5
»
MUST
SEE ,
DO
»
Wine Tasting Get some great grape
taste from some of Paso Robles' best wineries
and tasting rooms.
› pasowine.com
Castle on a Hill Visit Hearst Castle, the
over-the-top estate that William Randolph Hearst
called "the ranch."
› hearstcastle.org
»
»
Volcanic Sister Walk out to the base
of Morro Rock, one of a series of volcanic plugs
known as the Nine Sisters of San Luis Obispo
County, in Morro Bay.
› morrobay.org
»
American Riviera Step off Stearns
Wharf in Santa Barbara and stroll along the miles
of beaches studded with palm trees.
› santabarbaraca.com
THE CLASSICAL Neptune Pool at
Hearst Castle, above, was built between
1924 and 1936, designed by Julia Morgan for
William Randolph Hearst.
»
Pink Moment Look to the east for
the setting sun's reflection on the bluffs of the
Topatopa Mountains in Ojai for a brilliant
pink sunset.
› ci.ojai.ca.us
City & Town
South of Big Sur, the sweep of coastline
is dotted with small beach towns.
Cambria perches on pine-forested hills
above the ocean, and has galleries and
antique shops. Laid-back Cayucos is an
old-school beach retreat with a surf break
and fishing pier near the main drag.
Morro Bay's landmark, a volcanic peak
emerging from the ocean floor, stands at
the entrance to a beautiful estuary.
Tucked between the ocean and the
Santa Ynez Mountains, Santa Barbara is
often called the "American Riviera"
because of its Mediterranean climate
and red-tiled buildings. Head inland
to artist enclave Ojai to unwind and take
in the "pink moment" sunsets—the
color of cotton candy.
The Great Outdoors
Even though Santa Barbara and San
Luis Obispo are larger than the rest of
the beach towns, there's plenty of space
throughout the Central Coast region
to find ample breathing room. Hike to
the top of Bishop Peak, the tallest of the
SPECIAL
EVENTS 2013
SANTA BARBARA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Jan. 24-Feb. 3,
Santa Barbara sbiff.org
SAN LUIS OBISPO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL March 6-10,
San Luis Obispo slofilmfest.org
TASTE OF SOLVANG March 15-17, Solvang solvangusa.com
OJAI STORYTELLING FESTIVAL May 2-5, Ojai ojaistoryfest.org
PASO ROBLES WINE FESTIVAL May 17-19, Paso Robles
pasowine.com/events/winefestival.php
CALIFORNIA STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL May 18-19, Oxnard strawberry-fest.org
I MADONNARI May 24-26, Santa Barbara imadonnarifestival.com
LOS OLIVOS JAZZ & OLIVE FESTIVAL June 8, Los Olivos
losolivosrotary.org/olivefest.html
SUMMER SOLSTICE CELEBRATION June 21-23, Santa Barbara solsticeparade.com
SAN BENITO COUNTY SADDLE HORSE SHOW & RODEO June 22-23 and
27-30, Hollister sanbenitocountyrodeo.com
CALIFORNIA WINE FESTIVAL July 18-20, Santa Barbara californiawinefestival.com
2 0 1 3 t r av e l g u i d e to c a l i fo rnia 1 39