California surfing - where are the best places to catch wave?

The Beach Boys made California synonymous with surfing on the world stage but it with the ocean and beautiful shores; it was already “the” place to surf!   If you feel like some fun hitting the waves, you'll want to head to one of the following beaches in California; with the good weather and great waves, they're some of the most popular surfing areas in the world!

Huntington Beach: Home to the Huntington Beach Surf Series, many pro surfers call this their home.  Located in Orange County (the real OC!) this is probably one of the most popular places to surf in the world.  They even have a church in the area just for surfers.  Now that’s bringing spiritual to the people!

San Diego: Warm weather and great waves is what you'll find at San Diego.  A large surfing community has sprung up in the San Diego area, and you'll find many locals are hitting the waves along with the tourists!

Santa Cruz: You'll have nothing but fun at the beaches of Santa Cruz!  For an avid surfer, Santa Cruz is a favorite area to find the best waves.

A lot of surfers, especially those who are more experienced, have preferred conditions in which to surf and so a lot of the more popular beaches have webcams (surf cams) set up facing the waves so that a surfer can go to a website and check out the conditions before they head to the beach.  There are also dedicated phone numbers you can call to find out the weather conditions, if you prefer to get your information that way.

If you're looking to learn how to surf but don't know where to start, you'll find that there are many surfing schools all along the beaches of California.  The varied selection makes it easy to find one that fits your level of experience and learning style, and your pocketbook.  Alternatively you could always just head for the beach and hang out with the surfers to pick up tips!

Tips for Planning a Trip to California Wine Country

Are you a wine enthusiast or do you at least enjoy drinking wine?  If you enjoy wine, you may be interested in taking a trip to wine country.  After all, it is not uncommon for wine enthusiasts to want to learn as much as they can about the drink that they love.  If this is something that you want to do, you will want to take the time to examine California wine country.  After a close examination, you will find that California wine country is the perfect vacation destination for wine lovers.

As previously stated, there is an area in California is that commonly referred to as wine country.  This area is located in the northern part of California and it includes the Sonoma Valley and the Napa Valley.  When examining your travel options, you will see that there are other areas in the United States that are also commonly referred to as wine country.  One of these areas is in the Finger Lakes Region of New York Sate.  With that said, most professionals and online travel guides are speaking of California when they speak of wine country.

If and when you decide to visit the California wine country area, you will want to take the time to do a little bit of research first.  This is particularly true if you are limited on time.  With over four hundred wineries and vineyards in California wine country, your options, are literally, unlimited.  First examining which vineyards are open to the public and when and then deciding which vineyards and wineries you want to see the most, you can make the most out of your trip.  Prioritizing and coming up with a plan are two important keys to a successful trip to California’s wine country.

In addition to touring wineries in the California wine country region, there are many other wine related activities that you can enjoy.  As previously stated, you will want to do a little bit of research before planning your trip.  This research will allow you to examine planned events, activities, and festivals that the area may be offering.  For example, did you know that some wineries have courses on how to properly match up food and wine, as well as short educational classes on the history of wine making?  They do.  In addition to simply touring the grounds of a California winery and tasting wine, you may want to participate in some of these activities.

If you decide to visit California’s wine country on the weekend or during the summer, you will want to make your travel arrangements, namely your overnight accommodation reservations, well in advance of your trip.  Wine country is a big draw and tourist attraction for California.  Along many of the trails, you may find some bed and breakfasts and inns, as well as vacation rentals.  These overnight accommodations are easy, in terms of convenience.  In keeping with your options, wine country is also home to a number of RV parks, public campgrounds, hotels, and vacation resorts.

As previously stated, there are many others areas in the United States that are starting to popup on the map as “wine countries.”  Although these areas, like Woodinville Washington or the Finger Lakes Region of New York may be well known for their production of fine wines, most are talking about California when they speak of wine country.