Central California Coast

One of the most elaborate displays of Jellyfish is on display at the aquarium.  — Atlas Obscura

A beautiful day on the Central Coast along Hwy 1 - seemed like a beautiful omen for the new year. — Afar Magazine

The mission’s adobe chapel was later replaced with an arched basilica made of stone quarried in the Santa Lucia Mountains. Museum exhibits are scattered throughout the meditative complex. — Lonely Planet

Best for novice campers and families with young kids, here over 200 campsites nestle in a redwood-shaded valley. — Lonely Planet

The water's color is an unreal sea blue/green that I have never seen before. The best part- the hike and view is free. — Afar Magazine

Tour the 17-Mile Drive—preferably in a convertible—around the legendary Pebble Beach Golf Links, ogling fantasy mansions with ocean views. — Travel + Leisure

The time spent in and around Carmel, Pacific Grove, Santa Cruz, Big Sur, and Monterey will leave you wanting to come back over and over! This place is bustling with many great people! — Afar Magazine

On a craggy rock in north Big Sur, the Point Sur lighthouse has beamed through furious fog, rain, and wind since 1889. — Afar Magazine

John Steinbeck’s novel Cannery Row immortalized the sardine-canning business that was Monterey’s lifeblood for the first half of the 20th century. — Lonely Planet

Overlooking Carmel Bay, this enchanting stone complex embodies the spirit of its builder, poet Robinson Jeffers, whose writing was inspired by the raw beauty of the Pacific coast. — Michelin Guide

Southeast of downtown Monterey, MMA La Mirada is a silent-film star’s villa, a building whose humble adobe origins are exquisitely concealed. — Lonely Planet

Like its counterpart in San Francisco, this wooden pier is crammed with crafts and gift shops, boating and fishing operations, fish markets, and seafood restaurants -- all trawling for tourist dollars. — Frommer's

The graceful arc of Bixby Creek Bridge is a photographer's dream. Built in 1932, the bridge spans a deep canyon, more than 100 feet wide at the bottom. — Fodor's

Through a hole in one of the gigantic boulders at secluded Pfeiffer Beach, you can watch the waves break first on the sea side and then on the beach side. — Fodor's

Part school, church, spa, inn and monastery, Big Sur's famed Esalen Institute was set up in the 1960s, built by hand by the people who lived, worked and studied there. — Wallpaper

Limekiln State Park in Big Sur has it all—beach, woods, and history—and the trails are so short that you can actually see it all. — Afar Magazine

Eclectic sculptures line a tree-shaded path leading to a bookshop and an outdoor stage hosting concerts, readings, screenings and other cultural fodder. — Lonely Planet

The stately birthplace of California's statehood.  — Atlas Obscura