If you didn’t know, historic Highway 1 has been closed at Big Sur for quite some time. There was a bad landslide, and the road has yet to be fixed. That being said, you can’t go all the way up Highway 1 anymore (hopefully this won’t be a forever thing). So here are my recommendations for stops along the route from LA to Cambria.
Long Beach, CA to Santa Barbara, CA
I spent a couple of days in LA before making the trek back north, and my friend with whom I stayed lives in Long Beach. I highly recommend taking some time to go down there if you are in LA. It’s beautiful and has some really great restaurants, shops, and, of course, beaches. The trip from LA to Cambria is about 250 miles.
The first stop on my way north from Long Beach was Santa Barbara. I left Long Beach around 8 am so I would get to Santa Barbara at 10-ish. I always forget how far out SB is from downtown LA, but it’s about 120 miles.
My original plan had been to meet a friend for brunch at Boathouse at Hendrys Beach, but it didn’t work out. He lives there though and highly recommended that place for breakfast. I didn’t want to go there on my own since it is a bit more upscale, so I decided to just grab a coffee before I left Long Beach. Black Dog Coffee made one of the yummiest honey lattes I’ve ever had!
Santa Barbara, CA to Solvang, CA
After doing a bit of google research, I discovered that Santa Barbara has the first local plant botanic gardens in the country. I was really intrigued, and I also wanted a chance to be outside and stretch my legs, so I went. Pro Tip: For spring and summer months, be sure to make a reservation online or you might not be allowed in. I got super lucky and was there right when they opened and they allowed me to walk-in.
It was $20 to enter, which I felt was a little expensive at first. However, they are doing so much for the local environment and there is so much research going on on-site that I felt it was appropriate after wandering around for 2+ hours. You could spend a good chunk of the day here if you wanted to! I also thought it would be a cute date idea if you live in the area.
Anyways, my favorite parts of the garden were the redwoods, the Japanese tea ceremony, and the pretty creek that runs through the middle of it all. There were a lot of families and children around, so it’s really a great place for anyone to visit. They also have a nice gift shop, bathrooms, and a water fill station. It gets quite hot in the summer, so be sure to bring water and I recommend going earlier in the day.
After the garden, I stopped to fill up on gas and then headed further north to Solvang, which is only about 40-60 miles away depending on which route you want to go. I took the scenic route, which is longer, but drives right along the coast. That’s what this trip is all about after all!
Solvang, CA to Cambria, CA
When you get off the highway on your way into Solvang, you’ll see a few wineries. I decided I wanted to stop to check one out, and I was not disappointed! Kaena Wine just happens to be a winery founded by a Hawaiian, and you can feel the aloha right when you pull in. I’m not massively into wine, but it is big in the area, so I wanted to do a tasting.
I did their white wine tasting. There were 2 that I really liked – one being a chardonnay, which isn’t fermented in the traditional Californian way, but in a stainless steel tank. All of the whites had fruity flavor profiles, which I appreciated very much. They also sell Manoa Chocolate bars! If you’ve never tried them, definitely do. You can even do a chocolate tasting at Manoa Chocolate next time you’re in Kailua, Oahu, Hawaii.
After the wine and chocolate, I drove into the town of Solvang. This is a little Danish town, and has so much charm! It’s a must-stop on your way from LA to Cambria. There are shops and restaurants everywhere – and surprisingly, plenty of parking! I went into a fudge shop, a candy shop, a book store, and finally ended up getting an early dinner at Bit O’ Denmark. The building was built in 1911, first used as a school, then converted to the restaurant in the 60’s.
I really wanted to get as much of a traditional Danish dish as a could, so I ordered the Flaeskesteg. It’s a pork loin stuffed with prunes, a brown sauce, crispy onions, warm sweet and sour cabbage, and mashed potatoes. Honestly it was so delicious! I’d definitely go back there to try some of their other food (or to eat this again!). After eating, I decided to head to my last stop of the day, Cambria.
Cambria, CA for the Night
Another hour and a half or so in the car, and my LA to Cambria roadtrip came to an end. The drive there was so pretty along the coast! You go through towns like San Luis Obispo, past Pismo Beach, and when you get into Cambria, it’s another pretty beach town. I planned to spend the night here and I’m so glad I did. It allowed me the time to do all the other things I did that day.
I got to Cambria around 7pm, checked into my hotel, J Patrick Inn, which I highly recommend staying at! I wish I’d been able to stay 2 nights actually. This little boutique inn is perfect for one or 2 people and the rooms are really spacious and cute!
Since I already ate dinner, I decided to just go out and wander a little bit by one of the beaches. It was a nice way to end the day of driving and get a little walk in. I wanted to grab a dessert somewhere, but a lot of places were closed by that time. Lucky for me, the inn has a little jar of cookies from Red Moose Cookie Co and they also have popcorn in the common area.
Unfortunately, I had to get back home early the next day, so there were no more stops to recommend. Next time, I’m going to do a trip from the Bay Area to Big Sur area as far as I can go south on Highway 1 so stay tuned! You can follow me on instagram @thetravelingsopha to follow along on my travels as well!
I hope you get the chance to take a trip from LA to Cambria. If you want to read more roadtripping posts, you can find them here!
