Okay, so I’ve been wanting to do this little project for a while now, and I finally got around to it. Basically, I wanted to figure out which small towns in California are actually worth visiting, you know? Not the big, flashy places like LA or San Fran, but the smaller, more chill spots. I’m talking about places with like, under 50,000 people.
So, first thing I did was to make a list. I just went online, did some Googling, read a bunch of travel blogs and stuff. I ended up with a pretty massive list, way too many to actually visit. It was a mess, honestly.
Next, I tried to narrow it down. I decided to focus on towns that were near the coast, because, you know, who doesn’t love a good beach? This helped a lot. I also looked at places that had some kind of cool history or unique shops, not just your usual tourist traps.
After that, I started planning the trips. This was a bit of a pain, not gonna lie. I had to figure out how to get to each place, where to stay, what to do. It took forever. I made a bunch of spreadsheets, with notes about hotels, restaurants, all that jazz. I feel like a real travel agent, but I’m not being paid.
Then came the fun part – actually going to these towns! I spent a few weekends driving up and down the coast, checking out different places. I took a ton of photos, ate a lot of food (maybe too much, haha), and just tried to soak it all in. Some places were amazing, others, not so much. My car definitely took a beating, and my bank account is feeling it too.
- I visited this one town, I won’t say the name to keep it a secret, and it had the cutest little bookstore I’ve ever seen. Spent way too much money there, but totally worth it.
- Another town had this incredible seafood restaurant right on the pier. The view was insane, and the food was even better. I remember having their fish and chips, and it’s still haunting my dreams.
- There was one place that was kind of a letdown, though. It was super crowded, and everything was way overpriced. Definitely wouldn’t go back there.
Finally, after all that driving and eating and exploring, I put together my final list of the best small towns in California. It wasn’t easy, but I think I’ve got a pretty good mix of places, some well-known, some more hidden gems.
So, yeah, that’s how I spent a good chunk of my time and money lately. It was a lot of work, but I had a blast doing it. Now I have a bunch of great memories, a much lighter wallet, and, hopefully, a list that will help other people find some awesome small towns to visit in California.
I’ll share the top 20 small towns list in the next blog, stay tuned!
Top 5 of My Favorite Small Towns
Here I can only share the top 5 towns for you, you can expect more next time!
- Town A: Very good view!
- Town B: Delicious food!
- Town C: Quiet and clean.
- Town D: So many cute pets there!
- Town E: I love the people there, so kind and warm.
These five towns are so different in their styles, but they all gave me a great impression. I’ll share the detailed experience in the following blogs.
