Walker 8 Posted June 20 So my wife & I are planning on going to California for our 10 year anniversary in a couple months. We were looking at going to a place like Bora Bora or Fiji but my wife’s schooling is going to keep us from going out of the country for the amount of time we want. So we are planning on flying to the southern part of California, renting a car, and driving through the state checking out different places & doing different things. Like wineries in napa valley, going to multiple beaches, checking out dune buggies in the desert, seeing the red wood trees, etc. Anyone got any advice on places to go, things to do, events to try to attend, etc? We will be going in September Also: if anyone can let me know how to back up a trailer that would be fantastic Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fnord 2,275 Posted June 20 CA is a big place and the things you mention are flung across the state. Coolest place to check out redwoods IMO is Trees of Mystery. The first time I went there was a near-religious experience in awe and wonder. This is at least a 10 hour drive from San Diego if traffic isn't bad. Speaking of SD, Coronado beach is widely considered one of the best in the world, though it's tough to go wrong with any beach in SoCal. If you wanna check out desert dune buggies, hit up Imperial dunes. Amazing area, and there are some really cool non-commercial (i.e. clothing optional) hot springs nestled into that part of the state as well. Don't be hung up on Napa. The central coast has some great wine as well. A road trip up highway 1 is always time well spent, but check out Caltrans for road closures. Hearst castle in San Simeon is amazing. Tahoe is fantastic, so is Yosemite. Jet boat rides and fresh salmon feasts at the Klamath river. Hot springs in the north-central and northeast part of the state. Amazing hiking everywhere. And I haven't even touched on how many things the cities offer. San Diego and San Fran are two of my favorite cities in the US. Avoid LA unless you wanna do the Hollywood touristy stuff, take in a ballgame/amusement park/ concert/ club or a boat to Catalina Island. I say this mostly because of sprawl and traffic, which befouls what would otherwise be paradise. If you tried to do all of this, you'd drive 5,000 miles at least. You can't see the best of what the best state in the country offers in a week or 2. I could easily kill a couple months trekking around Cali. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bier Meister 1,710 Posted June 20 how much time will you have for this trip? If you stay in Southern California, some of my favorite areas: San Diego/la jolla/del mar/ pacific beach/coronado Laguna Santa Barbara Solvang Paso robles If you stay in northern california: Carmel/Monterey/ big sur/capitola San francisco Sonoma Healdsburg Napa mendocino/ft bragg do some research on these places and when you are a little closer on your locations i can get much more specific with recommendations these days i only have some old favorites in san diego, but am very well versed in northern california my best edit: i am in meetings the rest of the day. if you narrow things down i can take a look tonight or tomorrow morning. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
weepaws 3,194 Posted June 20 4 hours ago, weepaws said: Turn around. This. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mufaletta 81 Posted June 20 Oakland can be nice this time of year 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Real timschochet 6,769 Posted June 20 5 hours ago, Bier Meister said: how much time will you have for this trip? If you stay in Southern California, some of my favorite areas: San Diego/la jolla/del mar/ pacific beach/coronado Laguna Santa Barbara Solvang Paso robles If you stay in northern california: Carmel/Monterey/ big sur/capitola San francisco Sonoma Healdsburg Napa mendocino/ft bragg do some research on these places and when you are a little closer on your locations i can get much more specific with recommendations these days i only have some old favorites in san diego, but am very well versed in northern california my best edit: i am in meetings the rest of the day. if you narrow things down i can take a look tonight or tomorrow morning. This is a great list. Add Huntington and Newport in the south, Yosemite in the north. Don’t miss Napa Valley. You’re headed to the most beautiful state in the union. And the greatest. 1 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bier Meister 1,710 Posted June 20 33 minutes ago, The Real timschochet said: This is a great list. Add Huntington and Newport in the south, Yosemite in the north. Don’t miss Napa Valley. You’re headed to the most beautiful state in the union. And the greatest. I really enjoy Orange County. Still have many friends in that area. Yosemite is out there and very booked. I love the wineries and restaurants around the Napa valley. I think they’ll have a better experience in Sonoma and Russian River (healdsburg in particular) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Maximum Overkill 1,997 Posted June 21 Stay away from the Cities. It's a beautiful State, they're just bat shizz crazy there. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
