Our tour guide, Elizabeth M., made this trip amazing for us. On our visit, we had a medical…read moreemergency and she handled it extremely well. She was also so kind and knowledgeable. Beautiful sights and exceptional staff, would recommend!

You come for the history or the views - either way you can't beat it!…read more Our tour guide was pretty funny and sarcastic - he was super knowledgeable on the Hearst family. It's incredible to see how innovative all of this was during the time it was built. We only did one tour that probably only covered a tiny portion of this place. It's $35 per person. The photo is cute that they take and print / but i wish they didn't print it before we bought. It seems like a waste

A few months out of the year you can sign up for a guided tour of the lighthouse and its grounds…read more You meet the ranger at an abandoned motel and then follow them into the lighthouse property. It's two hours of walking so make sure to wear comfortable shoes. You'll see beautiful landscapes, historic buildings on the property and you'll go inside the lighthouse itself. You will not get to climb to the top of the lighthouse though. It's a beautiful way to spend time so I highly recommend you do this tour at least once if it's available during the time you're in the area.

First lit in 1875, the Piedras Blancas lighthouse is a National Historic Landmark as well as a…read moredesignated Outstanding Natural Area! It's surrounded by a marine sanctuary and the beaches and rocks are full of seabirds and elephant seals and more. If you can manage to get tickets for a tour, I highly recommend you jump on it - they're infrequent with limited availability - but so worth it! The tour starts at an old, out-of-use motel nearby - then you all get in your cars and follow the guide into the light station complex. After parking, you meet the tour guide for the grounds and they give a talk. Then you're free to explore for the rest of your allotted time. There are lots of historical buildings on the grounds to explore - with little "museums" in the gift shop, fog signal house, and lighthouse itself. You can even still see the foundation area of the original 1906 keeper's house - but the building was moved to nearby Moonstone Beach. You can't tour it but it's available to rent for overnight stays! Sadly, the top three floors of the lighthouse had to be taken down due to repeated earthquake damage - so the original lens (a first order Fresnel) was moved and is on display in nearby Cambria. But the signal is still functional and flashes every 10 seconds on its temporary replacement lens. They do have plans to fully restore the lighthouse to all its former glory - but are still trying to raise the funds - they have a GoFundMe on their website if you're interested. The grounds have tons of trails all around with amazing views of all the beaches and "piedras blancas" or "white stones" - covered in sea birds and seals! Definitely don't miss out on at least some of them. My only complaint is that they only give one tour a day (starting at 945am) and only allow you a total of two hours to explore - which is definitely not even close to being enough imo. Our tour guide's talk was 40-45 mins long so that left only about an hour to see all the museums and buildings and explore the trails. And they're strict on the time limit too :( But it's still totally worth it - and actually it's probably better for the protected nature environment lol! So see it if you get a chance bc it's a rare luxury!

Lovely sight but they were doing construction on it so we weren't able to stop and take picsread more

Gorgeous bridge with a fantastic view of the ocean, creek and valley below. Absolutely beautiful…read morephotos here for those that stop by. A little turnout for tourist parking, and if you want, you can go down a bit and take pictures from under the span's primary level - but watch the edge, it's a steep drop down to the beach (more than 100'). Easy to mistake for Bixby Bridge just a little ways away (Rocky is straight, Bixby has a slight curve), the turnover of people moving to and from is fast, but watch out for re-entering the highway - saw almost two accidents since people were moving so fast.

Iconic Views and a Must-See Stop on Highway 1! The ride…read morealong the coast to get here is absolutely amazing, and seeing Bixby Bridge in person is totally worth the drive. The bridge itself is gorgeous, and there's a convenient pull-off area right near it where you can safely park and snap some incredible photos. A few helpful tips before you head out: Cell Service: Be prepared to lose all cellular service out here! The good news is you really can't get lost--just keep going straight down CA-1.  Traffic & Timing: It was pretty congested when we visited on a Saturday. I definitely recommend going on a weekday if your schedule allows, as it's much easier to find a spot to pull over and enjoy the view. Road Conditions: Keep in mind that a section of Highway 1 shrinks down to a single lane controlled by a traffic light. Traffic backs up quite a bit, so just be prepared for a lot of stop-and-go driving until you clear that light.  Even with a little traffic delay, it's an absolute staple of the California coast and a stunning stop!

I love this bridge. From the classic arch to the concrete columns in perfect symmetry that bridges…read moreHighway 1, which straddles the cliffside where the Pacific meets Central California. Whether shrouded in fog or on a crystal-clear day, the view still captures people's hearts with awe and amazement. It was completed in 1932 and soars 260 feet above the coastline floor. Now in order to view this magnificent engineering marvel with one of nature's most spectacular backdrops, one has to stop, get out of the vehicle, and take the time to absorb what's around you. If just driving across, you can't see the good angles, and you'll be out of view within seconds. Because this is a narrow highway on a cliffside, there simply is not a lot of room to park and gaze for the amount of people this spot attracts. I passed by on my way to check into my campsite on a Sunday afternoon and it was packed to where standstill traffic occured. People were literally waiting for a parking spot to open up, so I had to hop on the opposing side of traffic for a bit to get past the congestion. I came back Monday morning around 8 am and I was the only person there. So timing is of essence here. There are a few viewing spots. 2 from the front (North and South ends) and one from the back. All are different angles with their own unique perspective. The one from the front on the North end is the most popular and have the most spots to park and view. And that viewing spot from that corner actually has a trail created by people that go down the cliffside about a 1/3 of the way down surprisingly. And the views changes pretty dramatically the further you go down. But you have to be very bold and somewhat athletic to go down that far. There are no barricades or safety measures so one slip could be an irreversible accident. I went down so far that on the way back up there were spots where you have to use all your limbs to scale back up, can't just simply walk back. I wouldn't have attempted this if there were dozens of people I had to navigate around. But on a quiet morning without another soul there, it was extremely peaceful filled with veneration and awe. I'll include a part of a poem by Robinson Jeffers who settled in this area in the middle part of the 20th century, and fell in love with the environment here. I totally get it. "I gazing at the boundaries of granite and spray, the established sea-marks felt behind me. Mountain and plain, the immense breadth of the continent before me and the mass and doubled stretch of water."

