California Institute of Technology

With its stately pines and panoramic ocean views, Cambria is picturesque and peaceful. Quiet inns on the beach with beautiful ocean views, along with specialty shops and restaurants along Main Street, make this town a weekend-getaway favorite.

At Dana Point, one of the most beautiful man-made harbors in California, you can stroll along the beach and marina, and visit adjacent shops, restaurants, and an assortment of other local attractions.

Located at the corner of Camino del Mar and 15th Street in Del Mar, this little shopping area is a great place to begin a tour of the town. The plaza features Italian terraced architecture and has the feel of an old-world marketplace.

With over 400 miles of lakeshore, Lake Havasu offers lots of room for fishing, boating, and other watersports. Other activities include lake and desert tours, golfing, tennis, parasailing, fishing tournaments, boat regattas, jet-ski races, and more. There are over 25 hotels in the area, plus 12 RV resorts and campgrounds, five marinas, five mobile-home parks, and more than 70 restaurants.

This fashionable resort city lies in the upper Colorado Desert at the foot of 10,804-foot San Jacinto Peak. The area boasts almost 350 days of sunshine per year, an average daily temperature of 75 degrees, and a wealth of mostly high-end shops, boutiques, galleries, theatres, and restaurants.

Throughout Santa Barbara County, you�l find marketplaces brimming with antiques, books, gifts, furnishings, clothing, home and garden items, travel supplies, unique handmade crafts, and much more.

Seaport Village is a 14-acre landscaped dining, shopping, and entertainment complex in a harborside setting. Within the village is a restored 1890s Looff carousel and an eight-acre park.

This Mexican border city offers tempting bargains on imported goods, and the prices of Mexican products are reasonable as well. Major shopping areas include Mercado de Artesanias, Plaza Rio Tijuana Shopping Center, and Avenida Revolucion.

Starting just east of Los Angeles, in the Mojave Desert, U.S. 395 provides one of the great drives in the United States. It begins in the high desert of Southern California, ends at the Canadian border, and in between, crosses some of the most desolate land in California. The path also leads you to high elevations and some of the most magnificent mountain views in the world.

This 200,000-acre area has facilities for fishing, boating, rock climbing, snowmobiling, cross-country and downhill skiing, and hiking. It contains portions of Pacific Crest Trail, John Muir Trail, Devils Postpile National Monument, Mammoth Mountain Ski Area, Rainbow Falls, Mammoth City Historical Site, Mammoth Lakes Basin, and geothermal springs.

This California mission is famous for the swallows that visit each year, from mid-March to mid-October. These remarkably constant birds flew approximately 6,000 miles from Goya, Argentina, to nest and rear their young in San Juan Capistrano.

Named for Morro Rock, the great conical rock that juts 578 feet out of the Pacific Ocean, this bay offers small shops, sub-sea tours, harbor cruises, and its own Museum of Natural History.

The Tramway affords spectacular 360-degree views and access to the rugged San Jacinto Mountains. Both the Valley Station and the Mountain Station have observation decks and picnic areas, and food is available.

The San Diego Zoo, one of the largest zoos in the world, exhibits some of the rarest creatures on Earth. More than 4,000 animals live in enclosures closely simulating their natural environtments.

One of the leading resorts in the Los Angeles area, on Catalina visitors enjoy beaches, tennis courts, horseback riding, hiking, camping, a golf course, and deep-sea and pier fishing. Cars are not allowed on the island, but bicycles and small gasoline-powered carts may be rented for use around the city of Avalon.

Seaworld is a 165-acre adventure park with shows, marine-life attractions, and rides. The Shamu Adventure features killer whales, and other attractions include dolphins, sea lions, otters, and walruses.

Located in the beautiful Santa Ynez Valley, Solvang is Danish in heritage, customs, and atmosphere. The village features Danish architecture, windmills, museums, and bakeries, as well as more than 200 shops.

Stearns Wharf served as a naval installation during World War II, and today it is the site of specialty shops, restaurants, and a small museum. It affords excellent views of the harbor and the mountains behind Santa Barbara.

