The California Directory of Fine Wineries: Central Coast: Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles

Mother Nature is the star of the show along the Central Coast, so make sure to get outside and play. Discover your favorite way to take in this iconic drive through Big Sur and beyond. Spectacular views and extreme creature comforts play a starring role at these upscale properties. Four Hidden Gems on the Central Coast. Make sure your next Golden State road trip includes stops at these destinations. Casa de Fruta Orchard Resort. Part fruit stand, part theme park, this Central Coast stop is the perfect place to fill your belly.

Central Coast Wine Country

Where to Go in Big Sur. Luxury hotels, iconic eateries, and outdoor activities steal the show in this breathtaking region. This village near Hearst Castle has its own kind of splendor. Head to northern Santa Barbara County to enjoy wine tasting, golf, and that famous barbecue. Absorb the relaxed vibe of this classic California destination on the coast. Mediterranean style magic and a perfect ocean breeze. Top Places for Whale Watching in California. See a few amazing wonders of the sea first-hand.

Romance and a big blue sea. Come nose to nose with otters and more. Apr 20 - Apr Courtesy of Monterey Peninsula Foundation.

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Castroville produces 95 percent of the nation's artichokes. In , Marilyn Monroe was crowned the town's first "Artichoke Queen. California's Classic Wine Roads. Follow celebrated routes to iconic vineyards and tucked-away surprises. Farm-fresh produce, culinary adventures. Discover San Diego County. Discover the San Francisco Bay Area. Remote Beauty, ocean sanctuary. Discover the awesome sports scene in the Golden State. Beautiful locations, luxurious comforts. Ventura County Wine Trail.

Visit vineyards in coastal hills and communities. Big-city-worthy events liven the sleepy Central Coast. Courtesy of Monterey Jazz Festival. Wraparound views, lavish designs.

Check these amazing experiences off your bucket list. Winding caves, uncountable stars. Old-fashioned fun in the Golden State. A Danish stronghold makes a charming outpost surrounded by ranchlands and vineyards. Getting Married on the Beach. Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Regions Pick a region form the map or the list below to explore. San Francisco Bay Area 5.

Los Angeles County Regions Scroll down to explore the twelve regions of California. Lassen Volcanic National Park. California Welcome Centers in Shasta Cascade. The largest city, Eureka, is roughly a 5-hour drive north of San Francisco—but what a drive: While gold is still found in the region, new riches include top museums and art in Sacramento, the state capital, plus whitewater rafting, tucked-away towns, farm-fresh dining, and award-winning wines.

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California Welcome Centers in Gold Country. In winter, enjoy snow sports; in summer, go hiking, mountain biking, fishing, or boating. California Welcome Centers in the High Sierra. Central Valley Running right down the middle of California, this broad region contains some of most productive farmland in the world. Wine country around Lodi features big, bold reds.

Further south, Fresno has a lively arts scene. California Welcome Centers in the Central Valley. Deserts This dramatic region takes up the southeastern half of the state. Remarkable desert parklands, including Death Valley, Joshua Tree, and Anza-Borrego, provide an extraordinary chance to explore, while the oasis-like allure of Palm Springs, 3 hours northeast of San Diego, offers sunny resort-style getaways, with golf, tennis, spas, and high-end shopping. Death Valley National Park. Joshua Tree National Park. California Welcome Centers in the Deserts.

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Here, movie stars really do work in Hollywood, play in the surf at Malibu, and shop in Beverly Hills. Looping freeways make the car king, but the region also has a surprisingly good network of buses and light rail—a hassle-free way to explore. Newport Beach has dazzling yachts, Huntington Beach has iconic surfing, and Costa Mesa beckons with top shopping. Most of it's inland and involves grapes.

In fact, the wine industry here is why the Central Coast is no longer California's best-kept secret. Grapes were planted here in the 18th century by monks to make altar wine. San Luis Obispo, the largest town in the region, is one of the oldest cities in California, founded in by the Spanish, who were bent on expanding their empire in America and spreading the Catholic faith.

There are about wineries in San Luis Obispo County, and wine accounts for about 8, jobs.

Napa County

The entire Central Coast wine region — which extends from Monterey to Santa Barbara — is the third largest wine-producing region in California, behind Napa and Sonoma. But the areas couldn't be more different. In fact, the cooler coastal region averages 68 degrees, ideal for growing pinot noir or chardonnay. But in Paso Robles, just 35 miles inland, the summer temps routinely hit the high 90s, making the area better for cabernet, merlot and zinfandel. Toby James, the plain-spoken co-owner of Paso Robles' Tobin James Cellars, says that the differences between Napa and the Central Coast are more than just about climate and soil.

We work the soil, the tractors, we're from this land. Napa and Sonoma draw about 10 million tourists a year, the SLO region about 1. It's mostly a collection of quaint small towns and family-owned vineyards. And although that's its appeal, it makes me wonder why more people don't live here San Luis Obispo County has a population of only about , Besides the wine — we'll get to that later — it has everything.

Wherever I am in California, I start with the beaches. Avila Beach, my home base on this trip, is small, just 1, residents and one stoplight. It is, to use an overused word, charming. The main street, wide and pedestrian friendly, is blissfully devoid of chain stores and leads directly to the beach. The entire beachfront is less than half a mile and contains a few restaurants and shops.

Discover the Central Coast

Early mornings, particularly in June, are shrouded with fog. There's not a lot to do in Avila, nor should there be. It's a place for hand-holding walks on the beach, wine at the Old Custom House restaurant, with its foot polished wood bar overlooking the Pacific, and early morning runs along the water. The next town south is Pismo Beach, just a ways down the road but miles apart in atmosphere.

The California Directory of Fine Wineries

Like Avila, it has a large, pretty beach. There are some fine restaurants. Guiseppe's serves great Italian food, and the locals meet at the small but jumping bar. But the town is far more congested; lots of traffic lights, loads of surf shops, and if you have the sudden urge to get a tattoo, you're covered. There are at least three parlors in town.



If you're meeting your buddies and want to bop around town for a few beers, Pismo's the place. If you settle down and finally do manage to get a date, then head to Avila. After some sophomoric beach-bar hopping, I needed a quaint fix. And found it about 60 miles away in Solvang, a too-cute village founded years ago by a group of Danish teachers.

At first glance, it looks like something out of Disney World. The architecture and storefronts are vintage Danish. It's a fun stop with good restaurants, bakeries, etc. More than an hour north of Avila is the Hearst Castle, which you should see because, well, it's the Hearst Castle. Stunning, large, excessive, it seems like the appropriate home for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.

I took the tour. Beautiful grounds, informative, lots of gossipy stuff about old-time movie stars who stayed here. But a bit too reverential toward Hearst. After hearing how Hearst endlessly labored for the "common man," I knew that it was time for a drink. Mercifully, the Paso Robles wineries were only a few miles away. It was time for the tour. I was never much of a wine guy. But after only a few days here, you can't help but learn. The vineyards are the social engines of the region, and the locals are passionate about their product. If you want to see that culture but left your Cessna at home, then zip-lining the 14,acre Santa Margarita ranch, home to Ancient Peaks Winery, is the ticket.

I sailed over acres of grapes, dry forest and a vast nature preserve. It was a fun trip — just make sure you don't do the wine-tasting til after the trip. It's more than spirit. I walked into the Tobin James tasting room and thought I'd entered a Western movie set. It's a large, cowboy-type saloon, with three separate bars, complete with brass rails.

The place rocks, the wine flows, the music blares. Toby is the maestro, but you probably won't find him sipping his vintage. I mean, the mailman doesn't go for a long walk on his day off, does he? You know what we say around here: