Search 120,491 Tips
Destination Specific
California Vacation—A Little Off the Beaten Path
Read this tip to make your life smarter, better, faster and wiser. LifeTips is the place to go when you need to know about Destination Specific and other Travel topics.
California Vacation—A Little Off the Beaten Path
The great state of California’s not just a place for movie star spotting and surfboarding. There are fascinating places of interest up and down its expansive coast, and further inland, that you might miss out on if you limit your California vacation to the Los Angeles area. Here are just a few.
- The coastal city of Santa Cruz, about 75 miles south of San Francisco, is a mecca for those who want to believe in paranormal spots where the laws of physics don’t necessarily adhere to what we were all taught in high school. Open since the late 30s, The Mystery Spot offers a unique experience for the more bizarre-oriented of travelers.
- Wine lovers enjoy spending time a bit more inland, in northern California’s Napa Valley. Populated with about as many hotels, bed and breakfasts, and upscale spas as there are wineries, even if you don’t plan your trip ahead of time you’re likely to find available spur of the moment lodgings nearby.
- If you’re looking to have a California experience that’s slightly off the beaten path and not so tourist-oriented, pay a visit to Villa Montalvo in the gorgeous hills of Saratoga, a former mansion turned artist colony turned historic park. The property boasts a beautiful, 137-acre arboretum and botanical garden that’s open to the public and won’t cost you a penny.