These enchanting homes, often called the Comstock cottages, are a hallmark of Carmel's unique…read morecharacter. They were designed and built primarily in the 1920s by Hugh Comstock--initially to showcase his wife Mayotta Brown's popular "Otsy‑Totsy" rag dolls. One of the most famous ones is Hansel and Gretel, created in 1924, and located Torres Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues. Enthralled by the first cottages, Carmel residents began commissioning Comstock to build similar homes. Over time, this blossomed into a small architectural movement--by the late 1920s and into the 1930s, around 21 Comstock cottages had been built across the town. Absolutely stunning!!! Suggested route -- and the route we took is: 1.) Go to the Carmel Visitor Center on Ocean Avenue between Junipero Street & Mission Street. Park your car nearby and do a self-guided walking tour. 2.) Pick up a map at the Visitor Center, take a "fairy-tale cottages" handout or take a picture of the handout. 3.) The walking tour is about 1-1.2 miles only. Very enjoyable walk. Small elevation. Wear comfortable shoes. Enjoy!!!

While in Carmel by the Sea we did a nice stroll into the neighborhood looking for the Hansel and…read moreGretel Cottages. I am giving 4 stars for the peaceful and scenic walk away from the hustle and bustle of the main street tourist area. I would give the walking tour 3 stars as the houses are not clearly marked and difficult to determine what we were looking at. That being said the cottages we stopped to look at were beautiful and very well maintained. Its worth the effort and time to go on this adventure. There are a few dramatically modern homes built in the neighborhood as well which seem out of place considering we were looking for fairy tale cottages. The walk is a bit hilly so plan accordingly. Nice and peaceful, be considerate as people do live in these adjacent homes.

The Soledad Mission is a beautiful place to stop and explore CA history. I especially enjoyed the…read moregardens and old trees. The ruins in the back were fascinating. My only suggestion is that they clean the fountain and add water plants so that the koi fish can survive. The Santa Barbara Mission did that with their koi fountain and it looks beautiful & healthy.

I really enjoyed my visit Mission Soledad. Although this mission is much smaller than many of the…read moreother missions in California, there is still plenty of beauty to see along your visit. I also wanted to mention that the two women that worked the gift shop works extremely welcoming and treated my wife and I and our son like family. The view surrounding the mission was also breathtaking hills and mountains of luscious California farmland. It definitely made me proud of being born and raised right here in the central Valley of California.

I'm back. Back in the coastal town of Cambria and taking a gander at the historic fresnel lens…read moredisplay on Main Street. It's always a must stop for me to quickly look and marvel at historic antique lighthouse machinery. Amazing. It's free to view. The lens is enclosed in a glass case giving a 360 view. Very cool! From 1874-1949 the fresnel lens was at the Piedras Blancas lighthouse that's 6.5 miles north of San Simeon. The Lion's Club has been taking care of the lens display since decommission. A perfect example of community taking care to preserve local history. Thank you, Lion's Club!

We wanted to visit the point after the seal beach visit…read more But visitation is closed for the season

We always like stopping by Harmony with family or friends that have never been there. It's such a…read morecute little place. It just cracked them up that it says "Population 18!" We took some cute pictures and looked through the shops. It doesn't take too long, but it's definitely a place to stop by when you're in the area. 7/29/26

The town of Harmony doesn't have a lot .... Which is expected since the population is only 18, but…read moreI thoroughly enjoy stopping here every year on my annual trip to Cambria. It's just a cute small town and fun to walk around and stretch your legs after a long drive. They have a few cute shops to wander through. If you love pottery or glass blowing, it's cool to go through and check out the shops and you can see the studio where they create the glass art. They have some cute photo ops around the property. They have a very small church. I missed the new coffee shop and the ice cream shop. I heard the ice cream is really good. It wasn't open the days I was there. I always saw a sign for wine and wine tasting. I never could find it. Last year I finally found it! They finally have it marked with a big sign now! I'm so glad I didn't miss it. It's so beautiful especially when it's green. I highly recommend the Harmony cellars as well.

This is a privately owned home so there is no tour. It sold to a new owner I believe in 2023. You…read morecan see the exterior from the road. It is worth a visit if you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan. You can park nearby for free and walk over and see the exterior of the home overlooking the water. It is a pretty area. Hard to rate when you are unable to see the interior. So it is worth seeing but the experience isn't ideal since there is no interior access nor tour. Glad I saw though.

You can see the house from the street through the gate, but also from the beautiful white sand…read morebeach. It's a lovely neighborhood and no problem parking and the beach is BIG. Prepare to walk a lot if you want to see more of the house. It's on a promontory rock, and you have to walk out to the water to really see it. I walked all through the neighborhood--there's a historic home from a famous poet among other things. A nice trip even if you cannot get a tour because it's a private home. I also recommend the drive down the coastal highway. Makes a great stop on a scenic drive. I drove all the way down to the Esalen Institute where the road was barricaded about a mile further down and it was worth driving down there for the smell alone, let alone the absolutely stunning scenery and views. Just a tip!