Southern California has been a well-known destination for tourists with places like San Diego, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland. These are some of the renowned places that everybody has their on their travel lists while visiting Southern California. If you would love to visit somewhere off the radar, then you need to check out these incredible destinations.
The Channell Islands
We visited California a lot of times but every time these spectacular islands were missed. These are even classified as U.S. National Parks. We saw some really beautiful pictures on the internet and that’s when we took a boat ride to Anacapa Island from Oxnard on our anniversary. The trip is for adventurous people who are in good shape as you will have to climb up to 157 stairs till the top of the island where you won’t find a toilet, food, etc.
This is pretty important! In case you have any previous injury or you get a back issue or some other injury due to traveling then you should get yourself checked at a doctor or a good chiropractor. Before I leave on any trip, I’ll go to see mine… the best chiropractor Cave Creek has in all of Phoenix
But once you make it there, views of the rocky shoreline, jagged peaks, and cliffs are spectacular. One can consider them as North America’s Galápagos.
The Huntington Botanical Gardens
This is another magnificent place where we visited by chance. It’s located in Pasadena. It’s like a bouquet of over dozens of beautiful gardens spread over an area of around 120 acres. You won’t be able to decide which garden is the most beautiful. My personal favorites are Japanese garden, California garden, and Rose garden.
Ventura County Wine Trail
Napa may have earned all the attention as wine country in California but we got the chance to enjoy exploring the coastal hills near Ventura, town located on the seaside. We found over 20 wineries and tasting rooms. One can also book a wine tour or explore freestyle using a map. It’s a lonely but charming road where you will find old surprises. Our favorite was an Old Creek Winery where friendly dogs and folks waited for us. We even stayed at Ojai and Ventura Harbour villages and got to enjoy live music and festivals on the weekend.
Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach is halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles. With around 20 scenic coves, beach area offers everything from paddle-boarding, kayaking, whale watching excursions, snorkeling. You can enjoy so many water sports! Just beware of the rough places. As a teenager, I recklessly decided to body surf in churning waters and got caught in a massive wave. I would completely blame the Beach Boys for this mishap as they romanticized the surfer thing with songs. So, actually, it’s their fault. We even enjoyed a picnic on the grass areas. There is not much to do on this beach so one can enjoy the serene beauty along with a picnic lunch and wine in a hidden nook.
Big Bear Lake
Nearby Big Bear is a huge mountain along with pristine forests and a beautiful lake. Hiking, fishing, and boating are some to-do activities in this small village. Last year we cycled around the lake, had a picnic, drove go-karts and enjoyed terrific views in the sky chair. If you would prefer adventure, zip lining and parasailing are also great options.
So, you can see that Southern California has a lot of great places to visit; it’s not possible for me to list them all. Hopefully, you got an idea about where to start!