RaiderHaters Revenge 4,351 Posted June 21 downtown LA is must see if in so cal watch out for the riots and homeless sh1t everywhere, ignore the smell also Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SUXBNME 1,503 Posted June 21 On 6/20/2025 at 2:54 PM, The Real timschochet said: This is a great list. Add Huntington and Newport I stayed at my sisters Newport Beach condo (on the beach) for a week many years ago Absolutely beautiful place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Walker 8 Posted June 22 On 6/20/2025 at 1:12 PM, Bier Meister said: how much time will you have for this trip? If you stay in Southern California, some of my favorite areas: San Diego/la jolla/del mar/ pacific beach/coronado Laguna Santa Barbara Solvang Paso robles If you stay in northern california: Carmel/Monterey/ big sur/capitola San francisco Sonoma Healdsburg Napa mendocino/ft bragg do some research on these places and when you are a little closer on your locations i can get much more specific with recommendations these days i only have some old favorites in san diego, but am very well versed in northern california my best edit: i am in meetings the rest of the day. if you narrow things down i can take a look tonight or tomorrow morning. We are planning at a bare minimum a week there but probably gonna be more like 10 days. We are looking at flying down to the southern end of Cali, renting a car, then driving up to the northern part while sightseeing. Might just spend a single day down in Napa Valley while using the rest of our time in other cities. I know we are gonna go to San Diego cause one of my buddies lives there. Will go to LA also. Thought about checking in with you when we were there to see if you knew any good wineries/restaurants to go check out. Honestly at this point, we are trying to figure out exactly what cities to stop at. My wife HAS to have some beach time while we are there so any good recommendations for beaches will be greatly appreciated Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Walker 8 Posted June 22 On 6/20/2025 at 10:26 AM, Fnord said: CA is a big place and the things you mention are flung across the state. Coolest place to check out redwoods IMO is Trees of Mystery. The first time I went there was a near-religious experience in awe and wonder. This is at least a 10 hour drive from San Diego if traffic isn't bad. Speaking of SD, Coronado beach is widely considered one of the best in the world, though it's tough to go wrong with any beach in SoCal. If you wanna check out desert dune buggies, hit up Imperial dunes. Amazing area, and there are some really cool non-commercial (i.e. clothing optional) hot springs nestled into that part of the state as well. Don't be hung up on Napa. The central coast has some great wine as well. A road trip up highway 1 is always time well spent, but check out Caltrans for road closures. Hearst castle in San Simeon is amazing. Tahoe is fantastic, so is Yosemite. Jet boat rides and fresh salmon feasts at the Klamath river. Hot springs in the north-central and northeast part of the state. Amazing hiking everywhere. And I haven't even touched on how many things the cities offer. San Diego and San Fran are two of my favorite cities in the US. Avoid LA unless you wanna do the Hollywood touristy stuff, take in a ballgame/amusement park/ concert/ club or a boat to Catalina Island. I say this mostly because of sprawl and traffic, which befouls what would otherwise be paradise. If you tried to do all of this, you'd drive 5,000 miles at least. You can't see the best of what the best state in the country offers in a week or 2. I could easily kill a couple months trekking around Cali. Yea we are definitely gonna have to go back to really explore everything. Kind of like Hawaii. So much to do & see that you’ll have to make another trip. Because of my wife’s school & clinicals it’s forcing us to plan a different 10 year trip. Our plan is probably a single day in Napa Valley while driving up the state exploring. But certain things we do want to do while there this trip are things like Napa valley wineries, riding dune buggies in the desert, going to LA, exploring different beaches, seeing the red wood forest, and visiting my buddy in San Diego. Any suggestions for places/cities to go to would be greatly appreciated. If there is any must see parks, lakes, trails, or scenic drives please let me know. We love nature & would love to experience some of Californias best nature attractions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
EternalShinyAndChrome 4,107 Posted June 22 Advice - don't go. Why go to a State run by people who actively hates you? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Engorgeous George 2,331 Posted June 22 Have not been in 25 years. That was for a conference in San Fran and my office sent me to speak. I have never seen Yosemite and would like to. Of course the world is full of natural wonders to see, one does not have to go to California to find them. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Bier Meister 1,710 Posted June 22 14 hours ago, Walker said: We are planning at a bare minimum a week there but probably gonna be more like 10 days. We are looking at flying down to the southern end of Cali, renting a car, then driving up to the northern part while sightseeing. Might just spend a single day down in Napa Valley while using the rest of our time in other cities. I know we are gonna go to San Diego cause one of my buddies lives there. Will go to LA also. Thought about checking in with you when we were there to see if you knew any good wineries/restaurants to go check out. Honestly at this point, we are trying to figure out exactly what cities to stop at. My wife HAS to have some beach time while we are there so any good recommendations for beaches will be greatly appreciated San Diego to San Francisco is about 8 hr with minimal stops on highway 5 (not scenic). i think you would get the most out of the trip dedicating it to north or south. not my favorite, but there are a lot of wineries around temecula, and very good wineries in santa barbara/santa ynez/paso robles a coastal drive is excellent but it could mean more stopping, less experiencing. but if you would like to do it there is a lot to see and it is a remarkable state. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
