California boasts an array of top attractions, from natural wonders and iconic landmarks to cultural hubs and unique cultural influences. Additionally, this diverse state boasts an equally varied population that brings their own distinctive cultural influence with them.
So you could drive or stroll across the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco or visit Big Sur’s Bixby Bridge – one of the world’s tallest single span bridges – which are both among the world’s tallest single span bridges.
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is one of California’s most iconic structures, stretching 1.7 miles across San Francisco Bay to connect San Francisco to Pacific Ocean. A truly impressive feat of engineering, its construction was meant to withstand earthquakes and high winds from ocean.
Visit the Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center to gain more knowledge of this marvel of modern engineering. Plus, take part in fun family-oriented activities for an even greater educational experience!
Battery Spencer provides an ideal vantage point and parking for viewing the Golden Gate Bridge, providing breathtaking views of Alcatraz Island and city skylines alike.
San Diego’s Balboa Park
San Diego’s beloved Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre cultural oasis with 17 world-renowned museums and gardens as well as the San Diego Zoo. Additionally, this sprawling cultural oasis boasts 65 miles of trails for biking or walking and features many popular attractions like California Tower.
Most museums in the park charge admission, but there are countless free activities as well. Enjoy art by masters such as Rembrandt or admire Lindbergh’s Spirit of St. Louis replica before learning more about photography and moving on to military history exploration.
Gardens are also worth seeing; for instance, Seville’s Real Alcazar inspired the Alcazar Garden which offers beautiful scenery to visit.
Venice Beach
Venice Beach may be best-known for its boardwalk full of bronzed bodybuilders and eccentric street performers, but this eclectic Los Angeles getaway boasts much more than that! Notably it boasts tranquil canals, stunning architecture and delectable cuisine – not to mention all those fun bodybuilders soaking up some sun on those iconic boards!
Abbot Kinney wanted Venice Beach to become the “Coney Island of the Pacific.” As he succeeded in doing this, an idyllic seaside enclave with unique and diverse attractions emerged – from world renowned skating plaza to Abbot Kinney Blvd, there is something here for everyone!
Alcatraz Island
Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly once resided on this rocky island that now makes up one of America’s most beloved national parks, earning its place on the National Register of Historic Places and offering visitors breathtaking bay views during tours through former prison cell blocks, old structures such as lighthouse and guardhouse, as well as breathtaking bay vistas.
As well as gardens and tidepools, nesting seabirds, and an impressive new exhibit that addresses questions surrounding prison and incarceration. To maximize your trip and make the most out of your visit book a 1.5-2 hour guided tour that includes off-limit areas as well as audio tour of cellhouse.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Monterey Bay Aquarium, situated on historic Cannery Row, features many exhibits with a regional focus on marine habitats including coastal streams, tidal pools and sea otters. As one of the first aquariums ever to exhibit a living kelp forest; successfully care for and display a great white shark; and pioneer jellyfish culture technology – among many other achievements it holds the distinction of being first to do these things!
Highlights include Open Sea, which lets visitors view a 1.2 million gallon tank housing open ocean animals such as hammerhead sharks, stingrays and sea turtles. Jellies Experience features gelatinous creatures including moon jellies (Aurelia aurita). Meanwhile, everyone falls in love with Kit and Ivy, two adorable rescue sea otters living in two-story habitat.
Los Angeles Observatory
Since opening its doors in 1934, the Observatory has become a California landmark with its variety of exhibits and astronomical views. Attractions include the Samuel Oschin Planetarium with its legendary Zeiss star projector; Wilder Hall of the Eye; Ahmanson Hall of the Sky; Edge of Space and Cosmic Connection as well as its front of building Astronomers Monument with full-length statues of Hipparchus Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton Herschel etc.
Other amazing features include the Foucault Pendulum, which shows the Earth’s rotation, and Hugo Ballin’s Ballin Ceiling Mural, which depicts ancient stories about the heavens from his 1930s paintings. Griffith Park also offers hiking trails as well as special lectures and planetarium shows throughout the year at Griffith Observatory.