  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. |
 MOVIE MAGIC IN CALIFORNIA Thousands of movies have been filmed in California over the years. CALIFORNIA HOTELS Visitors to the Golden State can tour many of these movie sites since most are open to the public. Some also have interpretive signs that mark specific productions shot in the area. Here is a sample of some of the productions filmed throughout California. Many scenes from "Gone with the Wind," one of the most famous love stories of all time starring Vivian Leigh and Clark Gable, were filmed in the Shasta Cascade Region from 1938-1939 in an unnamed apple orchard in the town of Paradise. Bidwell Park in Chico became Sherwood Forest in the 1938 release of the "Adventures of Robin Hood". In "Firefox" Clint Eastwood used his Burney-area ranch for the opening segment of the movie to represent a remote Alaskan retreat. The town of Ventura in the Central Coast Region was the site for "The Aviator" and "Swordfish". Monterey County is also a favorite set with filmmakers. Its productions include "National Velvet", "East of Eden" and "Basic Instinct". Santa Barbara is considered a popular rural setting for filming western features, catalogs and commercials. However, it was its vineyards that attracted crews from the Oscar-winning "Sideways". Santa Barbara was also home to "Seabiscuit". Scenes from "Mr. and Mrs. Smith", starring Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, were filmed in downtown Los Angeles in the Los Angeles County Region, including Olvera Street and Cole's restaurant on Sixth Street. Beverly Hills is not just a home for A-list celebrities, but also one of the state's most popular movie hubs. Robert Redford worked at the carousel on the Santa Monica Pier in "The Sting", making the seaside town famous. Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, the world's largest movie studio and theme park, is home to many famous productions, including Steven Spielberg's blockbuster "War of the Worlds" where the pivotal plane crash scene was filmed at one of the studio's back lots. The "OC" is filmed at the Redondo Beach Pier when ocean and beach scenes are needed. The Redondo Coffee Shop is also frequently used. With more than 300 movies and television shows to its credit, the Sierra Railroad in Oakdale, the Central Valley Region, is known as "the movie railroad." Films include "High Noon," starring Gary Cooper, and Michael J. Fox's "Back to the Future III". The Orange County Region is virtually one giant movie set for producers, and has been the site for many commercials and movies. Disney's "Angels in the Outfield" was filmed at the California Angels baseball team's home stadium Edison International Field in Anaheim. The Balboa Fun Zone is a small waterfront amusement area between Newport Beach's pavilion and the ferry landing, filled with kiddie rides and video arcades. Scenes from the Bette Midler movie "Beaches" were shot here. Jim Carrey's "The Majestic" was shot in and around Fort Bragg, Mendocino and Ferndale, the North Coast Region, including several scenes involving the area's Skunk Train. Alfred Hitchcock's classic "The Birds" was shot in Bodega Bay, while Steve Martin's "Cheaper by the Dozen" was filmed in Santa Rosa. San Diego's Miramar Naval Base and a Victorian home off the Pacific Coast Highway were filming venues for "Top Gun". SAN DIEGO HOTELS  In the San Francisco Bay Area Region, a 2,000-pound walrus at Six Flags Marine World in Vallejo played Jocko, best buddy to (veterinarian) Adam Sandler who was courting Drew Barrymore in "Fifty First Dates". The San Francisco house featured in the Robin Williams and Sally Field "Mrs. Doubtfire" is still sought out by tourists and is located at 2640 Steiner Street. The Palace of Fine Arts provided a memorable Tom Hanks scene in "Forrest Gump". SAN FRANCISCO HOTELS Alfred Hitchcock's movie "Vertigo" featured many San Francisco settings, including Mission Dolores at 16th and Dolores in the Mission District, the York Hotel at 940 Sutter Street, as well as a home at 1000 Mason Street atop Nob Hill. The graceful Victorians of Alamo Square on Steiner Street were featured in "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and Alcatraz Island was the setting for "The Rock". San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge has been featured in several films. Truckee, part of the High Sierra Region, has hosted more than 100 films. In Mammoth Lakes, Ben Affleck starred in "Surviving Christmas", which was shot in various locations around Mammoth Mountain Ski Area. The Central Pacific Passenger Station in Old Sacramento, the Gold Country Region was used as a train station for a 1920s shot in Kyoto, Japan for "Memoirs of a Geisha". "Gone But Not Forgotten" was shot at several Sacramento locations, including the State Capitol and the California Court Building. SACREMENTO HOTELS Since 1915, the Deserts Region has hosted a number of film and television crews In the Inland Empire Region, "Meet the Fockers" was filmed at the Ontario International Airport. "Herbie: Fully Loaded" was filmed at El Mirage Dry Lake (near Adelanto) and the California Speedway in Fontana. El Mirage Dry Lake was also a movie site for "Jurassic Park III". CALIFORNIA HOTELS Photo courtesy Robert Holmes/ California Tourism |
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