What to do in Central California, CA

Activities, attractions and tours

Yosemite Valley which includes a waterfall and mountains
Yosemite Valley which includes a waterfall and mountains
Channel Islands National Park
Central California featuring general coastal views, a coastal town and landscape views
Ventura showing dining out, outdoor eating and signage

Central California Attractions

Let Expedia help you experience the best that Central California has to offer! If you’re looking for fun itinerary ideas, we can provide you with a list of the top sightseeing attractions, as well as helping you to find unmissable activities. Whether you’re travelling with your family, planning a romantic trip with your loved one, or visiting on business, we’ll make it easy to plan an unforgettable holiday that checks all the boxes.

Activities and Tours

Central California is crammed with must-see places to visit and things to do. We can help you decide where to stay, and make it a breeze to explore the surrounding areas with our guides on where to go, what to see and when to see it. No matter how long your stay, it’s easy to find places of interest in Central California to make sure that you enjoy your experience to the fullest and don’t miss a thing. Leave the local knowledge to us and leave the hassle behind.

If you’re planning a visit, why not check out our handy guides to places of interest in the area? You can browse lists of things to do, learn about the most popular attractions, and get help with planning the details of your trip. Expedia makes it easy for you to check out all the top sights.

Central California Attractions

Expedia has something for everyone, so whether you’re planning to get active on a summer holiday, put a spring in your step with a romantic rendezvous, or pamper yourself with a leisurely winter trip, you’ll find plenty of attractions to keep you entertained. In addition to scheduling local tours, booking reservations and scoring advance event tickets, Expedia makes it easy to book your flight, hotel and rental car in advance, all on one consolidated travel itinerary, making for hassle-free travel and freeing you up to explore the sights of Central California.

Looking for things to do can be time consuming, but we can take the hassle out of planning your holiday. Whether you’re looking to get active in the great outdoors, sample the cuisine or catch up with the vibrant local culture, our guides to Central California attractions ensure that you’ll have a successful trip, whatever the season.


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Most fun & popular experiences in Central California

Tours & day trips

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Winter activities

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What to do in Central California


Discover the most popular places to visit in Central California

Explore areas of Central California

Downtown San Jose featuring heritage architecture

Downtown San Jose

Known for its fascinating museums and great live music, there's plenty to explore in Downtown San Jose. You can visit top attractions like San Pedro Square and San Jose Museum of Art, and jump on the metro at Santa Clara Station or St James Station to see more of the city.

Downtown San Jose
🚙🚗🚙🚗🚙🚗🚙🚗🚙🚗🚙 driving through #Yosemite #nationalpark #toottootbeepbeep #ruffiansroadtrip ☀🌲🍃🌲🍃🌲🍃🌲🍃🌲🍃

Yosemite West

Just outside Yosemite National Park, this unincorporated community offers resort homes and access to several hiking trails, including Deer Camp Trail and Alder Creek Trail. Explore the historic Henness Ridge fire lookout tower and admire Alder Creek Fall.

Yosemite West
Aerial View of Mammoth Lakes, California in Winter

Mammoth Village

If you're looking for some top things to see and do in Mammoth Village and surrounding area, you can visit Village Gondola Station and Sierra Star Golf Course.

Mammoth Village
This is a small state park at the northern end of Santa Cruz' scenic West Cliff Drive and a little over a mile from the Boardwalk, wharf and Main Beach.  A couple of times a year you can see Monarch butterflies during their migration. They are not in the numbers of years past, but you'll still see some.

If you walk north towards the rocks during low tide you will find some amazing tidepools full of sea anenomes, sea urchins, starfish, crabs, hermit crabs, and all sorts of marine life. The tidepools are on a ledge, so the tide needs to be quite high

Westside Santa Cruz

Westside Santa Cruz is known for its stunning beaches, and with sights like Monterey Bay and Pacific Avenue, you won't get bored spending a day wandering around this part of Santa Cruz.

Westside Santa Cruz
Following highway 1 south out of Monterey you get views like this

Downtown Monterey

The beaches and seaside views are top of the list for many visitors to Downtown Monterey. A stop by Golden State Theatre or Munras Avenue might round out your trip.

Downtown Monterey
View of Carmel Beach from Scenic Rd.

Golden Rectangle

If you're spending some time in Golden Rectangle, Carmel Plaza and Carmel Beach are top sights worth seeing.

Golden Rectangle

 

Looking for fun things to do nearby? Check things to do near me to find and book the best things to do, fun activities, and top attractions wherever you happen to be.

 


 

Day trip destinations from Central California

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