Death Valley National Park
Near the ghost town of Rhyolite, just east of Death Valley National Park, this outdoor sculpture park was begun in 1984 by the late Belgian artist Albert…
Must-see attractions in California
Monterey
Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson came to Monterey in 1879 to court his wife-to-be, Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne. This building, then the French Hotel…
Yosemite National Park
Pothole Dome marks the western end of Tuolumne Meadows. It’s small by Yosemite standards, but the short, 200ft climb to the top offers great views of the…
North Coast & Redwoods
The university on the northeastern side of town holds the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT), a world leader in developing sustainable…
San Francisco
Leave it to San Francisco to plant a dell that's totally punk rock, featuring spiky, in-your-face neon blooms cultivated by the city's many hardcore…
Death Valley National Park
Hwy 190 ends at 600ft-deep Ubehebe Crater, formed some 300 years ago by the meeting of fiery magma and cool groundwater. As the water turned into steam,…
Big Sur
Over 4 miles south of Point Lobos on Hwy 1, pull over to hike coastal headlands, where you might spot whales cruising by offshore during winter, or into…
San Francisco
No first-time loop through the Castro would be complete without a peek at this window display featuring trans Barbies and Billy Doll, a gay alternative to…
Napa Valley
Titus has a modern tasting facility with windows for days, surrounded by 40 acres of vineyards. It's best to book well ahead to sample the winery's good…
Napa Valley
Like a modern-day Persian palace, Darioush ranks high on the fabulosity scale, with towering columns, Le Corbusier furniture, Persian rugs and travertine…
Berkeley
Telegraph Ave has traditionally been the throbbing heart of studentville in Berkeley, the sidewalks crowded with undergrads, postdocs and youthful…
San Francisco
Since 1899, this has been Golden Gate Park's home where the buffalo roam – though technically, they're bison. SF's mellow, well-fed herd rarely moves –…
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe-Nevada State Park is the east shore's biggest draw with beaches and hiking for all. Summer crowds splash in the turquoise waters of Sand Harbor…
Gatekeeper’s Museum & Marion Steinbach Indian Basket Museum
Lake Tahoe
In a reconstructed log cabin close to town, this museum has a small but fascinating collection of Tahoe memorabilia, including Olympics history and relics…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
Even the artist, Jonathan Borofsky, has questioned the taste of this landmark sculpture of a ballerina in a bearded clown mask perched above the corner of…
California College of the Arts
The Mission, Dogpatch & Potrero Hill
A generous endowment and whip-smart curators allow the Wattis Institute to take on ambitious, sweeping shows – for example, an exhibition reimagining…
North Coast & Redwoods
Of Eureka’s fine Victorian buildings, the most famous is the ornate 1880s home of lumber baron William Carson. It took 100 men two years to build. Today…
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
A stunning wilderness area 44,000 acres in size and bisected by the Kings Canyon Scenic Byway (Hwy 180). Monarch includes dramatic, high-elevation alpine…
Venice, Marina Del Rey & Playa del Rey
One of our favorite Venice galleries, it specializes in single-artist exhibitions. When we passed it hosted the works of Ralph Ziman, a South African–born…
Death Valley National Park
Emigrant Canyon Rd climbs steeply over Emigrant Pass for the turnoff to Wildrose Canyon Rd and a lineup of 10 large beehive-shaped charcoal kilns made of…
Berkeley
In North Berkeley discover the Berkeley Rose Garden, with its eight terraces of colorful explosions. Here you’ll find quiet benches and a plethora of…
The Marina, Fisherman’s Wharf & the Piers
Your chariot awaits to whisk you and the kids past the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz and other SF landmarks hand-painted on this Italian carousel twinkling…
Sausalito
One of the coolest things in town, fascinating to both kids and adults, is the Army Corps of Engineers’ solar-powered visitor center. Housed in one of the…
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
When it was dammed in 1908, this 87-acre artificial lake powered a huge log flume that whisked sequoias harvested in Converse Basin to a mill more than 70…
Yosemite National Park
At 1600 ft, Ribbon Falls, only seen from the west side of El Capitan, is the highest single drop falls in North America. There's no signage and no real…
Big Sur
Take a short hike to splash around in the pools at the base of this double-drop waterfall, tucked uphill in a forested canyon. The falls usually run from…
San Diego
Two blocks from the Old Town perimeter sits the city’s oldest brick building (circa 1856), officially certified as haunted by the US Department of…
Big Sur
Henry Miller lived in Big Sur for 17 years, some 5 miles south of this now nonprofit alternative art space and community center in the home of his late…
North Coast & Redwoods
This handsome 1915 building was designed by a well known San Francisco architect of the time, W H Weeks. Built as a hotel, the first guests were…
Berkeley
At the Berkeley Marina, this is one of the coolest play spaces in the Bay Area – a free outdoor park encouraging creativity and cooperation where…
Mt Shasta City Park & Sacramento River Headwaters
Mt Shasta Region
Off Mt Shasta Blvd, about a mile north of downtown, the headwaters of the Sacramento River gurgle up from the ground in a large, cool spring. It’s about…
Joshua Tree National Park
Jeff Hafler loves hair and everything to do with it, which is why his Steel Magnolias–type home salon brims with related vintage beauty paraphernalia he's…
Berkeley
With a stainless-steel exterior wrapping around a 1930s printing plant, this museum holds multiple galleries showcasing a limited number of artworks, from…
Lake Tahoe
With a wide sweep of shoreline, sleek and shallow Meeks Bay has warm water by Tahoe standards and is fringed by a beautiful, but busy, sandy beach. West…
Malibu & Pacific Palisades
At this west-facing beach, the surf thunders and rip currents can be strong (so you'll want to be a strong swimmer), but the water is crystal clear, and…
San Diego
A nice stop if you’ve got children in tow; the kids can look at Clydesdales at this 'Old West'-style tasting room, while mommy and daddy sip. They have…
Yosemite National Park
Metal cables anchored to boulders on both ends of this 40 ft span over the South Fork of the Merced River keep the wobbling relatively light. Nice spot…
Greater Palm Springs
Adjacent to the airport, this museum has an exceptional collection of WWII aircraft and flight memorabilia, a movie theater and occasional flight…
Yosemite & the Sierra Nevada
About 15 miles east of Groveland, in the Stanislaus National Forest, Rainbow Pool is a popular swimming hole with a small cascade; it's signed on the…
Yosemite National Park
An iconic spot, both as a perfect foreground structure for photos of Half Dome in the distance and for its simple, elegant single-arch stone design over…
- placement: fullWidth
- path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
- possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [300, 250], [320, 50], [1, 1],
- targeting:
{ "position": "superzone" }
