A Weekend Road Trip on the California Coast

A few years ago The Hub and I took a very memorable weekend road trip on the California coast.  We toured the Hearst Castle, visited several wineries in Paso Robles, saw some hilarious elephant seals, hiked in Big Sur, visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium and much more!  We took this trip over President's Day 3-day weekend, and it was such a fun, low-key way to experience a local vacation.

We left after work on a Friday and drove 4 hours down 101-South to San Simeon.  We ate some sandwiches for dinner during the drive and arrived to our hotel around 10pm.  We were gearing up for a fun-filled Saturday in Cambria and Paso Robles, and nearby San Simeon offered some lower cost options for hotels.  Since we planned our trip at the last minute, most of the nicer hotels were booked up.  We ended up staying at the Silver Surf Motel.  It was not exactly the most luxurious experience, but it was cheap and available.  You can check out this Trip Advisor link for some better options.

Saturday morning we awoke bright and early and headed out the The Hearst Castle.  This opulent architectural masterpiece is a national historic landmark that is truly remarkable!  Designed and built between 1919-1947 by architect Julia Morgan, the Hearst Castle was home to William Randolph Hearst, the newspaper magnate.  The entire estate exceeds 90,000 sq. ft. and includes 4 different houses, swimming pools, tennis courts, gardens, a movie theater, and a private zoo.  Mr. Hearst threw some epic parties in the 1920s and 30s that included Hollywood stars and political elite.  It's a really amazing place to visit with some of the best tours around. If visiting the Hearst Castle, you absolutely must take a tour.  There are 6 tours to choose from and if you have never visited the castle before I recommend Tour 1:  The Experience Tour.  This tour gives you a broad overview of the grounds.  It's 1 hour long and then includes a 45 minute movie called "Hearst Castle Building the Dream."  The movie is actually really interesting and I would encourage you to stick around for it if you have the time.  These tours book up fast, so make sure to book your tickets online in advance.

After spending a few hours at the castle, we headed 30 miles east to Paso Robles and spent the afternoon wine tasting!  There are nearly 200 wineries in Paso Robles and the region is growing quickly.  Paso is known for its Zinfandel and Petite Syrah...hello!  Right up our alley!  We visited quite a few wineries and didn't even make it to all the ones we'd hoped to check out.  Click here for a full list of wineries in Paso, or check out the list of our favorites below:

• Turley Wine Cellars
• Justin Vineyards & Winery
• L’Aventure Winery
• Four Vines Winery
• Peachy Canyon Winery

We headed back towards Cambria that night for dinner.  I had been to this quaint little town a few years before with my mom and knew exactly where to go for a fantastic meal:  Robin's.  This adorable restaurant has some amazing California cuisine, a great wine selection and a beautiful outdoor patio.  Make sure to have dinner here and get the crab cake appetizer - it's the best!  Cambria and San Simeon are sleepy little towns, but The Hub and I were prepared:  we brought board games, dice and DVDs to entertain ourselves at the hotel since almost every place closes in the early evening.

Sunday morning we woke up and headed back north.  Our first stop was only 7 miles up the coast to Piedras Blancas Rookery, where the Elephant Seals migrate for birthing, breeding, molting and rest.  It is really incredible to see so many of these beautiful creatures in one place.  They sure make some ridiculous noises!

Following our morning coffee with the elephant seals, we continued north on Highway 1 into Big Sur. We stopped at a few vista points along the way to take in the dramatic coastline.  Around lunchtime we stopped at at Nepenthe.  This famous spot first opened for business in 1949 and has been serving juicy burgers with a fantastic view for ever since.

Once we'd had our fill, we needed to work off some of those burgers and fries so we headed 25 miles further north to Point Lobos State Park in Carmel.  There are lots of State parks to choose from along Highway 1, but we chose Point Lobos because we heard it was among the most beautiful around!  We hiked to an area called China Cove where we saw adorable sea otters playing in the ocean and finished off our visit with a walk through Bird Island Trail.

It was getting to be evening at that point so we continued on into Monterey and had dinner at a lovely seafood restaurant, Monterey's Fish House.  We settled in for the night, very tired from the day's adventures!

On Monday morning, we headed over the the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  I am big time aquarium aficionado and although I did not find the Monterey Bay Aquarium quite as impressive as the New England or Maryland Aquarium, we still had a blast!  There are over 200 exhibits here including The Secret Life of Seahorses, Kelp Forest, Sea Otters, and Giant Octopus.  You can also watch one of the movies in the auditorium to learn about White Sharks, Jellies and Mysteries of the Deep.

After spending a few hours at the Aquarium, we finished up our trip with a walk through Monterey's historic Cannery Row.  Once home to numerous sardine canneries, Cannery Row is now marine sanctuary for sea lions as well as a destination site for tourists.  You can fish, shop, dine, wine taste or take in the sights.  It's pretty cheesy and touristy, but something you have to do when you're in the area.

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