Quick Tour of the California Coast This is a description of what we did along the California coast from San Diego to San Francisco. We only had a week, so we did not stay very long in any one area, but saw a good overview of what the California coast has to offer. San Diego Old Town San Diego - This part of town revolves around square where the buildings have been restored to look like the town was when the Spanish controlled that area. People working the stores are dressed in the appropriate era dress. There are lots of cute tourist shops as well as many Mexican restaurants. It is a good place to spend an afternoon or evening. Gaslamp Quarter - We went here at night, but it would also be pretty to drive/walk through during the day. There are a lot of clubs, bars and restaurants throughout this area. The area gets its names from the street lights that are still in the shape of the original gas lamps. San Diego Zoo - If you love animals, this is one of two places you must go. It is one of the best zoos I have seen in the country. San Diego Wild Animal Park - For a different approach to seeing animals, take a day and go to the wild animal park. Instead of individual cages for each type of animal, you can take monorail to see animals in a more natural environment where many different types of animals from the same regions of the world are groups together in acres of land. La Jolla - Near the beach there are lots of art galleries as well as fancy restaurants. More importantly, along the beaches you can get very close to the sleeping harbor seals that spend much of their day resting on the beach. Los Angeles Beaches - We did not spend much time exploring the beaches since it was a cold day when we were there, but there are nice beaches along the coast in LA. Rodeo Drive - It was fun to see all of the famous shops and laugh at the price tags. Hollywood Blvd - No trip to LA is complete without seeing the Walk of Fame (the stars on the side walk). Along this strip is also Mann's Chinese Theater where you can see star's autographs and hand prints in the concrete. Across the street is the El Capitan Theater. This theater was bought and renovated by Disney. For each of their big shows, they decorate the theater with items from the set of the movie they're showing. Sunset Blvd - A drive through Sunset will show you where some of the record studios and famous star hangouts. The Hollywood Sign - You can see this from a lot of places in LA. We ran out of time, but people have enjoyed going up to the sign itself. TV Show Filming - I highly recommend watching the filming of a TV show while you're in LA. We got free tickets to Family Feud on Hollywood Blvd, but you can probably call the studios ahead of time to see what's available. It's a great way to spend a relaxing afternoon. Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) Although it might take you longer to get to your destination, it is worth the extra couple of days to see the beautiful ocean views and wild life along the way. We saw grey whales, sea otters, elephant seals, harbor seals, sea lions, and monarch butterflies. Santa Barbara Santa Barbara Mission - This is a very classic Spanish mission and is the most visited in CA. Besides the church itself, there is a cemetery garden as well as a little museum of artifacts. There is also a lovely view of the ocean. Downtown - A drive around downtown will show you more of the Spanish style houses and administrative buildings. Monarch Butterflies The Monarch Butterflies migrate to the California coast in the winter. They shelter in trees from San Diego up to the Bay Area. During the summer, the Monarchs migrate north and there are 4-5 generations of Monarchs hatched during the summer months. The last generation instinctively knows to return to the winter location of their great-great-great-great grandparent. They are found huddled together on leaves until it warms up toe around 55 degrees and then they start flying. When you go see them, make sure you look up because they huddle close together in the upper branches of the trees and look like leaves. Pismo Beach - Although they have a very nice beach, our main reason for stopping in this town was to see the monarch butterflies. From November - February, the monarch can be seen at the Pismo State Beach - North Beach Campground. This is one of the largest congregations of monarchs in the state. http://www.mbspmuseum.org/pismo.htm Pacific Grove - Another butterfly sanctuary is found at Pacific Grove near the 17 Mile Drive. http://www.pacificgrove.org/butterfly_watching.htm Elephant Seals If you're traveling the Pacific Coast Highway from December - early March, no trip is complete without seeing the elephant seals. These are the funniest looking seals you'll ever see and it's clear from the extra skin hanging in front of their mouths why they got their name. San Simeon - Just 4 miles north of Hearst Castle, this is probably the best place to see them if you don't know when you'll get there because you do not need reservations.http://www.elephantseal.org Ano Nuevo State Reserve - If you're in the bay area or know when you can get there, this is a must see. Since the state reserve is close to the Bay Area, to help control the tourists, Ano Nuevo requires people to make a reservation to go on a guided walk. For reservations, call 1-800-444-4445. http://www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=523 Big Sur This was the prettiest stretch along the Pacific Coast Highway. You get beautiful views of the northern coast cliffs and beaches as you meander your way along the coast. If you have the time, there are hiking trails at various points. http://www.pelicannetwork.net/jpb.trail.map.htm Monterey Bay Area Monterey Bay Aquarium - This is a wonderful aquarium with three resident sea otters, a kelp forest, jelly fish, and many hands on exhibits. You can easily spend a half a day here. Walking Path near the Aquarium - This is the best place to search for sea otters! You can find them by look for areas of kelp. If you don't have binoculars, look something that is diving and you either have a bird or a sea otter. Pacific Grove - A good place to see the Monarch Butterflies. Monterey Wharf - Great place to get some good sea food. 17 Mile Drive - This is a toll road that goes around the Monterey Peninsula. For those of you who love golf, you can see the gorgeous Pebble Beach golf course. If golf isn't your thing, get out at the sights to see Seal Rock, or the Lone Cypress Tree. You can also see some beautiful multi-million dollar villas. Fitzgerald Marine Reserve This is one of the closest and best places to San Francisco to go tide pooling. Try to go here at low tide to walk around the rocks to see sea anemone, crabs, start fish, and other creatures. We also saw a group of harbor seals. http://www.sfgate.com/getoutside/1996/jun/fitz.html San Francisco Marin Headlands - If you've ever seen a picture of the golden gate bridge, chances are that it was taken from these hills. After you cross the bridge, take the road that goes up to your left and enjoy the beautiful views of the bridge and city. Muir Woods - If you don't have time to go to the other redwood parks throughout northern CA, make a stop here. The paths are boardwalks and make for a nice quick stroll through the tall redwood trees. Another good place to see redwoods is Big Basin State Park south of San Francisco. This is not accessible from the Pacific Coast Highway, contrary to some guide books. Fisherman's Wharf - For seafood restaurants and tacky San Francisco nick-knacks, this is the place to go. I also enjoyed the sour dough bread. In my opinion, the best part was Pier 39. Here you can get really close to a group of sea lions who float on wooden platforms in the water. Go and see them play king of the hill and sleep. Lombard Street - No trip to San Francisco is complete without a drive down the curvy stretch of Lombard. Exploratorium - The perfect museum for those who love science and playing with science. The Exploratorium is located at the Palace of Fine Arts near the Golden Gate Park and is one of the best science museums in the country. For a few hours, you get to go experiment with the hands on exhibits dealing with subject areas like vision, color, light, motion, biology, and electricity. If you call ahead, you can also make reservations for their Tactile Dome. The dome is dark and you get to go through and feel your way through a path filled with different types of textures. http://www.exploratorium.edu Ghirardelli Square - Now filled with shops, this is where the chocolate factory used to be. I highly recommend stopping into the Ghirardelli ice-cream shop and getting a chocolate sundae. Cable Car - Why walk up the hills when you can experience San Francisco from a cable car? We took it from Ghirardelli Square to the end of the line downtown. Make sure you see the cable car turntable and the Cable Car Museum for an explanation of how they work. Good Walk - For a quick way to see the city, take the cable car from the wharf in the morning up to downtown. Walk from there, through Nob Hill and into Chinatown. From there, meander your way either to Lombard St or towards the Coit Tower and then back to North Beach and the Fisherman's Wharf.