Joanna James
One of the most famous destinations in the United States of America, people flock to California for all sorts of reasons and have been doing so for a very long time. Not only is it a great place to mingle with the starlets of Hollywood, but it is also a great location for culture and nature lovers.
If you are in California you should definitely visit the Hollywood Sign. It has become an icon that is recognised the world over and has the pull of a powerful magnet that young people dreaming of becoming stars have been flocking towards the sign for centuries. Not only is it a cultural and historical stronghold, the Hollywood Hills provide a fantastic view of the city if that is what you are looking for. You can either hike through the woods to get to the top or take the elevator. A drive is also possible as it is only a short drive from any accommodation in Sunnyvale CA.
Considered to be the most gorgeous destination in California, the Big Sur is one of those scenic drives that you must take. It takes just under two hours to drive down to the Big Sur from The Domain Hotel Sunnyvale along Monterey Bay. The entire Big Sur route is roughly about 90 miles long and offers plenty of canyons, waterfalls, bridges and craggy cliffs that you can explore. There are also plenty of trails, secret beaches and some points where you can go hang-gliding.
The Venice Beach Boardwalk is another iconic place you must have seen a thousand times in movies. In real life, it is as colourful and vibrant. Constantly crowded and constantly filled with entertainment and laughter as well as a contingent of food trucks, the Broadwalk is where you go to really get a feel of the Californian lifestyle. It is laidback and there is a tonne of energy everywhere you look, so much so it will ultimately begin to affect you too.
Old Sacramento is a step back in time into the past when the Gold Rush had taken over the Americas by storm. There are many preserved buildings, museums, railways and memorials which commemorates this era in US history. You'll be able to take a horse-drawn carriage ride and visit the governor's mansion.
One of the most extreme landscapes in the US, Death Valley National Park is like its name a difficult place to exist in. But there's an almost ethereal beauty to the harshness of the world, with its crackling salt flats, snake-infested dunes and rocky deep canyons. Death Valley is home to the lowest point on the North American continent at 280 feet below sea level. And if you don't mind a little roughness, you could go hiking, climbing or biking in the National Park spending the night out camping under the stars which seem to almost fall out of the low hanging sky.
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