SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA
Welcome to Southern California!
Is Southern California on your bucket list? There are lots of famous places in this area including Los Angeles, Hollywood, Disneyland, San Diego and of course the Pacific coast! You could easily create several memorable vacations in SoCal. This page highlights some of the most infamous places we have visited during our trips to the area.
LOS ANGELES
Welcome to the City of Angels
Search “things to do in Los Angeles” and you will instantly become overwhelmed with all of the touristy things to do. There does not seem to be any shortage of tours in LA. Some of the most famous attractions include:
Hollywood: LA is known for it’s entertainment industry. Lots of tour companies will offer tours to explore Hollywood and the Walk of Fame. In our opinion, take an hour or two to walk to area, get your fill of tourists, and move on!
Griffith Observatory: Why an observatory? Well you want to see the famous Hollywood sign don’t you? This is known for being the best place to view the sign. Trust us, we did a lot of driving around the Hollywood hills, and it was extremely difficult to find any public areas to see the sign. This place was packed with people and parking was insane, but we can guarantee you will see the sign.
Surprisingly, LA is large and traffic can be intense. We suggest planning your itinerary accordingly to avoid rush hour times if you plan to head into the city. Also, we enjoyed driving around LA, Beverly Hills and all the surrounding areas ourself rather than paying a tour company, but that’s our normal vibe!
BEVERLY HILLS
Land of the Rich and Famous
It’s hard not to be impressed as you explore Beverly Hills. The streets are lined with palm trees and everywhere you turn there is a luxury car. Consistent with LA, we highly recommend renting a car and doing your own discovering. Yes, a tour bus can show you where a celebrity lives, but you can find that out on your own with a quick google search! Take a stroll down Rodeo Drive, and do some window shopping! Then, take in the views at Beverly Gardens Parks. Spend as little or as much time as you would like discovering the land of the rich and famous.
DISNEYLAND
“Here you leave today and enter the world of yesterday, tomorrow and fantasy”
– Walt Disney
We know, we don’t need to sell most people on Disneyland. For those of you that aren’t quite sure, go for it! Full disclosure – we aren’t Disney or amusement park fanatics, but we had the time of our lives! Even if you only spend one day in Anaheim, you will definitely enjoy yourself.
SAN DIEGO
California’s Beach City
San Diego is a wonderful city with so much to offer. From the beach to the city and everything in between, you will have so much to discover.
Gaslamp Quarter: If you are looking for entertainment and night life, look no further than Gaslamp Quarter. Situated in downtown San Diego, there are so many options for restaurants, bars and more!
San Diego Zoo: The San Diego Zoo was voted the #1 zoo in the world, and with good reason! This zoo is massive and is home to so many amazing animals. We spent an entire day at the zoo, and we didn’t even see all the exhibits! Young or old, this is definitely worth your time to check it out.
Old Town: This part of San Diego is a cute, historic neighborhood. There isn’t much to do other than grab a quick bite and walk around an embrace the beautiful weather.
CORONADO ISLAND
The Crown City
If you are headed to San Diego, Coronado Island is a must for your itinerary. The coastline offers the most beautiful beaches with “gold” flakes in the sand, thanks to the mineral mica. We were really impressed with the beauty of this island. It is also well know for the historic Hotel del Coronado. This island offers many activities such as bicycling, paddle boarding, kayaking, or just beachin’! There are lots of restaurants and shops for you to enjoy as well.
Whether you plan your entire trip here or only a beach day, it’s definitely worth the trip.
SANTA MONICA
First stop, Casa Martin
You came to Santa Monica to experience the pier, but you’re going to come back for the food! Santa Monica is a small beach city with a nice fishing pier. The area does get busy, especially in the evening. During our first trip to Santa Monica, we stumbled upon Casa Martin. This is an excellent authentic Mexican restaurant that is owned and operated by two brothers who serve their mother’s recipes. Long story short, our second trip to LA we drove to Santa Monica just to visit Casa Martin again.
Yes, you will have a blast doing all of the other fun, touristy things that Santa Monica has to offer, but the food is what will bring us back here again!
VENICE BEACH
Let’s get funky
There aren’t too many other places in the world quite like Venice Beach. The main attraction is the boardwalk, and you will quickly discover there is more than just shops and restaurants. It’s not unusual to see a man walking in stilts impersonating a tree or a gym on the beach. We also won’t judge if you go for the mexican street corn someone is selling out of a cooler. Anything is pretty much fair game when you come to Venice Beach. Above all else, enjoy the opportunity to see things you wouldn’t normally see elsewhere and be safe!
What we took away:
You could spend weeks in Southern California and still not be able to discover everything it has to offer. California is a massive state with so many different places to explore. You can live the life of luxury in Beverly Hills or hang with the locals at one of Southern California’s many beaches. If you’re planning your first trip here, we suggest starting small and seeing the things that most appeal to you!