 click on the map or scroll down for alphabetical list of state destinations   TIME Pacific Standard Time NEIGHBORING STATES Oregon Nevada Arizona REGION Pacific States Whale Watching in California Each winter California welcomes the return of its official marine mammal, the gray whale, and many California State parks and beaches offer programs and locations for viewing the migrating whales. Many California destinations celebrate with special festivals. • Cabrillo National Monument Whale-Watch Weekend (January) at the end of Point Loma in San Diego. • Birch Aquarium's Whale Adventures (December - March) on the La Jolla shoreline. • West Marin's Whales, Wildlife and Wildflowers Festival (January - April) on Point Reyes National Seashore. • Ventura Harbor Village Annual Whale Celebration (February - March) at Ventura, with Channel Islands National Park or "America's Galapagos" just 14 miles offshore. • Cabrillo Marine Aquarium's Whale Celebration (February) at Cabrillo Beach in San Pedro. • Santa Cruz Migration Festival, Natural Bridges State Park (February) along the Central Coast of California. • Oxnard's Celebration of the Whales/ Whale Watching Excursions (January - March) includes whale-watching excursions to the Channel Islands National Park. • And annual festivals at Dana Point (one of Southern California’s largest seafaring celebrations); Mendocino; Fort Bragg; and Santa Barbara.
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 There are a thousand reasons California is the sixth most-visited destination in the world .... and six of those are Anaheim, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose. Count among the other reasons, amusement and theme parks for kids of all ages, many miles of uninterrupted strands of pristine California beach, 700 wineries (and counting), some 20,000 gray whales passing California's shores, 21 historic missions, 45 snow resorts offering downhill and cross country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, and more, 20-million acres of National Forest and 50 significant wilderness areas for backpacking and superb hotels, motels and spas across California. Disneyland has made Anaheim the happiest place on earth with its theme parks and attractions; not far from Anaheim is Buena Park with some of California's major theme parks, waterparks and attractions. Between them Anaheim and San Diego have five of California's top amusement/theme parks – Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim; and in San Diego, Sea World, San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park. In San Diego you can stay in a resort on the beach or a historic hotel. San Diego North has award-winning golf courses, beaches, fishing, shopping, art and theater, wineries, gardens, and world-famous attractions. The Los Angeles County coastline, stretching from Malibu to Long Beach, is 81 miles long. Los Angeles boasts more than 93,000 hotel rooms. Sacramento, the state capital and home to Gold Rush-era attractions, California State Capitol tours, outdoor adventures, has hotels, dining and cultural arts for every taste and budget. Popular ways to see San Francisco are by cruising the bay from Pier 39 for a closer look at marvels like the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz. San Francisco’s lodging options are plentiful, from boutique to majestic hotels. At the heart of Silicone Valley, San Jose, the largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area, offers a range of accommodation options, whether it is a motel, a modestly priced hotel, or a five-star resort. California has a Mediterranean-type climate that is characterized by general sun and warmth with rain mainly in the winter. Climate does vary greatly based on distance from the ocean and elevation. CALIFORNIA HOTELS ATTRACTIONS
Other attractions include Universal Studios Hollywood the Irvine Spectrum Center, Fashion Island, and Newport Beach. ANAHEIM HOTELS |
