A Road Trip up California's Central Coast

For the 4th of July, I took a road trip up California's central coast to Cambria, California. Cambria is one of those vacation spots that people either have never had the fortune of knowing it exists or it has become a hidden gem and family favorite destination. Until this trip, I belonged in the former. Cambria is on California's coastline tucked away between San Simeon (think Hearst Castle) and Morro Bay. For being such a small vacation beach community, you will not be wanting for activities! There is everything from Hiking to climbing to paddle boarding to seeing famous landmarks or enjoying the local eats :)

The Drive up the Central Coast!

The drive up is all wine country and farm lands until you get to the wild coast line. Having lived in Southern California my entire life, I often forget how driving north gets away from all the concrete and development (especially in Los Angeles) There's horses and cows (and even Ostriches and Emus!) running free. I find its easier to take it all in and live in the moment.

Start Your Day off Right!

The town center of Cambria is small and you can drive through on one street within 5 minutes. We made our way to Cambria Coffee Roasting and stayed dedicated to it every morning. With my Almond milk latte in hand, I was ready to take on all the active adventures we had planned!

Exploring the Mountains!

On our second day, we drove, quite a ways up to Pinnacles National Park. Pinnacles is one of the newest named National Parks. The pinnacle formations were caused by an now extinct volcano that has shifted over time to look more like an eroded caldera. Pinnacles is a hiking, rock climbing and spelunking! The biggest draw to Pinnacles this trip was the spelunking.Part of the West gate hike involved traversing through Balconies cave. Bring a headlight! because it is dark and you are climbing down rocks through the cave. There is plenty of rock climbing at Pinnacles but this time we chose not to as it was nearing 90 degree weather and the options to go kayaking and wine tasting won over :)

Exploring the Central Coast!

Cambria is just one of the many small towns up the 1. on the coast. Only a 15 minute drive north you will be in San Simeon, most famous for Hearst Castle and the Elephant Seal Beach! Hearst Castle is iconic and a must-do at least once in your life. For any film buffs out there it is the estate of the man most infamously portrayed by Orson Welles in Citizen Kane. Randolph Hearst was a vast collector of art and exotic animals. His house, if you can call it that, is a behemoth of grandeur from the Grecian Temple-like Pool overlooking the whole coastline to the gold-lined indoor pool (clearly i loved the pools the most). But even if you don't take a tour of the castle, the best part is stopping on the road to see the heard of zebras... just casually living on the central California property.In the early summer, the elephant seals all lay on the beach to molt. This is when they fast on the beach to grow new skin and hair. Elephant seals are massive and they are cute in a really ugly way, like a cross between gonzo and a large seal and I love them for that! We even got to see two juvenile males sparring out in the water, such a cool sight but I would not want to face off with one myself!The San Simeon Beach offers so much to do. Sea for yourself  is a kayak and paddle board rental shop situated on the beach. We talked to the owner Cubby and all went out on the ocean. San Simeon is the ideal locale for kayaking and paddle boarding because the coast line forms a little alcove free from the heavy tides of the ocean making the water very calm to be out on. (I even went paddle boarding without a wet suit which was risky but I didn't fall in!) During our time out there, we saw harbor seals following us around and 2 members in our group even saw sea otters! Before we left, we walked out to the end of the pier and saw a pod of gray whales breaching in the distance. My heart definitely feels at peace when I am outdoors and near the ocean.

Where to Eat!

Centrally Grown was an oasis that we discovered between Cambria and San Simeon. It truly is one-stop-shop. We pulled in looking to grab a quick bite after our long active day only to recruit the rest of our group and have a sit down dinner. Centrally grown is a restaurant/bar/cafe/market with wine tasting, a local goods shop, outdoor terrace, recreational sports that hosts live music events and promotes local and organic goods! (Whew!) We went back to Centrally Grown every day after our initial discovery (you can't quit a good thing!) and everything is delicious! They have a vast cocktail, wine/craft beer selection. The restaurant does everything well from their artisanal flat breads to their mains. And the market cannot be discounted either: gourmet sandwiches and salads filled us up between activities. We even played scrabble at the bar while waiting for the rest of our party to join us.

