Factory Tour then Trip Down PCH - List of "Must do" things?

[Racerx22b]

Here is where I am so far.

Oct 20th
Land at noon (SJC)
Head towards Tesla HQ and grab lunch prior to tour. Noticed there is an In n Out nearby. As an East Coaster this is a mandatory stop for me (at some point). Then just had to Tesla HQ and await our 3pm tour. Once done with tour, make our way to Half Moon Bay and maybe stop for dinner en route or just wait until we arrive. This will depend on traffic situation.

Oct 21st
Secured bike rentals at Ritz. Will bike the Coastal trail then backtrack towards town of Half Moon Bay for lunch somewhere (suggestions?). Do some shopping and sight seeing. Please advise of any "must dos". Eventually circle back to hotel and probably dine there and enjoy the sunset views.

Oct 22nd
11am reservation at the Roaring Camp Train ride into the Redwoods near Santa Cruz. Leave there for lunch in town somewhere (saw a place called "Burger" that looked interesting. Then swing by Natural Bridges Vista Point for some photo ops. Then cruise down Cliff Drive. Unsure what to do next. Perhaps check out the wharf or go to the Mystery Spot. I like weird quirky touristy trap places and this seems to fit the bill as a do it once in your life kinda place. From there head to the Bernardus Lodge and if we see something along the way stop and check out. Any advice is welcome.

Oct 23rd
Head towards Big Sur in the AM. Take in as much as we can then circle back towards Point Lobos for some hiking. From there we may head to the aquarium or just do the 17 mile drive. We will have to decide based on what time we have available.

Oct 24th
Depart Bernardus and head to Hearst Castle for an 1120am tour. There is a direct route and a not so direct route. Any thoughts on what would be better? See attached. We will shoot for a late lunch in Morro Bay then make our way to Four Seasons Santa Barbara.

That is all I have planned for now. I assume it's still not possible to travel Hwy 1 from Big Sur to Hearst Castle from everything I've read. Looks like that won't be possible for another year or so.

 

[cpa]

I would opt for the first route over the second one. The road south from Carmel Valley is twisty and likely slow-going. You never know what you might encounter in rural California--anything from a rancher hauling some equipment or hay in a slow-moving vehicle to a herd of cattle moseying along the road (California is an open range state.)

Since you want to make an 11:20 tour of Xanadu, er, Hearst Castle, I would suggest taking the quicker route. Unless of course you want to leave at 7:30 to ensure arriving at San Simeon timely--then by all means take the slower and less frequently traveled road!

 

[Wshowell]

We are leaving the Bernardus Lodge in Carmel on the 24th and have a tour of Hearst Castle at 1120am. I was planning on doing lunch in Morro Bay. Simply based on reviews and my personal culinary preferences I was thinking of Taco Temple or Bayside Cafe for a late lunch. I'm equally satisfied at a Diners Drive In Dives type of place or a fine dining establishment. I prefer more low key for lunch though.

Thoughts?

TT underwhelmed my wife and I when we tried it a few years ago. When we are in Morro Bay or taking out if state or international friends out and about site seeing up to San Simeon etc we stop at Morro Bay and right on the harbor is a fried sea food shack. Not the seafood restaurants but a little sea food shack next to the bait shop. It’s the kinda’ place you order from a window and then they call your name over a loud speaker and you find an outside bench to eat on. It has amazing view of the rock, will make for a great walk to stretch your legs. It also tends to be foggy and cool so bring a sweatshirt. Also, you’ll need to SC in Atascadero as you’ll have a long trip to get up and back and then down to Buellton. I have a HPWC but only 30 amps so just 23 MPH but your welcome to juice up a bit if you need some more mileage. For dinner The Hitching Post in Buellton is kinda’ famous from the movie “Sideways” but us locals hit Jocko’s (Big not Little) in Nipomo for great steaks on a “crap on your boots” environment. Feel free to PM me if you’ve got any questions. My wife and I are 3rd generation and we left after graduating for 20 years elsewhere: Santa Barbara, San Fran, Tokyo, Denver, Dallas and returned to my families little ranch to raise our kids here. We enjoy sharing this unique part of the state that is not LA or SF.

 

[CheeseJam]

Definitely go that first route.

I grew up in Morro Bay, Taco Temple is a great choice (much better than Bayside Cafe). Be sure to try their desserts! Hofbrau is another cool meaty sandwich place on the more turisty part of town. San Luis Obispo is only 10 minutes farther on your route and has much better food options--it's a nicer, but not coastal, town too. Cayucus is closer than Morro Bay and nice too. I'd recommend Ruddell's Smokehouse there for fish tacos!

I now live in Santa Barbara. The main street (State Street) is fun to walk and shop at. Climbing/taking the elevator to the top of the courthouse is great for getting a view of the city. A walk on the wharf gives you beautiful views of the mountains and beaches--you can rent bikes and bike there on the scenic bike path from your hotel too. If you like wine/beer tasting, The Funk Zone is a must--there's like 25 wineries/breweries all within walking distance of each other! Llama Dog taproom is a personal favorite of mine that has wine and beer.

If you're looking to hike, Inspiration Point is Santa Barbara's most popular hike (moderate difficulty) that gives gorgeous views of the ocean and city. One of my favorite places in all of Santa Barbara is Elings park--you can park near the top of the hill and take a quick 5 minute walk to get great panoramic views of the ocean and mountains!

For food, Santa Barbara has some great Mexican food: I'd recommend Mony's (busy, casual) or Los Agaves (more sit-down, but still pretty casual). For fine dining, I'd recommend Toma (my favorite, Italianish) or Loquita (hip tapas place). For breakfast/brunch, you can't go wrong with The Shop Cafe, Jeannine's, or Tupelo Junction.

Enjoy Santa Barbara, it's my favorite place in the world!

 

[Racerx22b]

Enjoy Santa Barbara, it's my favorite place in the world!

Looking forward to our time there!! Thanks for the great tips!!

 

[purplewalt]

Nature Lover alert:
** Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel is definitely worth a visit and walk through. You will need binoculars to spot the sea otters from Sea Lion Point Trail. Everything else: birds, sea lions, rocks, Cypress Grove Trail, you can embrace with your eyes and ears. Bring a camera. Might see a deer or two up close (I have), ground squirrels.
One of the most spectacular meeting places of land and water anywhere.
Allow at least two hours to explore and experience. Closed toe shoes strongly encouraged. $10 access fee, + $2 for printed map.

Since you are going to Hearst Castle
** About five miles Hearst Castle is, Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, beach home of Northern Elephant Seals (about 7,000 to 16,000 of them). You can park and walk (only) on boardwalks, no access to beach. Allow 30 minutes. Free.

 

[idealsol]

Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge is open

 

[kelly]

I'm not a local, but a "must-do" in my book would be to stop at the Adamson House in Malibu when you get down that way. I've been there several times and always enjoy it. The house is now a California State Park and can be toured Thursdays through Saturdays, 11-3. Tour takes an hour. The house belonged to the owners of a huge ranch that included the Malibu Potteries tile factory right down on the beach. The factory burned down in the 1920's but the house is a veritable showroom of their tile products. Beautiful! Here is a link to their web site Adamson House

 

[frebay]

Stop by splash cafe to get the best clam chowder.

 

[NeverFollow]

Stop by splash cafe to get the best clam chowder.

That was my first thought when I started reading this thread!