Things to do in Central California

Activities, attractions and tours

Yosemite Valley featuring a cascade and mountains
Channel Islands National Park
Central California showing a coastal town, general coastal views and landscape views
Ventura featuring dining out, night scenes and signage
Ventura featuring surfing and general coastal views as well as an individual male

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Most popular experiences in Central California

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What to do in Central California


Popular places to visit

Areas of Central California

Panorama Yosemite National Park im Gegenlicht

Yosemite West

You'll enjoy the waterfalls and riverfront in Yosemite West. You might want to make time for a stop at Yosemite National Park or Sierra National Forest.

Yosemite West
Downtown San Jose featuring heritage architecture

Downtown San Jose

3.5/5(5 area reviews)

Known for its fascinating museums and great live music, there's plenty to explore in Downtown San Jose. You can visit top attractions like San Pedro Square and San Jose Museum of Art, and jump on the metro at Santa Clara Station or St James Station to see more of the city.

Downtown San Jose
This is a small state park at the northern end of Santa Cruz' scenic West Cliff Drive and a little over a mile from the Boardwalk, wharf and Main Beach.  A couple of times a year you can see Monarch butterflies during their migration. They are not in the numbers of years past, but you'll still see some.

If you walk north towards the rocks during low tide you will find some amazing tidepools full of sea anenomes, sea urchins, starfish, crabs, hermit crabs, and all sorts of marine life. The tidepools are on a ledge, so the tide needs to be quite high

Westside Santa Cruz

4/5(31 area reviews)

Travellers to Westside Santa Cruz praise its stunning beaches. If you've got some more time to explore, be sure to stop by Monterey Bay and Pacific Avenue.

Westside Santa Cruz
Following highway 1 south out of Monterey you get views like this

Downtown Monterey

4/5(31 area reviews)

The pristine beaches and popular aquarium are top of the list for many visitors to Downtown Monterey. A stop by Monterey State Beach or Golden State Theatre might round out your trip.

Downtown Monterey
Sunset over Pismo Beach. #beachbound

Downtown Pismo Beach

4/5(16 area reviews)

If you're spending some time in Downtown Pismo Beach, Pismo State Beach and Pismo Beach Surf Shop are top sights worth seeing.

Downtown Pismo Beach
Houses in Pacific Grove, California

Downtown Carmel

If you're spending some time in Downtown Carmel, Carmel Plaza and The Doud Arcade are top sights worth seeing.

Downtown Carmel

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