Exploring the Terrain!

From playing in the rock caves of pinnacles to playing in the ocean, my favorite activity was discovering Salmon Creek Falls. My dad, a semi professional rock climber, truly instilled in me a love for adventure and the outdoors and used to take my sisters and I out everywhere with him. Going to Salmon Creek Falls was such a treat because I felt like a kid again with him. The hike to Salmon Creek Falls in not that long depending on your purpose. Getting to the falls can be a direct route but we decided to hike up all the around and get to the cave at the top of the falls first. It was freakin' awesome. We climbed over boulders and through rock formations, scaling over trees. We ended our afternoon with a a quick dip in the falls. It is COLD! but following in the footsteps of my dad, I climbed behind the waterfall and slid down the moss like a water-slide right alongside him! I could do this every day.

End the Trip With Something Sweet!

As most my family knows, I am not a huge fan of ice cream (I know blasphemy!) But every once and a while I come across ice cream so good, I will ignore the intense sick-to-my-stomach feeling I get. Mojo's Village Bean is that good! I was tasked to pick up ice cream for the Fourth of July ice cream sandwich desserts we were making and I stumbled upon this shop (mostly because it was one of the only places still open in the evening on the 4th). The Salted Caramel is what sold me. (The cookies n cream cookie dough is also a top seller!) Mojo's also serves coffee and their blended iced chai lattes are so creamy I suspect they are using ice cream and espresso to make it. It was the sweetest way to end our last night in Cambria.

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We only spent a short and simple weekend up in Cambria, but jam-packed it with all these amazing outdoor activities. I cannot wait to go back. I snapped this picture in Cayucos, a little town south as we were passing through. I have fallen in love with the Central Coast.

5 Awesome Activites to try in Santa Barbara

Having grown up in something close to paradise, I definitely needed to write a blog post about the city that so many of my Angelenos friends vacation too. Santa Barbara may be small but with the Ocean and the Mountains within a 10 mile radius of each other there are so many things to do and see. Here are my 6 must activities if you find yourself making the trip.

PICNIC AT THE SANTA BARBARA MISSION

This is the historic landmark at the epicenter of Santa Barbara’s origins. Right outside the grounds is both a (dog-friendly) park and rose garden. So grab your picnic basket and a bottle of wine and your sun hats and go relax on the lawn.

BIKE/SKATE/BOARD/SURI/WALK/ETC. CABRILLO BLVD. TO STEARN’S WHARF

Cabrillo Blvd runs up several miles of Santa Barbara’s coast line. A bike path runs alongside the beach the entire way. If you are unfamiliar with what a Suri is, it is a covered 2-8 person bicycle/vehicle and pretty fun to ride with a group of people. Check out Wheel Fun Rentals to rent any type of bike contraptions or roller blades

SHOPPING ON STATE STREET

Santa Barbara is known for the red brick everything and shopping on State Street makes an average city street even more scenic. State Street is a couple miles long and encompasses everything from boutiques to high-end fashion departments to smoke shops to everything in between. There is no shortage of things to do and see on this walk. From Arlington Theatre to Paseo Nuevo Mall to all the clubs/shops/restaurants/and coffee shops along the way.

HIKING INSPIRATION POINT

If you want to see great sights of the whole city and get your sweat on. Hike up inspiration point! It is one of the briefer hikes in Santa Barbara, which doesn’t mean its easy. Its a great way to start your morning and see the incredible “American Riviera” that is Santa Barbara. Check out here for directions and guides.

SPA DAY AT THE BACARA

While this may be a splurge in your budget, it is absolutely worth it. The Bacara is the premiere resort in Santa Barbara and booking that heavily-needed massage unlocks full access to the spa, the pool, and the bar. You can even order a glass of champagne after your massage just in case you haven’t had your fill of relaxation.

SO GO OUT THERE AND EXPLORE SANTA BARBARA!