My Top 5 California Travel Destinations

Happy Wednesday, lovelies!

With summer travel in full swing, I wanted to talk about my favorite places to travel to in California! I’ve lived here my entire life and although I’ve shared my travel bucket list in the past as well as other places I’ve travel, I’ve never shared about the places I love to visit in my home state. Read on for my top 5 California travel destinations!

My Top 5 California Travel Destinations

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No one ever pegs me as a California girl. I don’t dress like one, look like one or act like one. Yet, I’ve lived here my entire life so I’m pretty well-versed in the travel arena. California is such a unique place in the fact that we have mountains, deserts, beaches and cityscapes. There is always something new and exciting to see so I find myself constantly looking for different places to venture to. And although, I love seeing new destinations, there are quite a few gems that I find myself going back to again and again.

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Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe is probably one of my faves of all time! A friend took me on a trip with her family when I was in high school and I’ve been visiting every year ever since. The lake is gigantic (it takes almost three hours to drive around it!) with the most gorgeous water – pretty much every shade of blue you can imagine! If you are into hiking, there are so many amazing day hikes. Some of my favorites are to Eagle Lake (inc. upper Eagle Falls) and Vikingholm (inc. Lower Eagle Falls). My favorite scenic areas are Emerald Bay and Sand Harbor. Aside from hiking, you can also rent boats and jet skis, go on a cruise, swim, and shop. In the summer, you can take the gondola up the mountain for even more hiking, obstacle courses, zip lining and other fun activities. There is also a fun little shopping area near the gondola.

Yosemite

Yosemite is my husband’s favorite and we visit 1-2 times every year! The scenery is postcard perfect and there’s so many great sites to see. There are only a few hotels available in the park, but we typically tent camp. If you decide to go camping, keep in mind that reservations are made five months in advance. Yosemite is a hiker’s paradise! My personal favorite is hiking to the top of Vernal and Nevada Falls. It’s definitely an all day hike with a majority of the trail on rocky stairs so be sure to wear a good pair of hiking shoes and bring lots of food, water, and a lightweight waterproof jacket. Other points of interest are Glacier Point,  Yosemite Falls, Bridalveil Falls, Mirror Lake and the beautiful Majestic Yosemite Hotel (formerly the Ahwanee).

Santa Monica

Santa Monica is one of my favorite beach towns! It’s home to the famous Santa Monica Pier that includes a lot of fun activities and rides including a Ferris wheel and rollercoaster. We typically picnic at the beach and boogie board before heading to the Third Street Promenade. Third Street has a wide range of stores and is the perfect place for celeb spotting 😉 Unlike me, my husband is really good at recognizing people and loves to tell me long after they’ve passed by haha! It’s also really close to Venice and the famed muscle beach.

Santa Barbara 

Santa Barbara is the cutest town! It has something of the most beautiful Spanish style buildings I’ve ever seen and then, of course, there’s the beach. It almost feels like you’ve stepped into a different country.

Disneyland

This one’s pretty self-explanatory 😉 We always go to both Disneyland and California Adventure because how could you possibly choose?

Of course, there are so many other places in California that I love (Sequoia, Big Sur, Redwoods, Laguna, Red Rock Canyon, etc.) and even a lot that I haven’t been to (San Francisco and San Diego, if you can believe that!).

Looking for more adventures? Check out my full travel diaries, itineraries, and reviews here!

What is your favorite place to visit in your home state?

xo

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