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 Bakersfield Home to the nation's largest Basque community, descendants of sheep-herding immigrants. Attractions include The Kern County Museum and Lori Brock Children's Discovery Center. BAKERSFIELD HOTELS Berkeley Home to the University of California, and sheltered by rolling hills and the San Francisco Bay, Berkeley has a wealth of culture and social diversity, dining and shopping opportunities and recreational pursuits. BERKELEY HOTELS Beverly Hills This area and nearby West Hollywood are studded with celebrity-owned and frequented cafes, clubs, and restaurants. BEVERLY HILLS HOTELS Big Bear Lake in the San Bernardino Mountains of Southern California is Southern California’s premier four-season vacation destination. At the Big Bear Discovery Center visitors can learn about the natural environment, attend lectures, and join a Discovery Tour. BIG BEAR LAKE HOTELS Bishop Filled with historic buildings and exhibits at the Laws Railroad Museum and the Paiute Shoshone Indian Cultural Center Museum, one of the major attractions east of Bishop is the Inyo National Forest with its gnarled bristlecone pines, more than 4,700 years old. BISHOP HOTELS Buena Park This area has some of the country's major attractions including Knott's Berry Farm the California-themed Soak City USA waterpark and the Movieland Wax Museum. BUENA PARK HOTELS Calistoga Between mountains and rolling vineyards, this historic Hot Springs resort destination offers visitors a glimpse of the Napa Valley as it was before freeways and fast food. CALISTOGA HOTELS Carlsbad Bordered by two lagoons, Buena Vista and Batiquitos, major way stations for migrating birds, Carlsbad’s other attractions include, 1798 Mission San Luis Rey and surfing at Oceanside, and LEGOLAND. CARLSBAD HOTELS Catalina Accessible by boat or plane from San Pedro or Long Beach, Catalina Island and the resort town of Avalon is 26 miles across the sea. Channel Islands National Park An archipelago of five islands near Los Angeles, the only U.S. wildlife sanctuary of its kind. Chico Gracious living is preserved at in Butte County's Bidwell Mansion State Historic Park. CHICO HOTELS Chula Vista Several nature preserves and parklands as well as San Diego County's first, and largest, factory-outlet shopping center. Attractions include the Chula Vista Nature Center and White Water Canyon Waterpark. CHULA VISTA HOTELS Coronado Island Across the bridge from downtown San Diego City, the centerpiece of Coronado Island is the 1888 Hotel Del Coronado, the film site for the 1950s movie "Some Like It Hot". CORONADO HOTELS Costa Mesa From South Coast Plaza to the Theatre District, this city located about 25 miles south of Los Angeles city is the undisputed dining, shopping and entertainment destination in Southern California. COSTA MESA HOTELS Dana Point Known for its windsurfing and sport fishing. DANA POINT HOTELS Del Norte Home to the Trail Museum at the Trees of Mystery attraction with its large collection of Native American artifacts. Delta Formed by the Sacramento, San Joaquin, and Mokelumne rivers, this delta provides boating and fishing, asparagus-tasting in Stockton ,wine tasting in Lodi, and the Grizzly Island Wildlife Area near Suisun City . Eureka An historic Victorian seaport in Northern California in the heart of the Redwood Coast, home to the tallest trees in the world. EUREKA HOTELS  Cruising to EurekaFairfield The Jelly Belly Factory is the home of the famous jelly beans and 150 kinds of other candy. FAIRFIELD HOTELS Ferndale is located on the northcoast of California and is the only entire town on the California Register of Historic Places. Fresno In the valley's cultural hub, attractions include Fresno's Metropolitan Museum of Art, History, and Science. FRESNO HOTELS Griffith Park In the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains, Griffith Park is home to the Autry Museum of Western Heritage, and the Los Angeles Zoo. Saber-toothed cats, mammoths, and other Ice Age fossils are still being excavated at the La Brea Tar Pits. Hollywood On Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame is the new Hollywood Entertainment Museum. The excitement of movie-making can be found on a tour of Paramount Studios. Tourists can buy a map to the stars and cruise past the driveways of the rich and famous. HOLLYWOOD HOTELS Huntington Beach One of the nation's most exciting surfing sites, and home of the International Surfing Museum. HUNTINGTON BEACH HOTELS Inland Empire has a varied landscape of chaparral-covered