Visalia is an exciting place to visit for a day or a great place to stay for anyone exploring beautiful Sequoia National Park and Kings Canyon National Park. Both parks are within easy driving distance from Visalia via the General's Highway (Hwy 198.) Visalia features a vibrant historic downtown … [Read more...]
Northern California
Lone Pine Highway 395 California Eastern High Sierra
Lone Pine was founded in the 1880s to provide provisions to the local miners. The Carson Colorado Railroad, which serviced the Owens Valley, dropped off supplies and picked up produce grown in the surrounding farms and orchards. After the water was diverted to the Los Angeles Aqueduct in 1913, … [Read more...]
Placerville Day Trip California Gold Country
Situated along a picturesque stretch of highway that cuts through the Sierra foothills outside Sacramento and in the heart of the gold country is the City of Placerville, the seat of El Dorado County. Located at 2,000' elevation and capturing the spirit of The California Gold Rush, Placerville … [Read more...]
Calaveras Big Trees State Park Day Trip
The giant sequoia, which now only grows on the west slopes of the Sierra Nevada Mountains, is one of California’s original icons. When you walk among these giants, you are in the presence of the oldest living things on the planet. At least one sequoia was known to be 3200 years old! The Calaveras … [Read more...]
San Francisco Ferry Building Day Trip
The San Francisco Ferry Building is a San Francisco landmark and can be found on the National Register of Historic Places. Since its beginning, the ferry building and terminal have seen many changes. The most significant change was when bridges were constructed for railway traffic, which … [Read more...]
Angel Island Day Trip Hiking Sightseeing Camping
If you want to see San Francisco Bay from a unique perspective, one of the best ways is via sea level at Angel Island State Park. Rising out of the water between Marin and San Francisco counties, Angel Island has served many purposes, including a military base, a prisoner-of-war detention center, … [Read more...]
Sutter’s Fort Sacramento Day Trip Historic California
Sutter's Fort was called New Helvetia by Sutter. The Fort was a destination for pioneers headed toward California. In the summer of 1840, Sutter, using both his workers and local Indians, began building what would become an adobe fort. The walls were 2.5 feet thick and 15-18 feet high. The … [Read more...]
Fresno Zoo Day Trip California Central Valley
Located in the center of Roeding Park in Fresno, California, the smaller than average, the zoo sits on 46 acres and is home to nearly 700 animals and over 200 different species. Visitors from all over the state come to see the zoo's various animals in habitats created to mimic their own, … [Read more...]
Day Trip To Sausalito from San Francisco
Sausalito is located at the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge. After the gold rush, a community was formed led by commercial fishermen and wealthy yachting enthusiasts. By the 1870s, the North Pacific Coast Railroad connected the town to San Francisco. Before the bridge was built, the town … [Read more...]
San Juan Bautista State Historic Park Day Trip
San Juan Bautista State Historical Park is a lot to say, but by the same token, San Juan Bautista offers a lot to see. San Benito County, San Juan Bautista park is rich in history with museums and a beautiful California Mission. San Juan Bautista is a beautiful day trip if you live in the San … [Read more...]
Walt Disney Museum San Francisco Day Trip
A day trip to the Walt Disney Family Museum is undoubtedly enough of an activity for a day trip the whole family will enjoy. The Walt Disney Family Museum encompasses three renovated buildings at the Presidio in San Francisco. It is not owned by the Disney theme park giant but by a group of Walt … [Read more...]
Santa Cruz Day Trip Things To Do & See
Located south of San Francisco and just north of Monterrey is Santa Cruz. The beach and ocean are a big part of the Santa Cruz lifestyle, and the area is well known for sailing, swimming, surfing, and paddling. Santa Cruz was once the location of an American Indian settlement and one of the … [Read more...]
Redwood Valley Steam Train Tilden Park
The Redwood Valley Steam Train has been plying its trade in Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley for over fifty years. A fully functional miniature railway, the railroad has one and a quarter miles of track on which to run its fleet of replicas of steam engines of old. That track has been carefully … [Read more...]
Huntington Lake Fresno Day Trip
Located 80 miles northeast of Fresno in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, Huntington Lake was constructed in 1912. It is part of the Big Creek Hydroelectric Project, which provides power to Southern California. The lake has four dams and feeds into Shaver Lake to the southwest. One of the most popular … [Read more...]
Day Trip to Apple Hill Orchards U-Pick Apple Ranches
Apple Hill has been the perfect traditional fall family destination for half a century, with its mix of kid-friendly activities and adult attractions. Attractions include over 50 u-pick apple ranches, a Christmas tree farm, a microbrewery with handcrafted beers, a spa, and a few … [Read more...]