Going to drive Highway 1 from San Francisco to San Diego - Recommendations along the way?

[Vanilla Tarantino]

In about a week I'll be taking a few days to drive down the 1 from SF to SD. I'll be staying in Morro Bay, Solvang, Santa Barbara, and San Clemente. I've found a number of cool things to do along the way - hikes, sites, restaurants, bars, etc., but I'm wondering if anybody has any particularly recommendations for things they've hit up before. Maybe a really amazing hike that is not to be missed, an awesome brewery, a secret beach, an amazing cafe or ice cream shop, a unique art installation or gallery - I'd love to hear about whatever you may have seen in any city or town that I might be passing through. Thanks!

 

[Actvs Dei]

Besides driving off the nearest cliff?

 

[Vanilla Tarantino]

Besides driving off the nearest cliff?

Yes, please.

 

[novo]

that is going to take a looooooong time

 

[Vanilla Tarantino]

that is going to take a looooooong time

Last year I did from Seattle, up around the Olympic peninsula, and then down WA, OR, and CA down to SF. I wake up at 6, shower, and hit the road. I plan for 3-5 hours of driving each day, with 8-10 hours for activities - hiking, exploring a site or two in a city, eating, etc.

Taking a long time is exactly what I want.

 

[anomaly]

In about a week I'll be taking a few days to drive down the 1 from SF to SD. I'll be staying in Morro Bay, Solvang, Santa Barbara, and San Clemente. I've found a number of cool things to do along the way - hikes, sites, restaurants, bars, etc., but I'm wondering if anybody has any particularly recommendations for things they've hit up before. Maybe a really amazing hike that is not to be missed, an awesome brewery, a secret beach, an amazing cafe or ice cream shop, a unique art installation or gallery - I'd love to hear about whatever you may have seen in any city or town that I might be passing through. Thanks!

Stop at Arcangeli Grocery in Pescadero for garlic artichoke bread then at Duarte's for an olallieberry pie to eat while yall are driving down the coast.

 

[novo]

No Big Sur?

Central Coast (Morro Bay, SLO, Pismo)

• Spooner's Cove (Montana de Oro is all really pretty)
• Splash Cafe
• Oceano Dunes

Santa Ynez Valley (Solvang, Buellton)

• Tons of wineries. they are all pretty good. Cambria, Rancho Sisquoc are two of my favorites.
• The 154 has a lot of camping and hiking. I used to go out to Davy Brown a lot. Check alltrails.com for lots of hikes
• Ostrichland
• Solvang Restaurant (great danish breakfast), Copenhagen Sausage Garden (beers and brats on a nice patio)

Santa Barbara

• Lotusland! place is amazing
• Green Table (amazing vegan restaurant. I'm not vegan but i always stop here when i can)
• Rincon Point

I'll do more later when i have more time

 

[DasVWBabe]

That sounds delightful and is among one of my favorite trips.

Hearst Castle was probably the most memorable, but if you've done this drive before, you've probably done it. We stopped in Pebble Beach and ate at The Lodge. The restaurant is called The Bench now, but it had super memorable views.

 

[Vanilla Tarantino]

Stop at Arcangeli Grocery in Pescadero for garlic artichoke bread then at Duarte's for an olallieberry pie to eat while yall are driving down the coast.

That is one of my favorite day trips. Grab those two, then head to the beach with a six pack. Will definitely grab for on the road

 

[Vanilla Tarantino]

No Big Sur?

Central Coast (Morro Bay, SLO, Pismo)

• Spooner's Cove (Montana de Oro is all really pretty)
• Splash Cafe
• Oceano Dunes

Santa Ynez Valley (Solvang, Buellton)

• Tons of wineries. they are all pretty good. Cambria, Rancho Sisquoc are two of my favorites.
• The 154 has a lot of camping and hiking. I used to go out to Davy Brown a lot. Check alltrails.com for lots of hikes
• Ostrichland
• Solvang Restaurant (great danish breakfast), Copenhagen Sausage Garden (beers and brats on a nice patio)

Santa Barbara

• Lotusland! place is amazing
• Green Table (amazing vegan restaurant. I'm not vegan but i always stop here when i can)
• Rincon Point

I'll do more later when i have more time

Awesome! Thank you! This adds a number of new places to check out. In particular, I hadn’t come across Lotusland, and my partner, although not vegan, appreciates really good vegan cuisine. We’ll definitely check out Green Table.

*edit* Oh, and definitely Big Sur. I’ve already marked a number of hikes in the area - need to actually cut it down to fit the schedule.

 

[Vanilla Tarantino]

That sounds delightful and is among one of my favorite trips.

