13 Best Places To Visit in California

Visit These 13 Tourist Spots in California

Deciding on a place for your next trip can be exhausting, time-consuming, and confusing. Where to go? Someplace hot? Historic? Next to the beach? Near the desert? Kid-friendly! Exciting and adventurous? Maybe dangerous and magical? What if you got everything you could wish for wrapped up in one? If that's what you need, it's decided that California is your next stop.

There are some things in the world that everyone is aware California is one of those places. Founded in the 18th century, this state has witnessed many periods such as Native American, Spanish colonization, Mexican settlement, and European exploration. Combining it with its geographical blessings, California gives you the ultimate package for tourism. Hence, here's a list of Top Visiting Places in California for you to choose from.

Top 13 Picks in California

1. Santa Catalina Island:

Sitting between Avalon and Two Harbors, this place is a pilgrim spot for water lovers. It hosts glass-bottom boat tours, kayaking, scuba diving, and parasailing. Not only that, but the Art Deco Catalina Casino, the circular cultural center, offers access to museums, a movie theater, and a gigantic ballroom.

2. Yosemite National Park:

Nature has an ethereal way of taking your breath away, especially when it combines many scenic views into a single epic montage. That's what you get from this park. Forged during the ice age, its essence lies in the huge granite mountains overflowing with waterfalls and rivers maneuvering through the valleys. You will be lost in nature echo and discover a new kind of peace here.

3. Disneyland: 

If there is one thing that can make even the grumpiest person happy, Disneyland. This is the Best Tourist Attraction in California because of its countless departments covering every aspect of Disney's creations throughout the years. Out-of-the-world rides, Disney-themed food, merchandise, countless and non-stop performance, themed hotels, shopping centers, restaurants, and meeting your favorite childhood characters; nothing can beat the happiness of finding your inner child or becoming one again.

4. Death Valley National Park:

Nature is sweet and beautiful, but it can also be hauntingly captivating. Witnessing this valley's unique and mind-bending natural phenomenon will make you question reality and shift you to an alternate dimension. The valley holds Titus Canyon(the ancient-looking rocky and colorful gateways), an extremely uncanny ghost town built in the early 19th century, the colorful rocks (better known as the rainbow hills), the rocky and alien-looking fields of the Devil Golf Course, and rattlesnakes in Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes. Are you brave enough to walk into this eerie encounter?

5. Lake Tahoe:

Place? It could sound familiar to you, but Have you ever seen snow-capped mountains, crystal clear turquoise lakes, lush green forests, and a multitude of small settlements and resorts, all in one won't find a view like this anywhere else. This place will leave you awe-struck like a scene straight out of a James Cameron movie. But that's not all; you can go hiking, camp along the shallow shorelines, try out water sports, or go skiing in the winters; the choice is yours.

6. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks:

Ancient and humongous, these two parks hold thousand years old sequoia trees, which are not only the largest living thing in the world but equally the oldest, some being older than 3,000 years. These reach an average height of 106 feet; however, the oldest one called the 'General Sherman Tree', stands a shocking 275 feet tall. It is not hard to imagine why this place reached the 'Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in California' list. Home to Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the USA ( 14,495 feet), this place offers activities such as horseback riding, whitewater rafting, hiking, biking, spending a lazy afternoon in the ancient woods, exploring the soundscapes, climbing Moro Rocks or explore the Sequoias Grooves, your choice is up to you.

7. Universal Studios Hollywood:

Are you crazy about movies? Ever imagined what a film set looked like? Maybe a movie studio-themed park would be a perfect place to experience this. This park was created in response to these feelings. You can enjoy rides such as the Wizardry World of Harry Potter, Jurassic World, Fast and Furious-Supercharged ride, Secret Life Of Pets- Unleashed, etc. Go for spectacular shows, shopping, your themed food and restaurants, and much more than your heart can capture. Capturing the hearts of millions of visitors throughout the year, this place is indeed one of the best tourist attractions in California for both kids and adults.

8. Palm Springs Aerial Tramway:

The largest rotating tramway in the world, this place has many things to offer. Originally designed to take people from the floor of the Coachella Valley to San Jacinto Peak, it now also acts as a tourist destination. When in California, the higher you get, the lower the temperature drops, so you can play in the snow while dipping your toes in the pool. His weird yet soul-calming ambiance is available most of the year. The tramps rotate because they make a complete 360-degree turn as they reach the top.

9. Griffith Observatory:

It's exactly as the name suggests; you get a complete view of earth and heaves. Soaring at the top of Mount Hollywood, this covers the view of Los Angeles Basin, including Downtown Los Angeles, the Southeast, Hollywood, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. You can attend any of the shows that the observatory hosts. Holding a place in the list of 'Top-Rated Tourist Attractions in California' is not easy, but its shows, such as the Tesla Coil demonstration, screening of the other-worldly phenomenon inside the planetarium, the Foucault Pendulum showing the rotation of the earth in real-time, the telescopic view of the world beyond from the gigantic telescope and the Gunther Depth of Space Exhibit showcasing the mystery of the universe and our solar system. You can also attend the Starlight Event (more commonly Star Party) the observatory hosts once every month. The public is invited to witness the stars in their most raw and beautiful self.

10. USS Midway Museum:

If aircraft and their working amaze you if soaring through the sky on your own have always been your dream, if you want to know how the world-war soldiers felt standing on a warship, this museum will take you one step closer to the answers. A real WW2 ship converted into a museum will give you more than you can ask for. Travel through the ship in soldier-style, visit the aircraft simulation, attend the theater, and go through the 60 exhibits and 29 restored aircraft. This museum is sure to trigger your sense of adventure.

11. Hearst Castle:

A castle always makes a way to one's travel bucket list. And if you thought that California had no historical monuments, think again. Built-in the early 9th century, this castle was under construction for 28 years but was never completed. For almost three decades, it kept changing, and the style, color palette, and structure became an aesthetic concoction of many designers. At one point, this place was the world's largest private zoo and some animals still walk the premises. Holding more than 65 rooms, experience the past like nothing before.

12. Old Town San Diego:

If you thought Hearst Castle was the only historic attraction this state offers, look again. Another one of the best tourist attractions in California comes from this town. This is where the story of California began. Standing strong through the wrath of time and different eras, this was initially a small town where the migrants lived. Now it is converted into a showcase town where tourists can go through the intact houses and take a glimpse into the past.

13. Winchester Mystery House:

Yes, you read that right; it exists. You must have seen the movie 'The Winchester', if not, then heads up, this is a famous real-life haunted Manor. The house was deliberately kept under construction, for 38 years, by the widowed heiress to keep her family safe from the vengeful ghosts. It serves as a tourist spot; you could choose to go on a tour alone here or, say, with a group. Whatever you choose, the spot is not for weak-hearted people.

Apart from these top places, you can visit the world-famous Getty Center, Channel Islands National Park, Joshua Tree National Park, Redwood National, State Parks, the Big Sur, and the Golden Gate Bridge. It could be difficult to plan a trip if you wish to cover more than 2-3 spots. Hiring a travel agent, in this case, would be a good choice and easy on your pocket as well. Connect with your travel agent today.