Five Great Reasons to Visit California

California is one of the most visited states in thede Alcala, the first mission built in California, still
nation, and for good reason. With it's great weather,functions as an active Catholic parish and is a
and abundant natural and man-made attractions, it'sbeautiful place to explore and learn about history.
no wonder tourists flock to this west coast state.Other historic missions dot the state. The California
One of the top reasons for visiting California is simplyState Railroad museum in Sacramento is a popular
the land itself. Obviously, miles and miles of beautifulstop for visitors. At one point this station was the
beaches draw thousands of visitors each year.terminus for the Transcontinental Railroad, and today
Looking more inland, consider the Redwood Statehouses many restored locomotives and railway cars
and National Parks. Who hasn't seen pictures ofamong other attractions. Another museum not to be
people looking miniature when surrounded bymissed is the J. Paul Getty Museum in L.A. Not only is
super-sized ferns and trees of unreal size--up to 350the actual museum building an architectural landmark,
ft, and not wanted to go there? Beyond thebut its permanent collection includes Van Gogh's
Redwoods, Yosemite National Park is said to be"Irises," a spectacular piece of art.
unmatched anywhere in the world for natural beauty.Of course California is full of many man-made
With 3 of the highest waterfalls on earth, the biggestattractions as well. Southern California is dotted with
granite monolith anywhere, and acres and acres oftheme parks such as Disney Land, Disney's California
vast wilderness, Yosemite is a big draw for visitorsAdventure, Sea World, The San Diego Zoo, San
from around the world. Moving toward the NevadaDiego's Wild Animal Park, Knott's Berry Farm,
border, visitors flock to Lake Tahoe, one of theLegoland, the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk, Six Flags,
most magnificent bodies of fresh water. It holdsand Universal Studios Hollywood. These parks attract
almost 40 trillion gallons of water, making it thethousands of visitors each year and for good reason:
largest alpine lake in North America. Lake Tahoe'sthey're fun!
water is 99.9 percent pure; it's so clear that a whiteFinally, one of the biggest reasons people flock to
10 inch dinner plate is visible even when submergedCalifornia is Wine Country. Multiple magazines and
75 feet.plenty of tour and travel groups are dedicated to this
California's climate is another great reason so manyregion in Northern California because so many people
people visit the state. With an average of 354 dayslove it. Napa and Sonoma are two of the biggest and
of sunshine a year, the weather is generally warmbest wine-producing regions in the world, and they
and dry year round in California. Along the southerncater to the traveler with win tastings and
coast, sea breezes keep the temperature lower inoutstanding restaurants. Beyond the vineyard tours
the summer and warmer in the winter than placesand wine tasting, there are many spas which feature
more inland where the climate is high desert. Alongvineyard inspired treatments with grape-seed
the central and northern coast, averageproducts or local mud. If that weren't enough, the
temperatures range from low 40s to mid 50s forscenery is fantastic, and scenic back roads for hikers,
lows and mid 50s to low 70s for highs.bikers, and cars abound.
If you're looking for something more high minded toSo, consider these 5 great reasons to visit California
do, California has over a thousand registered historicaland start planning your trip; you won't be
and art sites to visit. In San Diego, Mission San Diegodisappointed!