Balboa Park is a 1,200-acre recreation and cultural center. The park's most prominent feature, the 200-foot California Tower, contains a 100-bell carillon that chimes every 15 minutes.

The best time to come here is in the spring, when the 50 acres turn into a rainbow of pink, gold, red, orange, white, and other bright colors. Visitors can buy flowers and other flowering garden plants at significantly discounted prices.

Once the estate of newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst, the castle consists of a main house with 115 rooms and three guesthouses located on a 1,600-foot mountain named La Cuesta Encantada (The Enchanted Hill). Daytime and evening tours of the estate are available.

Exhibits dating back to 1890 trace the history of innovations in popular music. A rare collection of 450 musical instruments are on display in a 6,500-square-foot exhibit space divided into five major themes. A research library and archives are also on-site. The goal of the museum is to preserve, exhibit, and promote the history of the music-products industry.

Kick-starting the renaissance of this small town in 1994, the Mural Project, sponsored by Action Council for 29 Palms, spawned beautiful, historical artworks painted on the commercial buildings downtown and also encouraged a new art scene, leading to the opening of many shops, galleries, and other visitor-friendly businesses.

Located on SR-78 about two miles east of Wild Animal Park, this park was established as a memorial to honor those who participated in the San Pasqual Battle of the Mexican-American War, which in 1846 was fought between the Californianos, defending for Mexico, and the advanced contingent of General Stephen Kearney's U.S. Army of the West. Features include a visitor center, historical trail, exhibits, picnic area, and nature trails.

Located in Balboa Park, San Diego, the Spreckles Organ Pavilion holds the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world. It was built in 1915 during the Panama-California International Exposition, which commemorated the completion of the Panama Canal. Free recitals have been performed on the organ on Sunday afternoons ever since, and summer concerts are held Monday though Thursday evenings.

The Vallejo Naval and Historical Museum preserves and exhibits the diverse history of the City of Vallejo and the former U.S. Naval Shipyard at Mare Island. The museum is located in Vallejo's historic Old City Hall and features five galleries devoted to community and U.S. naval history.

Located in Baker off the 1-15 at 1-127, just a few miles short of the Nevada border, the World's Tallest Thermometer was built in 1991 by Young Electric Company. Standing 135 feet tall, it was built to commemorate the highest temperature recorded in North America—an astonishing 134 degrees Fahrenheit recorded in nearby Death Valley in 1913.

One of San Diego's last remaining 1950s bowling alleys, the Aztec pioneered the concept of bands plus bowling. Local and national acts perform at the 24-lane alley, and bowlers pay a cover charge and roll dollar games while enjoying the music.

At the oldest and largest full-time vintage air tour operator in the country, you can cruise above coastal waters in the open cockpit of a 1929 biplane, fly air combat in a special dogfight aircraft, or fly in a real Warbird.

Birch Aquarium features marine life from cold northern waters as well as from the warm tropical seas of the Pacific Ocean. Interactive exhibits and changing displays explore the latest developments in oceanography.

Killer Entertainment is a troupe of professional actors who weave improvisation, scripted dialogue, and musical performances to create murder mysteries, comedies, and dinner-theater events in Long Beach. Audience participation is encouraged.

True to its reputation for standout entertainment and celebrated excess, Las Vegas entices tourists with fantastic surroundings and 24-hour fun.

Located near the California border and across the Colorado River from Arizona, this bait-shack-turned-gambling-mecca in the middle of the desert is a destination that attracts several million visitors per year.

This drive-in theater just north of the Mexican border is a large tri-screen venue with a capacity for up to 1500 cars. Each of its three screens are lit up with a double-feature each night all year long, and audio is provided via AM and FM radio broadcast.

Whales, dolphins, sea lions, and other marine mammals can be seen year-round in the Santa Barbara Channel. This nutrient-rich area also sees the annual migration of nearly 30,000 California gray whales. Humpback whales can be seen May through September. Blue whales, the largest of all animals, appear in summer months.

Audience members sit at cabaret tables and enjoy song, dance, and comedy in vaudeville reviews performed each evening from Wednesday through Sunday.