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Old 10-23-2012, 05:58 AM
 
2 posts, read 3,380 times
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My husband and I are planning a 2 week trip to Cali in late March. We will be flying into SFO, then flying out of San Diego. Planning to spend a few days in San Fran, and want to spend a day or two in Napa Valley area. Then driving along coast all the way to San diego. Need help with what towns we shouldn' and should see, what to see, what not to see etc... Please help with itinerary....
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Old 10-23-2012, 07:20 AM
 
Location: Sacramento
14,044 posts, read 27,208,139 times
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Other than the major areas the recommended places to see could include:


Half Moon Bay
Santa Cruz
Monterey
Carmel
Big Sur
San Luis Obispo
Santa Barbara

Plus you have a ton of beach towns in SoCal.
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Old 10-23-2012, 08:14 AM
 
Location: Quimper Peninsula
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Possibly Sonoma county.. Healdsburg area. (Visit some little quaint wineries off Westside drive.) Head west to the Armstrong Redwoods. From their head down the Bohemian down through Occidental. Get some fresh bread at the Freestone bakery... Wander the back roads west of Petaluma, find some awesome artisan cheese to go with that bread and wine. Hit the coast take 1 south check out Point Reyes station, down through Bolinas back to the golden gate bridge.. IMO the wine scene is more "intimate" in Sonoma county than Napa... Also Marin county should not be missed...IMO

I personally love Half Moon Bay and the section of 1 south down to Santa Cruz.. (Be sure to check out the wine scene around Santa Cruz, like Bonny Doon....Stay on 1 and go check out out Monterey/Carmel.

Here is a choice on where to go next... Do you want to check out the beautiful Big Sur coast or go explore more wine areas? You can do both by cutting in south of Big Sur,, However I suggest checking the weather, the Big Sur coast is RUGGED. Mudslides and such if a storm hits.. Also, does anyone get car sick? It is best to be sure passengers do not get car sick... Winding hair pin roads and dense fog can make some sick.... If all is OK then check out the Big Sur coast. Driving 1 is beautiful and dramatic.. The other option is to cut in to 101 and head down to Paso Robles. (A great up and coming wine region, with wonderful reds), Then down to San Luis Obispo. If you stayed on 1 and went down the Big Sur coast then maybe hit the Hearst Castle in San Simeon then the artsy town of Cambria then one could cut inland on 46 to Paso Robles/ Templeton for the wine before continuing south on 101/1.

Be sure to check out the wine country in San Luis Obispo county and south of Santa Maria in Santa Barbara county.

I will stop there... (I personally do not venture further south than that...)

The food for thought here is to consider hitting the less known wine areas of California instead of the popular Napa Valley.... Napa is fine, it is well set up for the wine tour industry.... Me, I like to explore on my own adventures and make my own discoveries... I do not know you so not sure what is best for you..
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Old 10-23-2012, 10:31 AM
 
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Thank you for all the info! We would probably rather explore more up and coming wineries then the touristy Napa valley. So Sonoma sounds great along with finding some while going south!
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Old 10-23-2012, 11:11 AM
 
Location: Quimper Peninsula
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In another thread Mavericks were mentioned... That is a big wave surf spot just outside half moon bay... Might, want to walk out to the point and see if any Pro's are surfing the 50+ footers off shore.. End of March you still have a good chance for some massive surf..

Enjoy planning your trip..
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Old 10-23-2012, 11:34 AM
 
Location: Northern California
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You should visit Yosemite Park. The waterfalls should be at their peak in late March. Of course this would be a detour from a coastal route between San Francisco and LA.
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Old 10-23-2012, 11:51 AM
 
Location: San Francisco
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After your few days in SF:

Day 1
Cross Golden Gate, visit Sausalito and Muir Woods
Go out to Point Reyes
Lunch in Marshall (great oysters)
Up to Jenner, inland on 116 through the Russian River valley
River Road/Mark West to Calistoga
Silverado Trail down through the Napa Valley, visit wineries and overnight somewhere (Yountville is nice)

Day 2 or 3 depending on how long you spend in Napa/Sonoma
Use Hwy 29 and the 80/880 freeways to get back to the Peninsula quickly (optional stopovers: historical park in Benicia - first capital of CA - and/or drive up Mount Diablo, almost 4000 feet up)
San Mateo Bridge then Hwy 92 to Half Moon Bay, unless you want to go back through SF for some reason
Hwy 35/9 to Santa Cruz (visit Big Basin Redwoods state park)
Monterey, 17 Mile Drive, Carmel

Next day:
Highway 1 all the way to Cambria -- lots and lots of photo ops along the way
Hearst Castle
Overnight in Morro Bay or San Luis Obispo (check out the dining room at the Madonna Inn!)

Next day:
Solvang (touristy but can be fun)
Santa Barbara
Ojai

Next day -- decide if you want to go through or around LA. I'll let SoCal denizens advise you here.
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Old 10-23-2012, 01:57 PM
 
Location: Pahrump, NV
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my favorite places to visit:

monterey bay aquarium
winchester mystery house
santa cruz boardwalk
great america (double check opening day)
six flags in santa clarita (double check opening day)
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Old 10-23-2012, 02:30 PM
 
Location: NYC/LA
484 posts, read 871,046 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JBA2007 View Post
Thank you for all the info! We would probably rather explore more up and coming wineries then the touristy Napa valley. So Sonoma sounds great along with finding some while going south!
Then you should check out Paso Robles, Santa Rita Hills, Santa Ynez Valley and Santa Maria Valley when coming south.
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Old 11-05-2012, 06:19 AM
 
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Default California Trip Itinerary

You are going to have a great time! Here are some of my favorite places you should try to include in your trip from San Francisco to San Diego. I have tried to list them in order from North to South.

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA
Monterey
Carmel by the Sea
San Simeon - Hearst Castle

CENTRAL COAST
Buellton - Pea Soup Andersen's Restaurant
Solvang (Danish town between Santa Maria and Santa Barbara just 2 mi. from Buellton)

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Santa Barbara - One of the best missions!
Ventura
Anaheim - Disneyland
Buena Park - Knott's Berry Farm
San Juan Capistrano - Another great mission!
Many beautiful beaches - too many to list!

Have fun!
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