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After more than 2 years of living in San Diego, we are finally going to do the obligatory drive up the coast. We've driven from SD to Santa Barbara. Flew to Monterey/Carmel/Big Sur/Santa Cruz, been to SF/Napa/Sonoma. And of course, have the entire coastal LA area covered, pretty much seen all the beaches up to Malibu, as well as SD/Orange county.
If you've done this, what were your favorite stops? We plan on taking the coastal route the entire time, so it will probably take a bit longer than it should. I should mention, we really have no desire to go past SF and will most likely do a one way car rental and fly home.
We found a good place to stay within a few miles of Hearst Castle- a 'must see'- was Morro Bay, a nice unassuming place with trips out round the bay to see the wildlife.
The place is dominated by Morro Rock, a volcanic plug, which gave the town its name.
I've done the drive several times. It's a great drive and my favorite scenic spot is around the Carmel and Monterey areas. Hearst Castle is a must. There's a great steakhouse in Pismo Beach, F McClintocks I believe. Solvang is a neat Dutch city to visit and explore.
If you decide to go further north of San francisco you'll discover more scenic travel into the redwoods and the giant sequoia trees.
Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, and Morro Bay are the highlights of the central coast. There are several other cities and towns that are worth a visit if you have time...Grover Beach, Oceano, Guadalupe (has an old town look and feel to it), Lompoc etc. If you stop in Lompoc go to the South Side Coffee Shop...best coffee on the coast IMHO.
Not sure what time of year they are out, but somewhere near Heart Castle there's a small beach where you can see an elephant seal colony up close and personal. Just don't jump down on the sand with them, they can be dangerous. But you'll see pups as well as huge 1,000 pounders. You can get some great photos.
Thanks for all the recs! I keep hearing about Pismo Beach and SLO, so definitely want to check those two out. We also plan on going to Napa (we go 2x/year) to visit some of the wineries we missed in September.
Coolhand, we have seals here in La Jolla. They are right at the beach, and you can get very close to them, so seeing seals doesn't excite me anymore!
If you're only going to drive one way fly to SF rent a car and drive South. That way you'll be on the Pacific side of the PCH. You'll have a much better view and you won't have to cross over traffic for the pull outs.
If you're only going to drive one way fly to SF rent a car and drive South. That way you'll be on the Pacific side of the PCH. You'll have a much better view and you won't have to cross over traffic for the pull outs.
Yea, that's what we're thinking. That way we start with Napa/Sonoma and make our way down!
I concur with Hearst Castle, Monterey, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, and the redwoods, which are easily accessed just across the Golden Gate Bridge.
As a dog owner, you might be interested in a cool pet store in the quaint little town of Cambria. I can't remember the name of it, but it was on the main street and had organic this/that and a lot of wonderful original art. I bought a cute handmade mastiff figurine there.
If you want to go *inside* Hearst, go online for tickets. There are several different tours. I can't remember what they all are, but I wanted one that included the swimming pool. I was not disappointed. That place is simply mind-boggling.
Sidenote: the day my aunt and uncle met me for a visit in San Francisco, we went to the John Muir Woods and a coyote was trotting along the Golden Gate Bridge.
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