SouthwestBlend.com presents Discover California!
This is a comprehensive guide to the state of California including attractions and visitor information.

Discover California
Photo: Golden Gate Bridge by Regis Lefebure, courtesy of the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau

 California’s mild climate and great expanse of land, made it the ideal place to settle and farm. It is unique in that it offers desert, mountain and coastal areas that are divided into 12 regions to explore.
  The San Francisco Bay area is alive with a myriad of cultures, fantastic dining and world-class wineries. San Diego County boasts a scenic coast, a diverse back country and a downtown bustling with live entertainment. Orange County offers warm beaches and plenty of family entertainment while Los Angeles County is home to the entertainment industry, a cosmopolitan lifestyle and busy harbors. The Central Coast harbors small scenic towns surrounded by sheer ocean cliffs and the Central Valley is full of agricultural riches. The Deserts have their own ruggedness offset by beautiful sunsets and starry nights and the Gold Country brings back the gold rush days. The High Sierra region has three national parks and numerous lakes; the Inland Empire offers snow skiing, apple picking and hot-air ballooning; the North Coast offers forests of the tallest trees in the world; and the Shasta Cascade area is picturesque with snow capped volcanoes, lava beds and mountain lakes.
  Culture & History: Before the arrival of Europeans, the indigenous people had developed permanent settlements, farming techniques and complex hierarchies. Since that time the state has been in the hands of the Spanish, the Mexicans and finally the Americans. A trail of Missions mark the coastline as a memorial to the presence of the Franciscan priests and their systems that forever changed the Native Americans history.
  California has a rich heritage of Native Americans, Mexican and Spanish peoples. When gold was discovered and gold fever seized the nation, prospectors, fortune seekers, and adventurers known as the ‘49ers arrived in droves, chasing Mexican miners off their claims, exterminating local Native Americans and throwing out the conventions of the eastern states. Out of this violence, by 1870, California, emerged as the financial capital of the west coast and the 10th largest city in the country.
  Entertainment & Shopping: From Disneyland to the San Diego Zoo, California has more theme and amusement parks than any other state and Hollywood is a major draw to those interested in the film and music industries. Casinos with top class entertainment and racetracks add to the excitement of California. Boutiques galore from the quaint to Beverly Hill’s finest, offer you the ultimate in shopping experiences.
  Food & Wine: With California’s history of farming, it is not surprising that it is a mecca of fine wine and food. The first vineyard in California was planted at Mission San Juan Capistrano in 1779. Since then, the famous Napa Valley, Sonoma and other wine regions have grown to over 800 wineries, producing more than 90% of all wine in the US. In addition, California leads the US in producing 350 different crops including almonds, artichokes, dates, figs, kiwi fruit, olives, pistachios, pomegranates, prunes, raisins, and walnuts--all US crops grown exclusively in California.
  Nature & Adventure: California has 8 National Parks covering 4.1 million acres; more than 272 state parks (the largest state park system in the world); 1,264 miles of coastline of which 9,970 acres are state parks with over 420 public beaches; over 420 recreational lakes; and over 200 official wildlife viewing areas. It has mountains, deserts and coastal areas to explore. California has something for every one interested in the outdoors; birding, rafting, hiking and biking, gold panning, all forms of aquatic sports, water and snow skiing, mountaineering and caving.
  Sports: Golfing, fishing, baseball, basketball, surfing--California has it all.
California has twelve regions outlined below. Encompassing coast, mountain, inland rural country and deserts, you have a world to explore in one state. Big cities and great natural wonders, there is something for everyone. Click here for our featured cities/towns.

California State Flag
State Bird: Calif. Valley Quail
State Flower: Calif. Poppy
State Motto: "Eureka, I have found it!"
State Capitol: Sacramento
State Tree: Coast Redwood
Song: "I Love You, California"

CALIFORNIA REGIONS:: California has twelve regions--to visit a region, click on the either the map or the heading of the region of your choice.

1. San Diego County: is home to, Legoland, Sea World, San Diego Zoo, Wild Animal Park, Balboa Park, Gaslamp Quarter, San Luis Rey Mission,  Antique Gas & Steam Engine Museum, the Embarcadero, Palomar Mountain Observatory, Cabrillo National Monument, Cleveland National Forest, Knott's Soak City, Barona Casino, Viejas Casino, Pacific Beach, San Diego, Encinitas, Oceanside, Alpine, Fallbrook, Carlsbad, Julian, Mt. Palomar, Vista, Del Mar, El Cajon and more.

2. Deserts:  is home to Death Valley National Park, Mountains National Monument, Scotty's Castle, Date Farms, Mojave National Preserve, Mitchell Caverns, Old Route 66, Calico Ghost Town, Coachella Valley, Joshua Tree National Park, Anza-Borrego Desert State Park,  Palm Springs, Joshua Tree, Yucca Valley, Twentynine Palms, Borrego Springs,  Pioneertown, Palm Desert, Ridgecrest, Barstow and more.

