Page 46 - 2025-2026 Travel Guide to California

MUST
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
44 2025-26 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA
SPECIAL EVENTS 2025
AT&T PEBBLE BEACH PRO-AM Jan. 30-Feb. 2, Pebble Beach attpbgolf.com
SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Feb. 5-15, Santa Barbara sbiff.org
GARAGISTE WINE FESTIVAL Feb. 8-9, Solvang garagistefestival.com
JAZZ BASH BY THE BAY March 7-9, Monterey jazzbashmonterey.com
SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Apr. 22-27, San Luis Obispo slofilmfest.org
GOOD OLD DAYS STREET FESTIVAL May 3-4, Pacific Grove pacificgrove.org
TASTE OF SANTA BARBARA May 12-18, Santa Barbara santabarbaraca.com
PASO WINE FEST May 15-18, Paso Robles pasowine.com/winefest
CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL May 17-18, Oxnard castrawberryufestival.org
COURT HOUSE BUILDINGS in Santa Barbara, bottom left; The Monterey Bay Aquarium delights
children of all ages, opposite top left; The Gilroy Garlic Festival is a popular summer food fair held
annually in Gilroy—nearly 100,000 visitors enjoy the array of activities and delicacies, opposite top
right; The Lone Cypress from 17-Mile Drive in Pebble Beach, opposite bottom; Bixby Canyon Bridge,
Big Sur, previous page.
from the 18th and 19th centuries—before
California was part of the United States.
Made famous by John Steinbeck’s epony-
mous novel, Cannery Row has morphed
from a fishing center to a bustling street
with shops and ocean-view restaurants.
Steinbeck’s hometown, Salinas, is a
working-class agricultural city, known as
the “Salad Bowl of the World.” Carmel, a
freethinker’s retreat born as an artist vil-
lage, is home to stylish shops, exquisite
dining and top-notch art.
South of Big Sur, the coastline is dotted
with a necklace of small beach towns.
Cambria’s galleries and antique shops
perch on pine-forested hills above the
ocean. Laid-back Cayucos is an old-school
beach retreat with a surf break and fishing
pier near the main drag. Morro Bay’s land-
mark, an ancient volcanic peak emerging
from the ocean floor, stands at the
entrance to a beautiful estuary. Between
the ocean and the Santa Ynez Mountains,
Santa Barbara is often called the “American
Riviera” because of its Mediterranean cli-
mate and red-roofed buildings. Head
inland to artist enclave Ojai to unwind and
take in the “pink moment” sunsets—the
color of cotton candy.
The Great Outdoors
While well-known urban areas dot this
region, there’s more than enough wide-
open space for fans of the outdoors. Take
a whale-watching boat tour in Monterey
Bay, where you can spot migrating gray,
humpback and blue whales. Seventeen-
Mile Drive in Pebble Beach winds through
forest and along the Pacific coastline as it
skirts exclusive golf courses and resorts.
Hike to the top of Bishop Peak, the
tallest of the Nine Sisters, a chain of vol-
canic peaks. Take advantage of some sweet
surf spots and catch the perfect wave.
Head out from Santa Barbara on a whale-
watching tour to see some of the largest
mammals in the Pacific Ocean. The Los
Padres National Forest stretches across
the scenic Coast and Transverse ranges,
and offers a wealth of adventure.
Family Fun
The Central Coast is a wonderland for fam-
ilies, with historic sites, accessible beaches
BILL PERRY/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM; LYNN Y/SHUTTERSTOCK. ARIUSZ S. JURGIELEWICZ/SHUTTERSTOCK