The beauty of having an RV is that you can travel anywhere you want with the comfort and convenience of home. While it allows you to easily travel the United States, there are great places to explore right on the Central Coast this December. It’s an RV paradise. Here are 5 destinations you’ll want to explore if you’ve never been before (or revisit if you’ve already been).
Santa Barbara
Even though Santa Barbara is just an hour from Los Angeles, it features an entirely different scenery. Many of its fans call it the place where the mountains meet the sea. As a result, Santa Barba is an excellent destination for RV travelers as there’s plenty of breathtaking scenery and beautiful beaches.
If you enjoy surfing, winter is a great time to hit Santa Barbara because the waves are bigger. It’s also a great time to look for migrating gray whales. While you can see them from shore many times, there are plenty of whale-watching cruises to help you try to get a closer view. Winter also brings butterfly season and Santa Barbara is a great place to see Monarch butterflies.
If you want to find holiday activities, there are trolley rides that take you around to see the lights or you can find a theater to watch the Nutcracker Ballet. You can also check out Miracle at the Funk Zone. This is a pop-up Christmas bar you can find at Pearl Social through December. And if you happen to be in the area on December 12th, you can watch the 35th annual Santa Barbara Parade of Lights—a boat parade!
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San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo features a slower vibe compared to much of the Central Coasts. The entire area is blessed with gorgeous vineyards, shopping, mountains, and beaches. It’s a perfect place to get a lot of rest and relaxation in December.
SLO is ready to enjoy the holidays in 2021 and has activities like musical performances and the Holiday Plaza and Santa’s House to a Menoral lighting and more. The Holiday Plaza has interactive light exhibits, a 20-foot Christmas tree, and great family photo ops. If you like to run, you can participate in the Annual Reindeer Run on December 11th.
There are also decorated window showcases downtown, multicultural holiday banners throughout the city, and the Santa Mouse Scavenger Hunt that families will love.
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Big Sur
If there’s one thing that separates Big Sur from the rest of the central coasts, then it has to be its rugged coastline. It gets its unique scenery thanks to the rising Santa Lucia Mountains, which is an ongoing majestic orchestra. Big Sur is also famous for being one of the longest and scenic stretches of continuous coastline in the United States. As a bonus, it’s mostly undeveloped and untouched.
Thanks to the rugged terrain, you have plenty of picturesque hiking opportunities to choose from. The hiking routes within the Los Padres National Forest is particularly favored by many. Aside from the outdoor activities, there’s also a lot of art galleries as well as shopping and dining possibilities. If you want to stay a bit closer to the coastline, then you can tour many of the historic lighthouses in the area.
If you want to disconnect and get away from the crowds in December, this is the perfect destination to explore.
Notable Resorts Or Campgrounds:
Salinas
Salinas is located near Monterey and Carmel-By-The-Sea. And, these three locations are wildly popular for vacationers. As the place is still located within the central coasts, you can always expect beautiful beaches. Salinas has a unique landscape thanks to the multiple volcanoes that erupted millions of years ago. Hence, it’s a perfect place for adventurous exploration.
If you are fond of exploring historical sites, then you’d be pleased to know that you can find plenty in Salinas. In fact, the place is rich with culture thanks to the many historic working farms, wineries, and historical sites. As a bonus, the Pinnacles National Park is situated nearby.
In Salinas, you can also find the Laguna Seca, one of California’s top racing tracks. The track was built around 1957, and it’s infamous for its “Corkscrew” section, which requires the driver to speed through a downhill with two tight turns.
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Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is located between Monterey and San Francisco. The place is very famous for its wonderful organic farmlands, majestic redwoods, towering mountains, and stunning beaches.
If there’s one thing that Santa Cruz is known for, then it’s surfing spots. Hence, if you love to surf, then it’s a must that you visit the place and December creates great surfing opportunities. There are also a lot of wineries and local breweries to explore and enjoy. If you like to explore some wildlife, they have viewing opportunities for such open all year round.
If you want to celebrate the holidays in Santa Cruz, there are plenty of options to explore. There are HOLIDAY LIGHTS 2021 taking place at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds, a holiday lights train, winter wonderland on the boardwalk, holiday tree walk, outdoor markets, drive-in holiday movies and more.
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The central coast is simply a joy to explore with an RV. It’s easy to get lost with the many options, and almost all of them are unique and beautiful. The list above is far from being exclusive as there are many great destinations to visit. In addition to the activities and sights that are always there to enjoy, December brings additional fun for everyone.
