Must sees/dos/eats in CA

[ktwed09]

I posted this on the Nest Travel board as well, but wasn't sure if people were still checking over there. Sorry for the duplicate!

DH and I are planning a two week trip to California this summer. We're flying into San Diego and then driving up the coast spending at least one night (each) in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, and Monterey. After that, we head over to Yosemite for 3 days, and then up to San Francisco for 4 days. I have pretty good lists of things to do/see in San Fran and San Diego, but was wondering if anyone had any recommendations for things to see/do or places to eat in Santa Monica, Santa Barbara, Morro Bay, and Monterey, bearing in mind we won't be spending that long in any of these places. I guess I'm looking for the highlights.

Of course, any recommendations for San Diego, San Francisco and Yosemite are welcome as well! Thanks in advance!!

[Deleted]

I like renting bikes at Santa Monica pier and riding up and down the path along Venice Beach, etc.

[sarahbear]

I'd highly suggest skipping a few of those places and actually spending some time in just 2-3 cities. You're going to be driving a lot, doing a lot of packing and unpacking, and basically leaving very little time to actually explore. This is coming from someone who lives in San Diego and has done plenty of traveling up the coast.

Do you have any places that you MUST see?

[ktwed09]

Thanks for the advice, but we're already locked into this itinerary (flights and hotels booked). I know it's hectic, but I did a lot of research (including discussing on the Travel board) before we decided. The main purpose of the trip is to do the drive up the coast, so it's definitely a lot of driving, but that is kind of the point.

I do appreciate your feedback, though!

[sarahbear]

Santa Barbara - www.tupelojunction.com/

Morro Bay - You can walk the entire main street in 30 minutes (an hour and a half if you stop to look around). Good salt water taffy shop. Get an assortment for your drive. There's a cinammon roll shop too. Delicious for breakfast. And at the end of the street there is a casual seafood place where we had some decent carry-away food one evening. A short drive north you'll reach Cambria. We stumbled upon this while staying in Morro Bay and had wished we had stayed there instead. Tons of cute antique and gift shops, little bakeries, etc. So quaint and adorable. Morro Bay had more tourist shops with cheap mugs and t-shirts. Just throwing that out there since you'll be driving by. It's worth a little stop for maybe lunch, snack or a walk around town.

[emilyinchile]

Definitely Monterey Bay Aquarium. The restaurant is nice - not the café, the sit-down restaurant - with a great view. Pretty sure you need reservations.

I actually just wrote about two SF food experiences. If you're going to be there on a Friday and have any interest in food trucks, Off the Grid is fun. And the Ferry Building has really great food whether you have a full meal or just graze. Have a great trip!

[jewel]

The Monterey Fish House is my favorite restaurant in town. You will either need to make reservations, or show up at least a half hour before they open. It's a tiny place that doesn't look like much from the road, but the food is absolutely amazing.

[Deleted]

Your trip doesn't sound much different to ours a few years back (but we had some other stops and went inland). You can read my trip posts here aroundtheworldwithrebecca.blogspot.com.au/search/label/2005

[busybodyk]

My DH and I did a similar trip last August. We did a round trip drive from SF to Moreno Valley (1 hour south of LA). We started in San Francisco and hung out at Fisherman's Warf then did a boat tour around the bay. When we left, we stopped in Morro Bay for lunch then spent a night in Pismo Beach on the way down. Then we stayed in LA for a few days, visited Laguna Beach and drove back up the coast. On the way back up we stopped at Hearst Castle - www.hearstcastle.org/. I think its a must see. Plan to spend at least 8 hours there to get the most out of it. Have fun!

PS - Pack clothes with sleeves and a light jacket because it is chilly (especially in SF where the high was in the 50s on our first day). I didn't realize that it was only going to be in the 70s or lower in many areas in northern California and cool at night in southern California. I was prepared but it was uncomfortable at times since I had gotten used to 90 degree weather every day in Atlanta.