California is that kind of place …
Fun days by the bay, date nights in the city, beach combing, snow shoeing, celeb sighting, road tripping. We’re heading out again. You come too!
“Ones destination is never a place, but rather a new way of looking at things.” —Henry Miller
Find the Best Places in:
Southern California Northern California Central California
California Bucket List
After years of traveling the state and writing about it, I decided to start this bucket list. Maybe some of these California experiences will find a place on your bucket list, too. You’ll see a check mark ✓ after the cities I’ve been to at least once, and you’ll find links to my posts about some of those places. Have a tip or suggestion for a place I should write about next? I’d love to hear from you. This is a labor of love and a work in progress, so feel free to help this list evolve and grow.
SAVVY IN SOCAL
LOS ANGELES COUNTY
- LOS ANGELES
- California Science Center
- Descanso Gardens
- Dodger Stadium
- Dorothy Chandler Playhouse ✓
- Exposition Park
- Geffen Playhouse
- Greek Theatre
- Griffith Park Observatory ✓
- Huntington Botanical Gardens
- Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
- LA County Arboretum & Botanical Garden
- Los Angeles County Museum of Art
- L.A. Dodgers
- L.A. Lakers
- Los Angeles Zoo
- Olvera Street Shops
- Petersen Automotive Museum
- STAPLES Center
- Third Street Promenade
- Venice Beach
- Walt Disney Concert Hall
- ARCADIA
- CATALINA ISLAND
- HOLLYWOOD
- LONG BEACH
- MALIBU
- Beach, Beach, More Beach ✓
- Getty Villa
- Lagoon State Park
- Malibu Wine Safari
- SANTA MONICA
ORANGE COUNTY
- ANAHEIM
- BUENA PARK
- COSTA MESA
- DANA POINT
- NEWPORT BEACH
- Balboa Island ✓
- Whale Watching Cruise
- SANTA ANA
SAN DIEGO COUNTY
- CARLSBAD
- CORONADO
- Hotel Del Coronado ✓
- DEL MAR
- Hot Air Balloon
- Horseback Ride ✓
- ESCONDIDO
- JULIAN:
- Orchards, apple pie
- LA JOLLA
- SAN DIEGO
INLAND EMPIRE
- BIG BEAR LAKE
- Alpine Getaway
- LAKE ARROWHEAD
- Alpine Getaway
- ROUTE 66
- Iconic Road Trip
DESERTS
- PALM SPRINGS ✓
- Tramway, tours, dine, play
- Wet ‘N Wild Waterpark
- Movie Star Homes Tour
- Palm Springs Air Museum
- Jeep and/or Biplane Tour
- NATIONAL PARKS
- Death Valley National Park
- Joshua Tree National Park
- Anza Borrego Desert State Park
SAVVY CENTRAL COAST
MONTEREY COUNTY
- BIG SUR
- Bixby Bridge ✓
- Jade Cove
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
- McWay Falls ✓
- Nepenthe
- Sand Dollar Beach ✓
- CARMEL
- MONTEREY
- MOSS LANDING
- Elkhorn Slough ✓
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY
- CARPENTERIA
- Beach
- Vintage shops on Lincoln Ave
- SANA BARBARA
- Santa Barbara Vacation ✓
- Jeff Shelton self-guided architecture tour ✓
- Funk Zone ✓
- Bike the Coast ✓
- Go Wine Tasting ✓
- Maritime Museum & MOXI Museum ✓
- Channel Islands National Park
- SOLVANG
- Windmills, Danish pancakes
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY
- SAN LUIS OBISPO
- Madonna Inn ✓
- Point San Luis Lighthouse ✓
- Ziplining at Vista Lago Adventure Park
- AVILA BEACH
- Avila Beach Pier
- Central Coast Aquarium
- CAMBRIA
- Moonstone Beach ✓
- Pacific Coast Wine Trail
- Piedras Blancas Light Station ✓
- Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery ✓
- William R. Hearst State Beach ✓
- CAYUCOS
- Historic Pier & Boardwalk ✓
- HARMONY
- Main Street
- Harmony Creamery
- MORRO BAY
- Morro Rock State Beach ✓
- Morro Bay’s Mural Mile ✓
- Morro Bay National Estuary ✓
- PISMO BEACH
- Oceano Dunes State Park ✓
- LOS OSOS
- SAN SIMEON
- Hearst Castle ✓
SAVVY CENTRAL VALLEY
- LODI:
- Lodi Wine Tasting
SAVVY IN NORCAL
SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA
- SAN FRANCISCO
- Alcatraz Island
- Aquarium of the Bay ✓
- AT&T Park ✓
- Bay Cruise
- Beach Blanket Babylon ✓
- Botanical Garden ✓
- California Academy of Sciences ✓
- Camera Obscura, Lands End, Cliff House ✓
- Chinatown ✓
- Conservatory of Flowers ✓
- de Young Museum ✓
- Exploratorium ✓
- Fisherman’s Wharf ✓
- Legion of Honor ✓
- Pier 39 ✓
- San Francisco Opera ✓
- San Francisco Symphony ✓
- San Francisco Zoo ✓
- Segway Tour
- Seward Slides ✓
- Walt Disney Family Museum
ALAMEDA COUNTY
- ALAMEDA
- BERKELEY
- OAKLAND
MARIN COUNTY
- MILL VALLEY
- SAUSALITO
NAPA COUNTY
- NAPA
SAN MATEO COUNTY
- HALF MOON BAY
- Half Moon Bay Kayak ✓
- Horsback ride on HMB Beach ✓
- La Nebbia Winery ✓
- Lemos Farm
- MOSS BEACH / MONTARA
- Montara Mountain ✓
- Seal Cove Bluffs ✓
- Montara Lighthouse ✓
- Moss Beach Distillery ✓
- PACIFICA
- Pacifica State Beach ✓
- Devil’s Slide Trail ✓
- Milagra Ridge, Sweeney Ridge Trails
- PESCADERO
- Ano Nuevo State Reserve ✓
- Bean Hollow State Beach ✓
- Butano State Park
- Costanoa Coastal Lodge
- Harley Farms Goat Dairy ✓
- Pie Ranch ✓
- Pigeon Point Lighthouse & Hostel ✓
- LA HONDA
- Portola Redwoods State Park
- Long Ridge Open Space Preserve
- SAN CARLOS
- SAN MATEO
- WOODSIDE
- Filoli Center
- Alice’s Restaurant ✓
SANTA CLARA COUNTY
- GILROY:
- PALO ALTO
- SAN JOSE
- SANTA CLARA
- SARATOGA
SANTA CRUZ COUNTY
- APTOS
- Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
- BONNY DOON
- Bonny Doon Winery
- CAPITOLA
- Beach and Esplanade Park
- Zelda’s On The Beach
- DAVENPORT
- Whale City Bakery ✓
- Roadhouse ✓
- Davenport Bluffs ✓
- Panther Beach ✓
- Shark Fin Cove
- SANTA CRUZ
- Santa Cruz Boardwalk ✓
- West Cliff Drive ✓
- Natural Bridges State Beach ✓
- Santa Cruz Wharf ✓
- UC Santa Cruz ✓
- Wilder Ranch
SONOMA COUNTY
- BODEGA BAY
- whale watching, seafood ✓
- FORT ROSS
- Hike, Wine Taste, State Park ✓
- GUALALA
- Walk the Coastal Bluffs ✓
- Pygmy Forest
- HEALDSBURG
- JENNER
- Walk in Stillwater Cove ✓
- Goat Rock Beach ✓
- OCCIDENTAL
- Bohemian Highway Scenic Drive ✓
- Howard Station Cafe ✓
- SONOMA
- PETALUMA
- THE SEA RANCH
SAVVY NORTH COAST
Mendocino from the headlands
MENDOCINO COUNTY
- ALBION
- BOONVILLE
- Buckhorn Boonville
- Farmhouse Mercantile
- FORT BRAGG
- GUALALA
- Gualala Point Regional Park ✓
- Gualala River kayaking
- MENDOCINO
- Redwood National Park hike ✓
- Russian Gulch State Park Waterfall ✓
- POINT ARENA
- Point Arena Lighthouse ✓
SHASTA CASCADE
- Lassen Volcanic National Park
HIGH SIERRA
- LAKE TAHOE
- Yosemite National Park
- Sequoia National Park
- Kings Canyon National Park
- Mammoth Lakes
GOLD COUNTRY
- VALLECITO
- Moaning Cavern
- COLUMBIA
- Columbia State Historic Park
- GRASS VALLEY
- Empire Mine State Historic Park