Top 10 Sights & Landmarks in California, United States

October 28, 2021 Osvaldo Hartline

California is a fertile, peaceful place where you’ll find a near-equal balance of vineyards and deserts, beaches and mountains, hippies and traditionalists. Catch an epic wave in Big Sur or swirl a glass in Napa Valley. Be dazzled by the Joshua Tree night sky or just star-gaze in Hollywood. Swish down the slopes of a Tahoe ski resort, or cruise across the Golden Gate Bridge with the top down and the music blasting. Above all, don’t forget to soak up some Golden State sunshine.
Restaurants in California

1. Stanford University

450 Serra Mall, Palo Alto, CA 94305-2004 +1 650-723-2300 http://www.stanford.edu
Excellent
80%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,724 reviews

Stanford University

Breeding ground for Silicon Valley businesses. The founders of Hewlett Packard, Yahoo!, and Sun Microsystems all passed through the doors of this institution.

Reviewed By kjgarcia2018 - Palo Alto, United States

Great place to see, exercise lots of walking nice places to eat, beautiful campus downtown Palo Alto is also in walking distance Town & Country Center is walking distance and the Stanford Shopping Center is in walking distance so much to do and see! And Cantor Art Center so so much!

2. Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

18220 N Highway 1, Fort Bragg, CA 95437-8773 +1 707-964-4352 [email protected] http://www.gardenbythesea.org/visit/
Excellent
81%
Good
17%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,300 reviews

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens offers everything from colorful displays to thunderous waves. The mild maritime climate makes it a garden for all seasons, attracting gardeners and nature lovers. With manicured formal gardens, a dense coastal pine forest, native flora and habitats, fern-covered canyons, camellias, rhododendrons, magnolias and conifers, heaths, heathers, and flower-filled coastal bluffs overlooking the blue ocean, the garden is a jewel on the Pacific Coast. Your visit is a show of support for our non-profit botanical garden and its mission!

Reviewed By Gardenxoe - Eureka, United States

We’ve never been disappointed by this garden. This time the rhododendrons were in full bloom and it was also a great time to see native wildflowers. We love the transition from beautiful display gardens to native plants (as you head to dramatic ocean overlook). Another good time to visit garden is in July/August, when the dahlias & heathers are blooming.

3. Pacific Coast Highway

147161, CA +1 650-879-2120 http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/byways/byways/2301
Excellent
85%
Good
12%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 1,643 reviews

Pacific Coast Highway

Running along the northern California coast, this highway has some of the best views of any in the United States.

Reviewed By WaitForIttttt - Hazlet, United States

My husband and I drove the Pacific Coast Highway while making our way down the West Coast from Seattle to San Diego. This was the most beautiful drive we have ever taken. The views of the coast and the Pacific are absolutely stunning. There are tons of vistas and beaches to stop at, and sometimes even the road itself is a sight to see. There was also so much to see along the way! We stopped at: * Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park * Shelter Cove * Glass Beach * Bowling Ball Beach * San Francisco * Point Arena Lighthouse * Davenport Pier * Monterey * 17- Mile Drive * Bixby Bridge * Big Sur * Santa Barbara I'd recommend trying to take in all of them because we enjoyed every single place we visited. Also, make sure to check for closures. We were fortunate in that the entire stretch was open when we visited. There were some minor areas of construction where we had to wait a bit before passing, but it wasn't a long wait. I think everyone should experience this beautiful highway and every breathtaking mile it has to offer!

4. Dante's View

Dante's View Rd. off Rte. 190 30 mi south of Furnace Creek, Death Valley National Park, CA 92328 +1 760-786-3200 http://www.nps.gov/deva/index.htm
Excellent
82%
Good
16%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

5.0 based on 2,237 reviews

Dante's View

Reviewed By lkbashor - Carson City, United States

High atop Dante's View above Death Valley you will see what I can only describe as breathtaking, spectacular views. This is a MUST drive that is about located above Badwater Basin, looking out over all of Death Valley, into Panamint Valley and on the clearest of days you will see Mount Whitney - WOW just WOW beautiful! Making the drive 16 miles south of Furnace Creek was well worth it, with even getting a reprieve in temperature from the valley floor in Death Valley, seeing a significant drop of 10 to 20 degrees. On the particular day we went we even had wind gusts of upwards of 40 mph that had us cautious of getting close to the edge. Grab your binoculars to spot out different places at 5575 feet above it all - you will want to photograph your smiling faces with the colors of the desert landscape below and the panaromic views all around. Well worth IT!!

