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California coastline, USA

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Coast & Central Valley

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California   photo,  santa barbara


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Where to Go - the Coast and Central Valley

Coast Range***
Scenic rocky cliffs and beaches for much of the northern and central parts for the best roadtrip in the country along Highway 1, long stretches of fine sands in the south, plus plenty in the way of marine wildlife, including seals and sea lions, sharks, migrating whales and the best surf.
Oh, and three great cities with good resort towns in between!

San Francisco*** compact layout with a community feel, interestingly hilly with trams and a fantastic world famous bridge, wacky and alternative but also smart culture, good outdoor recreational opportunities nearby, the seals like it, one of the most popular cities in the country, more information
Los Angeles*** 88 cities within this one, the City of Angels, so take your pick of the best bits, but make sure you visit Venice beach and tour the flash houses as well as downtown, more information
San Diego** choose it over Los Angeles if you want to feel more relaxed and welcomed.
Try Downtown for traditional buildings, and for evening meals the atmosphere of the Gaslamp Quarter can be very pleasant.
Surfing is good along the nearby beaches, the Embarcadero waterfront has a Maritime Museum and nearby Balboa Park is a landscaped botanical delight of near centennial age with Spanish style buildings, theaters, and worthwhile museums.
Mission Bay, a reclaimed marshland, has the original Sea World.
Consider also taking a look at the bridge to Coronado.
Highway 1*** get yourself a motor and take this route if you like a scenic road trip, it's arguably the prettiest road in the USA.
Following the coast you will find a classic, curving coastline passing by many famous towns and cities, a terrific way to experience the West Coast if you don't mind the driving.
Watch out for busy traffic on its two/three/two lanes in high summer, plus fog and tight bends to further test your concentration.
Big Sur** the biggest attraction beyond the coastal cities is this stunning region.
Coastal beauty is protected here with virtually no street lights, and few amenities, but several parks and attractions; the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park will show you a waterfall into the sea; the Andrew Molera and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park or Venata Wilderness will get you hiking.
Ventura to Channel Islands* just north of LA and directly off Ventura the Channel Islands National Park is essentially a wildlife refuge, with an abundance of seals, seal lions and the like. You can get to the islands from Ventura and Santa Barbara by ferry or take a plane.

California Pictures:
Redwood Park beach by Eric Foltz
Santa Barbra by Julian Loader

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Santa Barbara***[picture above right] an affluent, tranquil resort town with endless palm trees and gorgeous old Spanish style architecture, but kept down to earth by a mass of students.
Splendid architecture everywhere, but everywhere, is a big attraction: there's the Courthouse, El Presidio rebuilt Spanish fort, the old Mission, the Museum of Natural History and many more, or stroll the seafront.
Hearst Castle** an exceedingly over the top statement of wealth created for a wealthy newspaper publisher, worth a tour if you like the movie, Citizen Kane, but book ahead, they're popular.
Monterey* a wealthy town with a particularly Spanish/Mexican history. Head for Downtown and the Monterey State Historic Park for the historic bits. Visit the Stevenson House if you are a fan of Treasure Island.
It's also good for marine life with the superb Monterey Bay Aquarium and whale watching trips.
Santa Cruz** a beautiful beach resort with an historic beach front, so head for the Boardwalk with original amusements, take a spa.
Bodega and Jenner* - good towns for exploring the marine wildlife of the northern coastline.
Napa and Sonoma Valleys* these valleys cut through the Coast Range from the Sacramento Valley, and are the top wine growing regions in the state.
Calistoga, St Helena and Sonoma are worthwhile stops while touring the many wineries for freebies in Sonoma and not-so-freebies in Napa, also so try a spa or mudbath here.

Sacramento and San Joaquin Valleys*
Between the hilly Coast Range and the mountainous Sierra Nevada are these two huge fertile valleys, mainly farmland but also some worthwhile attractions at the northern end.

Gold Rush Sierra Nevada Foothills* at the bottom of the north west slopes of the mountain range are the hills and rivers that created the great 19th C gold rush.
Lots to explore just like the prospectors before you, try the Empire Mine State Historic Park for the old mines and North Star Mining Museum for the tools used to mine them; Jackson has the Kennedy Mine and related museum; Cave City 9 and Murphy's have further tourable mining cavern;Sutter Creek still has good architectural references to it's 19th C mining days.
Sacramento* the state capital, mainly for the history buff, as Old Sacramento has an abundance of period buildings.
Sutter's Fort is how it all began; an old steamboat sits on the river, plus there are several good museums: the California State Railroad, Indian Museum and the Discovery Museum.

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