California spans extremes — from the hottest place on Earth at Death Valley’s Badwater Basin to the towering giant redwoods of the northern coast, from Hollywood’s glitz to the isolated beauty of the state’s national parks. Whether you’re exploring Los Angeles museums like the Page Museum at the La Brea Tar Pits or the Grammy Museum, discovering San Francisco’s quirky attractions from Alcatraz Island to the legendary Tonga Room tiki bar, or venturing into wilderness areas where Roosevelt elk graze in Prairie Creek Redwoods, California rewards travellers who explore beyond the postcard clichés.
Death Valley offers otherworldly landscapes from the technicolour badlands of Artists Palette to the stunning views from Dante’s View and the surreal photo opportunities at Zabriskie Point. Meanwhile, the coast delivers everything from the opulent excess of Hearst Castle to practical guides for day trips from San Francisco to Monterey and Carmel, ferry connections to Sausalito, and understanding whether attractions like the California Academy of Sciences require advance tickets. These articles provide honest, practical guidance for experiencing California’s diverse attractions — covering urban museums, natural wonders, ferry routes, ticket prices, opening hours, and the kind of planning details that help you make the most of the Golden State’s sprawling geography and overwhelming choice of experiences.
San Diego travel articles
- Guide to boarding a giant aircraft carrier at the USS Midway Museum in San Diego.
- What to see at Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego.
- Plan your visit to Fleet Science Center in San Diego.
- Guides to San Diego’s Balboa Park attractions: The California Tower, the San Diego Air and Space Museum, the San Diego Museum of Art and the San Diego Natural History Museum,
Los Angeles travel articles
- Is there a direct flight from Los Angeles to Rarotonga?
- How West Hollywood became the gay capital of Los Angeles.
- Complete guide to the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda.
- How to visit the USS Battleship Iowa, the Los Angeles Maritime Museum and Cabrillo Marine Aquarium in San Pedro.
- Planning a visit to the Grammy Museum and Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.
- Joining the runners at Runyon Canyon.
- Griffith Park attractions What to expect at Griffith Observatory, the Autry Museum of the American West and the Travel Town Museum.
- Plan your visit to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Petersen Automotive Museum, La Brea Tar Pits and Museum of Tolerance.
- Exposition Park attractions: How best to tackle the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, California Science Center and California African American Museum.
- Key information for visiting the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles.
- Why Descanso Gardens is an easy escape from LA.
- Hollywood attractions: What to expect at the Hollywood Museum and on tours of the Dolby Theatre.
- What you need to know before doing the Warner Bros Studio Tour Hollywood.
- Plan your visit to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach.
San Francisco travel articles
- Review of the Tonga Room tiki bar in San Francisco.
- How much does the San Francisco to Sausalito ferry cost?
- Why the audioguide makes a visit to Alcatraz Island special.
- Embracing touristy San Francisco at Fisherman’s Wharf.
- Planning a visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco.
- What to know before visiting the California Academy of Sciences – one of the top science museums in California.
- Complete guide to day tours to Monterey and Carmel from San Francisco.
- What’s the point of the Wave Organ in San Francisco?
- Visitor guide to Fort Point by the Golden Gate Bridge.
- Get interactive at the Exploratorium in San Francisco and the Bay Area Discovery Museum in Sausalito.
- How to get the best out of the Asian Art Museum, Legion of Honor Museum and de Young Museum in San Francisco.
Death Valley travel articles
- A visit to Death Valley – the hottest place on earth.
- Why Dante’s View may be the best view in California.
- A practical guide to Zabriskie Point in Death Valley.
- How to tackle Artists Palette in Death Valley National Park.
- Walking on the salt pans of Badwater Basin in Death Valley National Park.
Yosemite National Park travel guides
- Guides to the top spots in Yosemite National Park: Tunnel View, Tuolumne Grove, Bridalveil Fall, Yosemite Falls, Mariposa Grove, Sentinel Beach and El Capitan Meadow.
Travel articles from elsewhere in California
- Inside Hearst Castle – the most expensive home ever built.
- The Grove of the Titans – seeing giant redwoods in Jebediah Smith Redwoods State Park.
- The best times to spot Roosevelt Elk at Elk Meadow in Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
- Visiting the Museum of Western Film History in Lone Pine.
- Why you should take the drive up through the Eastern Sierra to Whitney Portal.
- How to save money on the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway.
- Lake Tahoe kayak tours vs Emerald Bay cruises: What’s the best way to see the lake?
- The best places to see sea lions in California.
- California road trip guides: The best stops on the Los Angeles to Santa Barbara drive.
- Guides to Santa Barbara attractions: Santa Barbara Zoo, Arroyo Burro Beach County Park and Old Mission Santa Barbara.