5. Alcatraz Island

Pier 33, San Francisco, CA 94123 +1 415-981-7625 http://www.nps.gov/alca/index.htm
Excellent
75%
Good
20%
Satisfactory
3%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 55,332 reviews

Alcatraz Island

Park rangers conduct tours by recounting the prison's thrilling history along with intriguing anecdotes about Al Capone and other legendary figures that made a "home" here.

Reviewed By Piggin01

I did the night tour it was amazing and very interesting love that former inmates and staff did the audio recording for the tour which is easy to follow and very informative would highly recommend and would do again

6. Santa Barbara County Courthouse

1100 Anacapa St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101-2099 +1 805-962-6464 [email protected] https://www.sbcourthouse.org/?source=tripadvisor
Excellent
74%
Good
24%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
0%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 2,969 reviews

Santa Barbara County Courthouse

Visit the Santa Barbara Courthouse to enjoy a free Self-Guided Exterior Tour and a virtual tour of the Mural Room interior. Use your cell phone or tablet to explore Santa Barbara’s iconic Spanish Colonial Revival Courthouse. The web-based tours can be found at sbcourthouse.org. The Courthouse is closed to visitors during Covid.

Reviewed By cresapsd - San Diego, United States

Coincidentally our stay in Santa Barbara was during the annual Fiesta Days and we enjoyed free concerts in the courthouse sunken garden as well as a docent led tour. The tour was very interesting and entertaining. The courthouse is not to be missed and don’t forget to check out the breathtaking view from the courthouse clock tower

7. 26-Mile Bike Path

Santa Monica, CA 90403 http://beaches.lacounty.gov/wps/portal/dbh/!ut/p/b0/04_Sj9CPykssy0xPLMnMz0vMAfGjzOJdDQwM3P3dgo0MvA0MDTyN_Ezc3B0DDYBs_YJsR0UAMgAeVA!!/?1dmy&page=dept.lac.dbh.home.beaches.detail.hidden&urile=wcm%3Apath%3A/dbh+content/dbh+site/home/beaches/bikepath1
Excellent
75%
Good
22%
Satisfactory
2%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,463 reviews

26-Mile Bike Path

Starting at the Santa Monica pier, this is a popular path for biking, jogging and in-line skating along the Pacific Ocean.

Reviewed By eddiepix - Beaverton, United States

My girlfriend and I have ridden this path from Santa Monica to Redondo Beach many times...it's beautiful and exciting and along with the great proximity to the ocean, you will see some of the world's most interesting people along the way.

8. Bixby Bridge

Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920
Excellent
66%
Good
27%
Satisfactory
6%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 1,386 reviews

Bixby Bridge

This historical bridge is a popular subject for photographers.

Reviewed By Gus6 - Los Angeles, United States

Is the perfect ending for your Big Sur trip The view of this bridge is amazing and you have pretty good parking space on the north side to park for a few minutes and enjoy the vies and take the iconic pictures for your book

9. University of California, Berkeley

101 Sproul Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720 +1 510-642-6000 http://www.berkeley.edu/
Excellent
65%
Good
28%
Satisfactory
5%
Poor
1%
Terrible
1%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 924 reviews

University of California, Berkeley

California's most prestigious public university is the home of liberalism and revolution.

Reviewed By Kittygal - Los Angeles, United States

I've loved this campus since I first visited for football and basketball games against my alma mater, UCLA. And during my law school days across the bay, I'd escape to study at the Boalt library on occasion. I returned for a visit during my first post Covid trip to the Bay Area. It was great to see the timeless beauty of the campus and marvel at all the new construction. Glad the old stand bys are still there, too (Rasputin's, Bear's Lair, Golden Bear, Smokehouse). During my grad school days, we often said that you could see the bell tower from SF on an exceptionally fine, clear day. And I'm here to say that during my recent visit, I could see clear to the Golden Gate Bridge from my vantage point at the base of the bell tower. Happily, some things only get better with time.

10. Old Mission Santa Ines

1760 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463-2625 +1 805-688-4815 [email protected] http://www.missionsantaines.org/
Excellent
48%
Good
39%
Satisfactory
12%
Poor
1%
Terrible
0%
Overall Ratings

4.5 based on 520 reviews

Old Mission Santa Ines

Reviewed By CleopatraBunny - Flagstaff, United States

This active Catholic Church has a well-curated collection of old mission tools, vestments, furnishings and other items from the 1800s mission life. Cemetery has over 1000 people buried here but most graves are not marked. What’s worthwhile is the self-guided audio tour. You push little buttons on the wall in seven areas to hear the history and backstory on each room and the church itself. Plenty of free parking and charming gift shop staff.

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