madonnari
LOS OLIVOS JAZZ AND OLIVE FESTIVAL June 10, Los Olivos jazzandolivefestival.org SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION June 21-23, Santa Barbara solsticeparade.com
SAN BENITO COUNTY SADDLE HORSE SHOW & RODEO June 28-30, Hollister sanbenitocountyrodeo.com
CALIFORNIA WINE FESTIVAL July 19-20, Santa Barbara californiawinefestival.com CARMEL BACH FESTIVAL July 13-27, Carmel bachfestival.org
OLD SPANISH DAYS FIESTA July 31-August 4, Santa Barbara sbfiesta.org
PEBBLE BEACH CONCOURS D’ELEGANCE Aug. 18, Pebble Beach pebblebeachconcours.net MONTEREY JAZZ FESTIVAL Sept. 27-29, Monterey montereyjazzfestival.org
GOLETA LEMON FESTIVAL Sept. 28-29, Goleta lemonfestival.com FIRST NIGHT MONTEREY Dec. 31, Monterey firstnightmonterey.org
COURT HOUSE BUILDINGS in Santa Barbara, right; View of Santa Barbara from the pier, opposite.
2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 49