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Things to see in the Monterey Area
- Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Monterey State Beach
- Monterey Bay - water sports, snorkeling, rent gear, kayaks, guided tours
- Monterey State Historic Park - self guided tours of restored historic buildings
- Monterey Canyon
- offshore
- 10000 feet deep into the ocean
- cold water currents
- diverse marine life.
- Monterey Peninsula Recreational trail - biking along 18 miles of coastline, no cars
- Fisherman's Wharf - seals and boat trips
- Cannery Row - Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum
- Whale Watching - tours available by boat
- Monterey Wine Festival - April
- Monterey Jazz festival - September
- Point Lobos State Reserve - wildlife and hiking trails.
Near Carmel is the 17 mile drive which you enter from the North through the Pacific grove gate located off Sunset drive. The 17 mile drive goes through the Pebble Beach resort. Points of interest along the way: the Restless sea, bird view rock, point Joe, the Spanish Bay, the Lone cypress, Ghost tree, Seal Rock, Fanshell beach, Sunset Point, Cypress Point, Crocker Grove, Pescadero Point, Stillwater cove, Arrowhead Point, Moss Beach, Pebble Beach Golf course, harbor seals, sea lions, wildlife and more. Carmel is an old seaside resort dating back to 1880. The town is located 5 miles south of Monterey. There are shops and galleries as well as a beautiful beach with white sand. Points of interest are: Mission San Carlos Borromeo de Carmel , Carmel Mission off hwy 1 south of town, museum, Point Lobos State Reserve also south of town on hwy 1, hiking trails, coves, sea lion point, Monterey Cypress trees, ocean views. Carmel-By-The-Sea Hotels Big Sur is over 90 miles of coastline along hwy. 1. It stretches from Carmel to San Simeon. In this region are the Santa Lucia mountains which are the steepest coastal range in the US. Be aware that cell phones don't work here. The ranger station is located between Rocky Point (south) and Bixby Bridge (north). Big Sur Hotels for lodging see Ventana Inn And Spa Big Sur California Key Points of interest
- Soberanes Point - hiking trails along the coastline
- Garrapata State Park- hiking trails.
- Pfeiffer Beach - off Sycamore Canyon Rd
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Par - campground, lodge, hiking trails, wheelchair accessible trail
- Pfeiffer Falls - 60 ft falls within a Redwood Forest grove
- Point Sur - ocean views
- Big Sur cultural and Natural History center
- Coast Gallery - arts and crafts by local and national artists
- Henry Miller Library - collection of the works of Henry Miller
- Esalen Institute - natural hot spring - reservations required
- Andrew Molera State Park - hiking trails, horseback riding guided tours and camping
- Point Sur lighthouse - 19th century. Tours
- Limekiln State Park - redwood grove next to ocean and campground
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park - hiking trails with views of the ocean
- McWay Falls - 80 ft high coastal waterfall and drops into the ocean
- campground
- Ventura Wilderness Area
- Northern section of the Los Padres National Forest
- Runs along the coastline
- Redwoods and Canyons
- Hiking trails
- Sykes hot springs - natural hot mineral pools
- Beware of mountain lions - large concentration in the area
- San Simeon - 1850 Whaling station
- San Simeon State Park
- San simeon Natural Preserve - trails along beach, camping
- Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery
- Hearst Memorial State Beach
- Hearst Castle State Park
- Built by William Randolph Hearst
- 127 acres
- Landscaped gardens, fountains, pools
- 165 rooms
- antiques
- exhibit on the history of the Castle and area
- In the summer, you will need reservations
South of Big Sur
- Cayucos
- Estero Bay
- great for beginner surfing
Morro Bay
- Morro Rock - 575 foot peak located just off the coast
- Morro Bay State Park
- Campground
- golf course
- marina - kayak rentals
- Museum of Natural History
- Heron Rookery State Park
- Montana de Oro State Park
- SW of Morro Bay
- Visitors Center
- Coastal Bluffs, Hiking
- Mountain biking
- horseback riding
- campground
for lodging see
Pismo Beach Hotels | Avila Beach Hotels California Beach Resorts near this area
- Avila Beach
- Pismo Beach - migrating Monarch Butterfly make this their winter home from Nov to Mar
- Ocean Beach
- Surf Beach
for lodging see San Luis Bay Inn Avila Beach California San Luis Obispo
- California Polytechnic State University
- Volcanic Peaks called the nine sisters
- Hiking trails
- Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
- Church
- Garden and Courtyard
- Museum
- Artifacts
- tours
- Bishop's Peak - over 1559 ft high with beautiful ocean views
Santa Barbara has some fine beach which is south of the city. The area has a dry mild climate. Just North of Santa Barbara is the Chumash Painted Cave State Historic Park which is a was painted long ago by Native Americans for lodging see Santa Barbara Hotels Points of Interest:
- Santa Ynez mountains
- north of city
- canyons
- coastal viewsbiking
- Santa Barbara county Courthouse - built 1929
- Santa Barbara Botanical Gardens
- Mission Santa Barbara - north of city built 1820
- Santa Barbara Zoo
- El Presidio Santa Barbara State Historic Park
- Andree Clark Bird Refuge
- Santa Barbara Museum of Art
- Alice Keck Park Memorial Garden
Beaches near Santa Barbara
- East Beach
- Butterfly Beach
- West Beach
- Leadbetter Beach - surfing, picnic areas
- Arroyo Burro Beach
- Jalama Beach
- Rincon Beach Park
Nearby State Parks - campgrounds, picnic areas
- Refugio State Beach
- El Capitan State Beach - surfing
- Gaviota State Park
- Carpinteria State Beach
South of Santa Barbara is Ventura. Here you can catch a boat to the Channel Islands which is a great location for Whale watching. Boats leave early. Here is the Channel Islands National Park which is a chain of islands in the Santa Barbara channel. You can camp and hike here. The Channel Islands National Park Visitors Center is located in Ventura off hwy 101. The Visitors center has an exhibit on Natural history and a lookout tower from which you can see the islands. Channel Islands National Park is located on the Channel Islands which are off the coast from Santa Barbara to San Diego. There are a total of 8 islands. Five of these islands are within the National Park. They are Santa Barbara, Anacapa, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz and San Miguel. The islands are nicknamed the California Galapagos because they contain many unique plants and animals native only to the Islands. The seas are rough around the islands. It is a good idea to make reservations for the boat ride on holidays, weekends and in the summer. Things to do:
- Camping
- Hiking
- Snorkeling
- Scuba diving
- Kayaking
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