deserts, mile-high apple orchards, snow-capped mountains and rolling valleys. The San Bernardino National Forest offers endless opportunities for outdoor fun. Cities rich in heritage offer visitors a glimpse of the Victorian era, while Calico Ghost Town in Yermos is one of the few original mining towns of the West. Joshua Tree National Park The 850-square-mile plant-and-wildlife sanctuary is noted for its striking landscape of massive granite monoliths and stands of other-worldly Joshua trees. Three communities, 29 Palms, Joshua Tree, and Yucca Valley, are the gateways not only to the scenic Joshua Tree National Park but also to the Mojave Desert and Death Valley National Parks in the great California Outback. The 1.5-million acre Mojave National Preserve is just over an hour from 29 Palms — midway to Death Valley. JOSHUA TREE HOTELS Laguna Beach This area has been attracting artists for generations and at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters 160 artists exhibit their original art works in a 6-acre canyon setting. LAGUNA BEACH HOTELS La Jolla Sun- and sea-worshippers congregate in coastal La Jolla, Del Mar, and Solana Beach, where migrating California gray whales can be seen in winter. The Birch Aquarium is at Scripps. LA JOLLA HOTELS Lake Arrowhead On the Arrowhead Queen excursion boat visitors can view a landscape of alpine-style waterfront homes. LAKE ARROWHEAD HOTELS Lake Tahoe and Lake Tahoe South Complete all-season travel destinations, offering boating, waterskiing, fishing, camping, hiking, mountain biking, and snow skiing as well as dining and resorts with headliner entertainment. Along the Western shore, Emerald Bay, D. L. Bliss, and Sugar Pine Point state parks offer campsites and picnic areas. Long Beach Attractions include the glamour of yesteryear aboard the the Queen Mary, the Aquarium of the Pacific and the Long Beach Museum of Latin American Art. LONG BEACH HOTELS
Also, The Port of Los Angeles World Cruise Center in San Pedro, the busiest passenger port of call along the West Coast is located just south of Downtown Los Angeles and minutes from LAX and Long Beach Airports. LOS ANGELES HOTELS Cruising to Los Angeles?Malibu Lifestyles of the rich and famous. MALIBU HOTELS Mammoth Lakes 30,000 feet of downhill runs and cross-country skiing in winter. Manzanar has spectacular mountain views, especially Mt. Whitney – the tallest peak in the continental United States. MAMMOTH LAKES HOTELS Marina del Rey, nestled on the waterfront between Los Angeles International Airport and Santa Monica and within walking distance of Venice Beach, has the largest manmade yacht harbor in North America with nearly 5,300 yachts and more than 14 boat and water-sport charter, rental and cruise companies. MARINA DEL REY HOTELS Mariposa Home to one of the world's largest gem and mineral collections at the California State Mining and Mineral Museum, Mariposa’s other attractions include The Mariposa County Museum and History Center featuring gold-mining memorabilia, a miner's cabin, and a Native American village. MARIPOSA HOTELS Mendocino An historic Cape Cod-style enclave which doubles as the New England town of "Cabot Cove" in the television show "Murder, She Wrote". MENDOCINO HOTELS Merced The ?Gateway to Yosemite?, Merced attractions include the Yosemite Wildlife Museum. The Castle Air Museum in Atwater exhibits 44 vintage military aircraft. MERCED HOTELS Mojave National Preserve The scenic splendors include 32 volcanic cinder cones millions of years old. Northeast of Mojave, the Rand Mining District offers fascinating geological formations. MOJAVE HOTELS Mono Lake One of the oldest lakes in the world. Bodie State Historic Park is just north of the lake. Monterey Attractions include Cannery Row, the setting for John Steinbeck's novel and now home to shops, galleries, and restaurants, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. MONTEREY HOTELS Mt. Shasta Area/Siskiyou County Visitors marvel at the castlelike natural stone turrets of Castle Crags State Park. MOUNT SHASTA HOTELS Napa Valley A favorite way to see the area is to dine aboard the 1915 Pullman cars of the Napa Valley Wine Train. NAPA HOTELS Newport Beach One of the largest pleasure-craft harbors in the