California has been idolized as a paradise where dreams can come true by gold rush prospectors, dust-bowl refugees, surf seekers and aspiring actors, but travelers may be the ones who come closest to finding utopia in the state. There’s so much to do and see that many visitors have a hard time deciding what to omit. But choose you must, because you can’t possibly see it all in one trip. Just accept the fact that you’ll want to return, then you can plan what to save for the next trip.

California’s Inspiring and Diverse Natural Beauty

California is a huge state with more physical variety than any other state in the U.S.: desert valleys, snow-capped mountains, rolling hills covered in grapevines, and the world’s tallest trees standing sentinel over a rocky ocean shoreline.

Some of North America’s foremost national parks, including Joshua Tree, Lassen, Redwoods, Yosemite and others, as well as several hundred state parks offer thousands of miles of hiking trails in diverse ecosystems.

Over 700 miles of Pacific shoreline is also a huge recreational draw, from the surfer beaches of Southern California, and the rugged beauty of Big Sur – one of the world’s premier scenic drives – to the rocky coast of Mendocino.

The southeast corner of California is semiarid desert, much of which has been irrigated and transformed into farmland and green urban settings, particularly the golfers’ mecca, Palm Springs. Death Valley, with interesting geological formations, is the lowest elevation and the highest summer temperatures in the U.S. The highest recorded was a scorching 134°F in 1913!

A Gourmand’s Dream

California, and specifically Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame, started the organic, local and sustainable food movements that proliferate today. California cuisine insists upon gourmet treatment of fresh local ingredients, organic meats and sustainable seafood. Some of the world’s best chefs are setting trends in California that migrate throughout the country and become the bar to which others aspire.

Foodie visitors can also expect to find a plethora of authentic ethnic cuisines and interesting fusions of Thai, Korean, Chinese, Indian, French, Italian and Indonesian, inspired by the diverse cultures of the population. And of course, there is a strong Mexican influence to California cuisine. Vegetarian, vegan and plenty of healthy options are also easy to find.

California secured its position as a world-class wine producer at the Judgement of Paris in 1976 when California wines won against their French rivals in a blind taste test. Over 100 grape varieties are grown across six regions or American Viticultural Areas (AVAs). The best known areas are the Napa and Sonoma Valleys, but scenic and award-winning wineries are found from Southern California to the far North.

California’s History & Culture

The major cities of San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego each have distinct personalities and are among California’s top attractions. Visitors can enjoy first-rate museums, such as the architectural masterpiece and spectacular gardens of the Getty Center in L.A., or the Cable Car Museum in San Francisco. Top-tier theme parks like Disneyland in Anaheim and SeaWorld and LEGOLAND in San Diego will keep kids of all ages smiling, and the world-famous San Diego Zoo is not to be missed.

California’s cultural history includes a vast cast of characters who left their mark. From 1769 – 1833, Franciscan priests established a series of 21 Spanish missions from present day San Diego to Sonoma. Most have been reconstructed and still operate as Catholic parishes, open for self-guided tours.

In 1848 gold was discovered in the Sierra Nevada foothills. Today you can pan for gold and explore old west towns. Soon after, Asian immigration was in full swing. Today San Francisco’s Chinatown is one of the largest Chinese communities outside of Asia and the cultural immersion is well worth a visit.

The film industry created yet another cultural microcosm in L.A. Visitors can get a glimpse of Hollywood glitz and glamour at Universal City and Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. In Southern California sun, sand, sea permeate the local lifestyle. The boardwalks of Manhattan, Santa Monica and Venice Beach are legendary and the surfer culture is inescapable.

Just as visitors simply can’t see and do all there is in California in one trip, even touching on all the riches of this beautiful and bountiful state is beyond the scope of a single post – or book, for that matter. My best advice is to choose one area for your first trip, ask a Covington Vacation Advisor to help you get the most out of your vacation, and then go, behold, eat, drink, play, enjoy! And before you get home, I bet you’ll be California dreamin’ of your next visit.