3. Inland Empire:  is home to Big Bear Lake, Lake Arrowhead, Silverwood Lake, Snow Summit Ski Resort, California Route 66 Museum, Pharaoh's Lost Kingdom, Mt. Baldy, Diamond Valley Lake, Lake Elsinore, Lake Gregory, Mt. San Jacinto State Park, San Bernardino State Forest, Pechanga, California Citrus State Historic Park, Snow Valley, Apple Valleys, Big Bear, Victorville, Banning, Idyllwild, Oak Glen, San Bernardino, Riverside, Redlands, Crestline, Temecula, Wrightwood, and more.

4. Los Angeles County:   is home to Long Beach Aquarium, The Queen Mary, Chinatown, City Walk-Universal Studios, Olvera Street, Raging Waters, Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Six Flags Magic Mountain's Bugs Bunny World, Mann's Chinese Theater, Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles Zoo, Studio Tours, Sunset Strip, Angeles National Forest, Catalina Underwater Park, Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve, J. Paul Getty Museum, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Long Beach, Santa Clarita, Santa Monica, Burbank, Pasadena, Malibu, Santa Catalina Island,  San Dimas,  Valencia, Lancaster, Venice Beach, Topanga, and much more.

5. Orange County:  is home to  Disney's California Adventure, Knott's Berry Farm, Newport Harbor,  Movieland Wax Museum, Little Saigon, Old Town Irvine, Cleveland National Forest, Crystal Cove State Park, Buena Park, Anaheim, Buena Vista, Huntington Beach, Newport Beach, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Beach, Corona del Mar, San Clemente, Santa Ana, Irvine, Orange and much more.

6. Central Coast:  is home to Big Sur, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Hearst Castle, Pinnacles National Monument, Cannery Row, Lake Cachuma, Santa Barbara Botanic Garden, Channel Islands National Park, Point Lobos State Reserve, Los Padres National Forest,  Gilroy, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Morro Bay, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, Ojai, Solvang, an much more.

7. San Francisco Bay Area: is home to Alcatraz Island, Barbary Coast Trail, Embarcadero Waterfront, Exploratorium, Chinatown, Haight Street, Golden Gate Park, Strybing Arboretum and Botanical Gardens, Fisherman's Wharf, Six Flags Marine World, Tri-County Wine Country,  Napa Wine Country, Napa Valley Wine Train, Point Reyes National Seashore, Sausalito, San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Santa Cruz, Marin, Vallejo, and much more.

8. North Coast:  is home to the great Sequoia Redwoods,  the Skunk Train, Ocean World, Outrageous Waters Water Park, Clear Lake, Sonoma county Wineries, Armstrong Redwood State Preserve, Avenue of the Giants, Russian River, Crescent City, Eureka, Santa Rosa, Petaluma,  Bodega Bay, Arcata, Mendocino, Ukiah and more.

9. Shasta Cascade:  is home to Red Bluff, Turtle Bay Exploration Park, Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Mt. Shasta, Lassen Peak and Lassen Volcanic National Park, Shasta Lake, Lava Beds National Monument, Redding, Weaverville, Burney Falls, Oroville, Cedarville, Chico and much more.

10. Central Valley: is home to Sequoia National Park, Kings Canyon National Park, Tule Elk State Reserve, Consumnes River Preserve, California Living Museum, Kern River, Merced River, Oakwood Lake Waterpark, Lodi Wine country, Visalia, Stockton, Lodi, Fresno, Tehachapi, Yuba City, Modesto, Orland, Bakersfield, Porterfield and more.

11. Gold Country: is home to Marshall Gold Discovery State Park, Golden State Museum, Columbia State Historic Park, South Yuba River State Park, Calaveras County Caverns, Eldorado National Forest, Jamestown, Columbia, Coulterville, Coloma, Sacramento, Sonora, Nevada City, Sutter Creek, Auburn and more.

12. High Sierra: is home to Yosemite, Inyo National Forest, Mono Basin National Forest, Bodie State Park, Calaveras Big Trees State Park, Sugar Pine point State Park, Mammoth Lakes, Mt. Whitney, Donner Summit, Squaw Valley, Lake Tahoe, Kern River, Mammoth Mountain, Lake Isabella, Silver City Ghost Town, Mariposa, Bishop, Bridgeport, Truckee, Twain Harte, Northfork and more.

Featured Cities/Towns:  Regions 1-6 below, for regions 7-12, click here.

Resource Guide Travel Guide California Central Coast California Central Valley California Deserts California Gold Country California High Sierra California Inland Empire California Los Angeles County California North Coast California Orange County California San Diego County California San Francisco Bay California Shasta Cascade
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