world. NEWPORT BEACH HOTELS Oakland With a distinctive architecture and gardens, Oakland offers exhibitions on California art, history, and ecology at the Oakland Museum of California. OAKLAND HOTELS Oceanside, between San Diego and Los Angeles, has the historic Mission San Luis Rey de Francia, the Oceanside Museum of Art, and surfing is celebrated at the California Surf Museum. OCEANSIDE HOTELS Oxnard Located just up the coast from Los Angeles along California's Central Coast, Oxnard is known for its easy-going pace, affordability, and waterfront settings. Attractions include the turn-of-the-century homes of Heritage Square, Carnegie Art Museum and the Channel Islands Harbor. OXNARD HOTELS Palm Desert Attractions include The Gardens on El Paseo, an open-air shopping and dining complex with gardens, water features, and desert views, and The Living Desert offering a rare look at the world's desert regions. PALM DESERT HOTELS Palm Springs Attractions include the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway and the flying WWII combat aircraft at Palm Springs Air Museum. PALM SPRINGS HOTELS Pasadena Located 15 minutes north of downtown Los Angeles, Pasadena is "the city that feels like a village." Attractions include 200 boutiques, galleries and clubs, 500 restaurants including Madre's, the chic Latin eatery owned by Jennifer Lopez, the Norton Simon Museum and The Huntington Library, with 150 acres of lush gardens and an original Gutenberg Bible. PASADENA HOTELS Pismo Beach, midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 101, is a cozy beachside community geared to recreation and tourism. PISMO BEACH HOTELS Placerville Once nicknamed "Hangtown" because the law was so rigorously maintained, Placerville’s attractions include The El Dorado County Historical Museum with a country store, stagecoach, and turn-of-the century locomotives. PLACERVILLE HOTELS Point Reyes National Seashore is an ideal year round hiking destination and was recently named one of the top ten most family-friendly trails in the country by the American Hiking Society. Point Reyes Lodging is an association of 16 inns and cottages located in the communities of Inverness, Olema and Point Reyes Station. Quincy A 19th-century logging and mining town surrounded by wilderness. In town, attractions include displays of logging, mining, and Maidu Indian life at the Plumas County Museum. Red Bluff The William B. Ide Adobe State Historic Park has an 1846 pioneer adobe. There are historical photographs and Native American artifacts at the Kelly-Griggs House Museum. RED BLUFF HOTELS Redding The Whiskeytown National Recreation Area is popular for sailing, waterskiing, and fishing. A vista point affords a view of the dam, the lake, and snowcapped Mt. Shasta in the distance. REDDING HOTELS Redwood Coast Known for the world's tallest trees, the Redwood Empire features Redwood National Park and the Humboldt Redwoods State Park where the 300ft.-tall redwoods tower overhead along the "Avenue of the Giants". Riverside Attractions include the historic Mission Inn with its alcoves, wooden beams, stained glass, and antiques. RIVERSIDE HOTELS Russian River There are more than 50 wineries clustered along the river's banks in the Russian River Valley.
Salinas John Steinbeck's world comes alive at the interactive National Steinbeck Center. Wild Things is a wild/exotic animal training facility for film, television and education. SALINAS HOTELS San Bernardino More than 280 acres of parks, lakes, and recreation areas are within the city limits. SAN BERNANDINO HOTELS San Clemente The site of ex-President Richard Nixon's Western White House. Its state beach invites water sports, hiking, and camping. SAN CELEMENTE HOTELS
Other attractions include the San Diego Museum of Art, the tropically landscaped Sea World spreading over 100 acres of Mission Bay frontage, and Seaport Village for waterfront shopping and dining. Cruising to San Diego?San Diego North Award-winning golf courses, beautiful beaches, fishing, shopping, inspiring art and theater, wineries, gardens, and world-famous attractions like Legoland and the Birch Aquarium at Scripps . San Fernando Valley Home to the movie theme park, Universal Studios Hollywood.
Cruising to San Francisco?
San Juan Capistrano The oldest settlement in Orange County. SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO HOTELS San Mateo County Famous for gardens and showplace homes. On the San Francisco Peninsula, visitors watch the fishing boats at Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay. Other area attractions include the Filoli estate in Woodside (the mansion seen on TV's Dynasty), the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos, and the the San Mateo County Historical Museum in Redwood City. SAN MATEO HOTELS San Simeon Hearst Castle, built by media mogul William Randolph Hearst, includes The National Geographic Theater at Hearst Castle has a background movie on W. R. Hearst. SAN SIMEON HOTELS Santa Barbara Santa Barbara bustles with waterfront restaurants, hotels, and historic buildings. Other attractions include Chase Palm Park with an antique carousel and Shipwreck playground, and the Spanish Colonial military outpost, El Presidio de Santa Barbara. SANTA BARBARA HOTELS Santa Clarita Valley Home to the theme park Six Flags Magic Mountain. SANTA CLARITA HOTELS Santa Clara The Intel Museum in the heart of Silicon Valley features hands-on exhibits that show how computer chips are made and used. On another level is Paramount's Great America, Northern California's largest family attraction. SANTA CLARA HOTELS Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is California's only beachside amusement park. SANTA CRUZ HOTELS Santa Monica A wealth of attractions including the Venice Beach Boardwalk, Marina Del Rey, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach and Redondo Beach. SANTA MONICA HOTELS Santa Rosa Home to famous cartoonist Charles M. Schulz and a fabulous Schulz Museum dedicated to his life and to Snoopy, Charlie Brown and all the characters. Also home to the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens. SANTA ROSA HOTELS Santa Ynez Valley This winery-rich area includes Solvang, a town of Scandinavian ambiance, and the 1804 Spanish-period Santa Ins Mission, and Buellton. Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks The western side of the Sierra Nevada is home to giant sequoias, the largest trees on earth. Kings Canyon is the deepest canyon in the USA. Shasta Cascade In the northeast corner of California lies the Shasta Cascade region with its towering mountains, volcanoes, glaciers, waterfalls, whitewater rivers, dense lush forests, and glistening lakes. There is houseboating on Shasta Lake, Trinity Lake and Lake Oroville. At Trinity Lake outdoor enthusiasts delight in the Trinity Alps Wilderness Area. Also worth visiting is the 5,000 acre Wild Horse Sanctuary - home to approximately 200 wild mustangs and burros that were originally rescued from federal lands in the western US. Sierra County Wide-open spaces with historical and natural attractions. Simi Valley The Ronald Reagan Presidential Museum provides the story of one of the USA’s most popular presidents. SIMI VALLEY HOTELS Sonoma County Just 35 miles north of San Francisco, Sonoma County is known for its award wining wineries, dramatic Pacific coastline, the winding Russian River, majestic old growth redwoods, and historic towns like Santa Rosa (see above) and Sonoma, the last of the mission towns to be established where visitors can see the former Mexican barracks and the 1823 Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma. SONOMA HOTELS Temecula Valley Gateway to the state's youngest wine country. TEMECULA HOTELS Truckee Quaint shops and restaurants. At nearby Donner Memorial State Park the Emigrant Trail Museum describes the tragic ordeal of a group of emigrants who were trapped at this spot in the winter of 1846. TRUCKEE HOTELS Vallejo America's only combination wildlife park, oceanarium, and theme park is Six Flags Marine World. VALLEJO HOTELS Victorville Home of the Roy Rogers/Dale Evans Museum which is filled with mementos of the couple's films and television shows. VICTORVILLE HOTELS Visalia One of the oldest cities in the valley, Visalia, is a gateway to the Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks. VISALIA HOTELS Yosemite Renowned for its towering monoliths and dramatic waterfalls, Yosemite's attractions include Fish Camp where visitors board the Yosemite Mountain Sugar Pine Railroad for a four-mile excursion. YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK HOTELS Photo courtesy San Francisco CVB photo by Phil Coblentz |
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