California
Recommended things to do & see
Our Top Picks For California
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1 California State Fair, Sacramento
For the last two weeks in August, the California State Fair is likely to be the only place on earth where you can plant a redwood tree, watch a pig give birth, ride a roller coaster, catch some barrel racing, taste exquisite Napa vintages and eat a deep-fried Snickers bar all in one afternoon
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2 Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
The West Coast's oldest beachfront amusement park is still packing them in. Ride the ancient wooden roller coaster, stuff yourself with cotton candy, reminisce about the Lost Boys - there is something to amuse everybody. Check out Loverboy, free on the Beach bandstand this Friday night, July 10! Turn me loose
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3 Lassen Volcanic National Park
This area of Northern California is glorious, with dramatic volcanic landscapes, emerald forests and mountain-lake camping. Over summer the information center at Manzanita Lake offers ranger-led programs to help you learn a little about the local wildlife and culture while you gawp at the scenery. Check out the photos!
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4 Professional Beach Volleyball
Even non-sports fans will dig this classic Cali beach sport, and Manhattan Beach near LA is hosting a big tournament on July 16-19. Are they serious athletes or just tall dudes that don’t have the stones to play basketball? You decide. Tight buns and skimpy gear guaranteed
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5 Big Sur
If rugged coastal scenery is your thing, then don’t miss Big Sur. Here Hwy 1 pulls out all the stops, scenery-wise. It’s an epic journey taking in hippie camps, smugglers' coves, lonely lighthouses and the Piedras Blancas elephant seal colony. Finish with a tour at the over-the top Hearst Castle
Fast Facts about California
- State song
'I Love You, California'
- State song should be
'California Love', 2Pac (feat. Dr Dre); 'California Sun', The Rivieras; 'California Girls', Beach Boys
- Miles of shoreline with guaranteed public access
1100 (1770km)
- Highest point
Mt Whitney (14, 497ft, highest in 48 states)
- Lowest point
Death Valley (-282ft, -85m)
- Tallest wave ever surfed in California
100ft (30m), at Mavericks, Half Moon Bay, 2003
- Population
36.5 million (the largest of any US state)
- Most annoying soap opera character Steve Sanders (Ian Ziering), Beverly Hills, 90210
- Worst food innovation
Smoked Salmon Pizza
- Value of gold mined in 2000
$155 million
Related Groups
Our favourite California Blogs (beta)
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King Tut with Kids
Blog: Family Friendly Hotel, Resort, Suite Reviews: Travel Savvy Mom » blog - 29 June 2009
Thirty years after their first triumphant world tour, the Pharoah's treasures are on the road again. King Tut and the Golden Age of the Pharoahs opened this week at the de Young Museum in San Francisco
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Last Weeks to See Baby Chicks at Bolinas Lagoon Preserve
Blog: 71Miles - 19 June 2009
Mark your calendar: Plan a weekend daytrip to Marin before July 12th to see newborn Snowy Egrets and Great Blue Herons at Audubon Canyon Ranch, in West Marin. After Sunday, July 12, the ranch closes for summer, so the fledgling birds can find their wings in peace. Show your children these magnificent winged creatures, and [...]
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Save California State Parks: A Call to Arms
Blog: 71Miles - 1 June 2009
Governor Schwarzenegger has proposed closing 200 California state parks—that’s 80% of our park system. We can stop him, but must act fast. On Tuesday, June 2, the legislature’s budget conference committee will consider this proposal. Contact your state rep now. If the parks close, they’ll get trashed—there’s no way to stop determined people from breaking into [...]
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Introducing California
The moment you arrive in the Golden State, you may suspect you’ve been cast as the ingenue in a road-trip movie. Everything seems staged for a script riddled with exclamation points: no way are they going to surf those skyscraper-sized waves at Mavericks! That can’t be the Terminator in the governor’s mansion – in his second term! Brrrrrrr...don’t all those naked people ever get cold?!
Even if you’ve seen it on TV, California still comes as a shock to the system. The Venice Beach's skateboarders, San Francisco's same-sex-wedding planners, Santa Cruz's wild-mushroom hunters, Rodeo Dr-pillaging trophy wives and cheerful San Diego's doomsday cult members aren’t on different channels. They live here.
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Tips & articles
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Top Santa Cruz beaches
9 July 2009
Los Angeles may have Baywatch, but where California’s beaches are concerned, Santa Cruz more than...
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Top 10 films about California
9 July 2009
If you go to the movies, you’ve been to California. It’s no surprise that Hollywood’s...
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California road trips
8 July 2009
California is the third-largest state in the USA, and you could easily spend weeks navigating its blue...
