Things to Do in California
Ten stops that skip Los Angeles and San Diego on purpose, since they've both got their own pages, and cover the rest of a state that somehow fits deserts, redwoods, and snow-capped peaks within a day's drive of each other.
California's an almost absurd size for one state, roughly the length of the whole east coast if you tipped it sideways, so this list sticks to what's reachable without needing a second flight. Los Angeles and San Diego already have their own dedicated pages on this site, so this one heads north and inland instead, mountains, wine country, and one very deep lake. Ten stops below, plus a quiz elsewhere on this site if you fancy testing what stuck.
Yosemite National Park
Granite cliffs, waterfalls that run properly full in spring, and sequoia groves old enough to have been standing before most countries existed. Yosemite Valley itself is the compact, drivable core, most of the big-name sights sit within a few miles of each other, though the wider park stretches considerably further for anyone up for a proper hike.
Book accommodation well ahead if visiting May through September, this is one of the most visited parks in the country and rooms inside the park itself go early. A day trip from the nearest towns works fine too if you'd rather not commit to staying inside the boundary.
Best time May-June for waterfalls at full flow; September for smaller crowds
Address Yosemite National Park, CA
San Francisco & the Golden Gate Bridge
San Francisco packs a lot into a fairly small footprint, steep hills, cable cars, and a bridge painted in a colour officially called International Orange, chosen partly because it stands out against the fog that rolls in most afternoons. Walking or cycling across gets you close enough to appreciate the scale properly, something photos from a distance never quite capture.
Alcatraz sits just offshore and runs regular ferry tours if the city's history interests you beyond the bridge, book that one specifically ahead, it sells out days in advance during peak season.
Best time September-October, the city's actual sunniest months, oddly
Address Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, CA
Napa Valley
One of the most concentrated wine regions in the country, small family-run vineyards sitting alongside considerably larger, more polished operations, most offering tastings for a fee that's usually credited back against a bottle purchase. The Silverado Trail runs a quieter, more scenic route than the main highway if you'd rather avoid the busiest stretch.
A hot air balloon ride at sunrise is the local specialty if you want the valley from above, considerably calmer than the ground-level version and a proper way to start a full day of tastings afterward.
Best time September-October for harvest season
Address Napa Valley, CA
Big Sur
A stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Simeon where the road clings to cliffs directly above the Pacific, one of the most dramatic drives in the country and slow going by design, most visitors take considerably longer than the map suggests purely from stopping at every viewpoint. Bixby Creek Bridge, roughly halfway along, is the single most photographed spot on the route.
McWay Falls, a waterfall that drops straight onto a beach rather than into a river, sits a short walk from a roadside parking area, a good, low-effort stop if you're not planning a longer hike.
Best time Spring and autumn, less fog than summer
Address Highway 1, Big Sur, CA
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
Two adjoining parks holding some of the largest living trees anywhere, General Sherman alone is roughly 275 feet tall and old enough to predate most of recorded history. A short, paved trail leads directly to it, manageable for most kids and considerably less strenuous than the surrounding wilderness might suggest.
Kings Canyon, the quieter of the two parks, trades some of Sequoia's crowds for a deeper, more dramatic canyon landscape, a good detour if you'd rather skip the busiest sections.
Hours Year-round, some roads close seasonally with snow
Address Sequoia National Park, CA
Lake Tahoe
Straddling the California-Nevada border, one of the largest and clearest alpine lakes in the country, blue enough in summer that photos rarely look real. Beaches line the California side specifically, a good family stop if swimming's the plan, and the surrounding mountains switch to skiing come winter.
A full drive around the lake takes about three hours without stops, a good one to do at least once for the changing views, forested on one side, open water on the other, for almost the entire loop.
Best time Summer for swimming; December-March for skiing
Address Lake Tahoe, CA/NV border
Death Valley National Park
Salt flats, sand dunes, and a spot called Badwater Basin that sits 282 feet below sea level, the lowest point on the entire continent. Summer temperatures here regularly push past 120°F, seriously dangerous heat, plan a visit for cooler months instead unless you're specifically chasing the extreme.
Zabriskie Point, a short walk from a roadside car park, gives sweeping views over eroded badlands, particularly striking at sunrise when the colours shift across the whole landscape.
Best time November-March; avoid summer entirely
Address Death Valley National Park, CA
Monterey Bay Aquarium
One of the better-regarded aquariums in the country, built directly on the site of a former sardine cannery, the kelp forest exhibit alone runs two storeys tall with real ocean water pumped in continuously. Feeding times for the sea otters draw a proper crowd, check the schedule and plan around it if that's the highlight for your group.
The surrounding Cannery Row, once the working heart of the sardine industry John Steinbeck wrote about, now runs mostly shops and restaurants, a decent add-on before or after the aquarium itself.
Hours Daily, roughly 9.30am-6pm, hours vary seasonally
Address 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA
Santa Barbara
A smaller, calmer coastal city than the ones further south, Spanish colonial architecture throughout the downtown area and a properly nice stretch of beach right along the waterfront. The Old Mission, founded in 1786, is still an active parish, the entry fee earns its keep for the gardens alone even without a particular interest in the building's history.
Stearns Wharf, the oldest working wharf on the West Coast, sits right at the end of State Street, a straightforward, kid-friendly stop for fresh seafood and a proper look back at the coastline.
Hours Old Mission daily, roughly 9am-4.15pm
Address 2201 Laguna St, Santa Barbara, CA
California's Food Trucks & Farmers Markets
California's food culture leans hard on fresh, local produce and an enormous mix of immigrant cuisines, farmers markets run in nearly every town on a weekly rotation, a good way to eat well without committing to a sit-down meal. In-N-Out Burger, a proper local institution with a cult following well beyond the state line, still runs a short, unchanged menu that regulars will defend at length if you let them.
Ferry Building Marketplace in San Francisco runs a particularly good Saturday farmers market, dozens of stalls right on the waterfront, a solid one-stop option if you're short on time but want a proper taste of the state's food scene.
Best time Saturday mornings for the Ferry Building market
Address Ferry Building Marketplace, San Francisco, CA
Best time to visit California
Spring and autumn cover the widest range of what's on this list comfortably, mild enough for the coast and the mountains alike without summer's peak crowds or Death Valley's dangerous heat.
Winter narrows things considerably outside of Tahoe's ski season, though San Francisco and Santa Barbara both stay pleasant year-round given the coastal climate.
Getting around California
A car is essential for this list, the distances between stops run into hours, this is not a state you cover without one. San Francisco itself is the exception, walkable and served by cable cars and public transport if you'd rather leave the car behind for a day or two.
Frequently asked questions
- Is California worth visiting beyond LA and San Diego?
- Yes, easily, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley alone offer a completely different picture of the state than its two most famous cities.
- How many days do you need to see California beyond LA and San Diego?
- A week and a half gives a comfortable pace to cover Yosemite, San Francisco, and either Napa or Big Sur without constantly driving.
- Is California expensive to visit?
- Yes, one of the pricier states overall, though national park entry stays affordable, the cost mostly shows up in accommodation and dining.
- What's the best California trip for kids?
- Monterey Bay Aquarium and Sequoia's General Sherman Tree both rank as the most reliably kid-friendly stops on this list.
That's the rest of the state, or ten decent slices of it.
A note before you plan around this: prices, opening hours, booking requirements and admission details in this guide were correct at the time of writing, but venues change these often and sometimes without notice. Always check directly with the attraction or its official website before you travel or build a schedule around a specific time or price.
Before travelling to any destination featured on this site, please also check your government's latest travel advice, as safety situations, entry requirements and travel warnings can change.
