West End cafes, Grover Beach town
Cute area on Grand Avenue with colorful sidewalk, palm trees, ocean air, and a few good cafes.
Avila Beach and town
Colorful, pretty main street and boardwalk, with great cafes, lovely ship playground, and mesmerizing yellow cliffs.
Dinosaur Caves Park Playground, Shell Beach
Imaginative playground with dinosaur eggs, huge green lawn, high hills in the distance, and path along the cliffs with views of the ocean and bird rocks!
Pismo State Beach, Grover Beach
A glorious beach in Grover Beach town, with sand dunes and a wooden boardwalk, plus an octagon-shaped wooden pier in the sand.
Ramona Garden Park and Playground, Grover Beach
City park with amphitheatre, huge lawn, and incredible playground for kids! Fantastic free summer concerts!
Lovers Point Park, Beach, and Walk
A walk above the ocean, past seals basking in their own private cove, to a lovely beach for wading.
Cayucos town, pier, and beach
A pretty beachside town, with a wooden pier and wide windy beach with perfect views of Morro Rock, and colorful houses with gardens, backed by gently-sloping hills.
Golden Gate Park
Huge park in the middle of San Francisco, with delightful daisy-filled meadows, playgrounds, lakes, gardens, and museums!
Downtown Monterey
Downtown Monterey has a youthful vibe, and gorgeous historical buildings and trees.
Cloisters Beach Path, Morro Bay
Lovely 0.7 mile walking path through the dunes filled with sage and flowers, past a playground, and behind some houses. Possible 3 mile walk, if you connect to Embarcadero.
Moonstone Beach Boardwalk, Cambria
Rugged, windswept beach with large driftwood, kelp balls, and 1.5km wooden boardwalk.
Honolua Bay snorkeling, West Maui
A bay with crystal clear water, high cliffs, and beach of huge pebbles. Best for snorkeling, not hanging out. Surfing in winter. Homeless encampment with dog bite warning signs.
Cambria Scarecrow Festival (All October)
Dozens of scarecrows around Cambria East, Cambria West, Moonstone Drive, and San Simeon! In front of businesses. Very fun!
Smuggler's Cave Lookout, Avila Beach
Top-of-the-world view of yellow cliffs, headlands, and magic coves.
Pismo Beach Premium Outlets
Pismo Beach Premium Outlets always ends up being a successful shopping excursion!
Lake Worth Pier and Beach
Fun beach with everything a holiday beach should have: pier, promenade, restaurants on the dune, restaurant on the pier, ice cream shop, playground with a view.
Harmony Headlands State Park trail, Cayucos
Two mile trail that starts inland, leads over a hill, and ends at a rocky shoreline. High winds funnel into this area.
Dunedin town
Artsy town with coffee shops, bakeries, health market, sculptures, long bike path, adorable forested playground, and intracoastal views.
SLO Ranch eucalyptus forest path, SLO
Lovely path beside a eucalyptus forest, on both sides of the creek, with workout stations, in a residential neighborhood. You can walk two miles total. Also called San Luis Ranch.
Mulligan's Lawn, Avila Beach Golf Resort
Scenic location with views of Avila Beach, on a lawn and river beach where kids can run and play.
Honolua Bay Lookout, West Maui
Gorgeous views of Honolua Bay and its multi-hued water! Don't miss this spot!
Bob Jones Trail and Secret Garden, Avila Beach
Wide partially shady path that leads through oak forest, past a market, and a Secret Garden with live music, to Avila Beach.
Shell Beach Bluffs Trail, Pismo Beach
Stunning 0.4 mile paved path on cliffs above the sea, across from mansions.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve Boardwalk, Cambria
Wooden oceanfront one-mile-long boardwalk lined with scrub and flowers, atop the cliffs. Good views of the coastline. More trails on the hills above.
Kaanapali Beach and Black Rock, West Maui
A long beach with clear water like gelatin, backed by older resorts with lovely grounds and a 2.7 mile beachfront path!
Waikiki Wall jetty with gazebo
A jetty with a gazebo on the end, in the heart of Waikiki Beach. A popular bodyboarding and snorkeling spot where the reef is inches from your knees!
Big Sur Coast Drive from San Simeon
Breathtaking stops along the way, of vertical cliffs and sparkling blue-green water, a lighthouse (reserve online), redwood gulches, swimming holes, stunning beaches, and New Camaldoli Monastery.
Cal Poly neighborhood walk and O'Neill Green, SLO
Hilly streets with 1940s houses, views of mountain peaks, canary palms along California Blvd, and O'Neill Green with its koi pond, amazing trees, greenest grass, and cactus garden.
Morro Bay Town
A delightful rock, beautiful wildlife, peaceful idyllic estuary, imaginative playground, and colorful little town.
Sunny Fields Playground, Solvang
A wooden castle playground with gingerbread house, medieval towers, slides, bridges, monkey bars, rope bars, swings of all sorts, mist maker, viking ship, windmill, wild west town, rock-climbing wall, and tire swing.
Wing Beach, Kahului
A curved beach of stunning blue-green water, lined with palm trees on one end, backed by ironwood forest, with piles of coral on the white sand, and kite surfers and mountains in the distance.
Harford Pier and seals, Avila Beach
Harbor beach with hundreds of pelicans and sailboats bobbing in the water. Stunning views, seals barking on a floating dock, and outdoor cafe on Harford pier.
Ulua Beach, Wailea
A lovely beach for to watch the sunset or have a swim. It is backed by a pricey condo resort, and is at the northernmost end of the Wailea Beach Path.
High School Hill Cactus Forest and Hike, SLO
Eucalyptus and cactus forest, then amazing views over the high school toward the morros! After, a difficult, steep, rocky climb with gorgeous views of mountains and distant sea. Also called Bowden Ranch Hike.
Winter Garden cafes, splash pad and bike path
A cute main strip with restaurants, a bike path, and a splash pad.
South Lake Trail, Palm Beach
A cement bike and walking path along the intercoastal waterway in front of mansions and past glorious trees.
Flagler Drive walk, West Palm Beach
Five mile walk or run along the intracoastal, with fabulous views!
Ka'ena Point, Makaha side
Kaena Point on the Makaha side is a hiking trail along the ocean connecting two dead end roads. Lovely views!
Pismo Beach Pier, Playground, and Promenade
Gorgeous spot with wide pier, surfers carving the waves, whale playground, wide open attractive plaza, Pismo Beach selfie sign, and wooden promenade with views of the hills and sea.
West Palm Beach downtown
Main strip of West Palm Beach, with colorful and inviting architecture and decorations.
Douglas Family Preserve
Sweeping ocean views from high up on the cliffs and a lovely walk where dogs get to run free.
Pasadena Drive Lookouts, Los Osos
Windy estuary beach (called Baywood Park Beach), bench with views of Morro Rock, and waterfront lookout deck, plus lovely beach houses and views of the mountains.
Boosinger Park Lookout and Playground, Pismo Beach
A lovely park in Pismo Heights with playground, sloped lawn with picnic areas, and best of all- rocky lookout with spectacular views of the coastline.