Hearst Castle was probably the most memorable, but if you've done this drive before, you've probably done it. We stopped in Pebble Beach and ate at The Lodge. The restaurant is called The Bench now, but it had super memorable views.

We’ve done Hearst Castle before. Such a crazy place. Was there any one thing there in particular that you stood out above everything else?

I’ll look into The Bench

 

[DasVWBabe]

We’ve done Hearst Castle before. Such a crazy place. Was there any one thing there in particular that you stood out above everything else?

I’ll look into The Bench

There appear to be like half a dozen restaurants at both the Inn and the Lodge. We did cocktail hour at the Terrace Lounge. I went with the VW of America club almost 20 years ago, so I'm sure everything is different except for the views. Most of my trips back to California have included some visits to Carmel and Pebble Beach, though.

The Restaurants of Pebble Beach Resorts

Pebble Beach features a selection of world-class restaurants, from gourmet dining to casual comfort foods. Create your own Carmel dining guide at Pebble Beach.

www.pebblebeach.com

You can swim in the Hearst Castle pools thanks to their Foundation Events. Last I heard it was like $800/hour.

Fundraising Events | Foundation At Hearst Castle

Would you like to swim in the Neptune Pool? View all upcoming fundraising events at Hearst Castle, including charity swims, movie nights, VIP dinners, and more.

foundationathearstcastle.com

 

[midnite]

Pizza port in San Clemente for beers and pizza

 

[B-Line]

Wine
Oysters
Chinese Food
Smashed pea soup
Road strawberries
Thai food
Mexican food

In that order.

 

[wizurd]

Stop in LA and take a shit on @hipberri's stoop

 

[Remy Bressant]

Wine
Oysters
Chinese Food
Smashed pea soup
Road strawberries
Thai food
Mexican food

In that order.

this is the way

 

[calisteph6]

Big Sur and Carmel. Big Sur is hard to stay in but Carmel is more reasonably priced and easy to get a reservation. There are a lot of good restaurants there. There is point lobos state parks and it has a lot of cool hikes with different views and different difficulties. Worth a look.

 

[Divine]

Santa Cruz, Monterey kayaking and Laguna Seca, Pebble Beach, Carmel by the Sea, Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Solvang,.the Channel Islands or at least Catalina island, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Dana Point, etc

 

[Fanya]

Stop and see the seals I guess

 

[Scoob_13]

That sounds delightful and is among one of my favorite trips.

Hearst Castle was probably the most memorable, but if you've done this drive before, you've probably done it. We stopped in Pebble Beach and ate at The Lodge. The restaurant is called The Bench now, but it had super memorable views.

Seconding stopping at Pebble Beach and taking in lunch. One of the favorite parts of going to San Francisco w/ the wife.

 

[Lug]

Hitching Post!

 

[Vanilla Tarantino]

Hitching Post!

This one?

Hitching Post

Hitching Post · 3325 Point Sal Rd, Casmalia, CA 93429

★★★★★ · Barbecue restaurant

goo.gl

 

[Vanilla Tarantino]

Santa Cruz, Monterey kayaking and Laguna Seca, Pebble Beach, Carmel by the Sea, Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Solvang,.the Channel Islands or at least Catalina island, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Dana Point, etc

I’ve got most of those as part of the general itinerary. I’ve got all the accommodations booked. Do you recall anything specific from any of those places where you say, “oh, yeah, this is one thing that was super awesome and you have to do/see/visit it”?

 

[VicenteFox]

In about a week I'll be taking a few days to drive down the 1 from SF to SD. I'll be staying in Morro Bay, Solvang, Santa Barbara, and San Clemente. I've found a number of cool things to do along the way - hikes, sites, restaurants, bars, etc., but I'm wondering if anybody has any particularly recommendations for things they've hit up before. Maybe a really amazing hike that is not to be missed, an awesome brewery, a secret beach, an amazing cafe or ice cream shop, a unique art installation or gallery - I'd love to hear about whatever you may have seen in any city or town that I might be passing through. Thanks!

so much stuff along PCH between Monterrey and cambria. dont skip partington cove or new pfieffer falls trail (neat redwoods). if you want an actual beach to walk on then sand dollar is one of the nicer ones. the pfeiffer beach is cool but parking can be a drag and it can be very windy as well

Morro Bay: kinda meh to me. i prefer to eat at main st grill in cambria. neat walk along coast at Montana de Oro
Solvang: firestone walker brewing for beer. i dont love downtown solvang personally, los olivos is a bit nicer but still touristy. good sandwich shop there
San Clemente: pizza port. good food and beer. I like parking at lane linda park and walking out to the pier from there

 

[VicenteFox]

off the usual road. Bob Well Bread in Los Alamos is a neat cafe stop.