Just an hour north of big-city Los Angeles lies a 300-mile stretch of open coastline, featuring some of the most beautiful, and diverse, landscape in the state of California. From the rocky shores of the Pacific to the rural fields of grape and strawberry farms, the Central California Coast offers a quiet alternative to California’s oft-crowded cities, with all of the sun, beaches and fun you’d expect in a California escape.

A simple drive up the coast is enough to convince nearly anyone of the natural beauty so bountiful in Central California, while a visit to some of the region's communities, such as Santa Barbara, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, San Clemente and Big Sur, shows that the area offers much more than outdoor charm. From shopping and dining, to wine-tasting and community merry-making, there is truly something for everyone on California's Central Coast.

Popular attractions include Cannery Row (Monterey), the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Pebble Beach golf course and Hearst Castle. But if you want to visit them, don’t forget to rent a car; public transportation is not generally convenient amongst the various Central beach communities.