Use this guide while you drive down the Pacific Coast Highway from Los Angeles to Santa Maria which helps you navigate to several noteworthy places along the route, and also gives you a trivia question about each place. Go at your own pace, and know this does not use data. Several stops include The Getty Villa, Venice, Marina del Ray, Malibu, Oxnard, and many more.
- Take the recommended 4-5 hours for this, or go at your own pace
- Listen to the commentary in your car
- Visit places you wouldn’t normally have chosen
- Learn a bit of trivia about each place to share with your friends
What To Expect
Loyola Marymount University
The product of a merger between Loyola College and Marymount College, the school is institutionally committed to Roman Catholicism.
• Admission Ticket Free
Marina del Rey
If you love boats, this is the ideal spot for some boatwatching. Developed in the 1950’s, the marina has become North America’s largest man-made small-craft harbor.
• Admission Ticket Free
Venice
Welcome to the Los Angeles neighborhood of Venice, home of Venice Beach and the Venice Canals!
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Monica State Beach
You’ll be passing by a couple of pretty spectacular beaches. The Will-Rogers State Beach and the famous Santa Monica Beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
The Getty Villa
If you’re into Italian villas filled with ancient Greek and-Roman artifacts, the Getty Villa Museum is a must-see attraction! We’ll also tell you about the affluent Pacific Palisades neighbourhood.
• Admission Ticket Free
Tuna Canyon Park
A couple of amazing parks and home to hiking-trails through native forests complete with stunning views of the coastline and beaches.
• Admission Ticket Free
Malibu
There’s a lot-to-do in Malibu!! Long hailed as the city of sun, surf and sand, Malibu City spans 21 miles of beautiful California beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
A fantastic 30 mile-long stretch of land running from the coast inland in what’s known as a Mediterranean climate ecosystem.
• Admission Ticket Free
Malibu
The City of Malibu, which we’ll be driving through, has a long and storied past. The historical Adamson-House is a great example, and a must-see for history-buffs.
• Admission Ticket Free
Zuma Beach
We’ll introduce you to the famous Zuma Beach with its broad and sandy beach and the popular filming location, Point Dume.
• Admission Ticket Free
El Matador State Beach
Just one of Malibu’s beaches, the El Matador is studded with massive, unique rock-formations.
• Admission Ticket Free
Nicholas Canyon Beach
Hear about the Chumash people who lived here almost 8,000 years ago and had an extensive trading system throughout California.
• Admission Ticket Free
Harrison’s Reef
Just off the coast, the reef is one of Malibu’s coastal scuba-diving sites offering a wonderland of things to see. We’ll tell you all about it.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area
You’ll be driving by inland-bluffs, which are actually the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountain range.
• Admission Ticket Free
Point Mugu State Park
Here you’ll find miles of hiking-trails, canyons and great views of one of the highest peaks in the Santa Monica Mountains, Boney Mountain.
• Admission Ticket Free
Point Mugu Missile Park
If you visit the park, you’ll see all kinds of missiles like the Polaris, the first U.S. submarine-launched ballistic missile.
• Admission Ticket Free
Port Hueneme
As the name suggests, there is a port on the shores of the city. In fact, it’s the only deep-water port between Los Angeles and San Francisco.
• Admission Ticket Free
Oxnard
California supplies over 85 percent of US strawberries, with a third of that coming from right here in the Oxnard valley.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Clara River
At 84 miles long and draining several mountain watersheds, the Santa Clara is the largest natural river system in Southern California.
• Admission Ticket Free
Ventura County Coast
The county you’ll be driving through, is home to roughly 825,000 Californians, most of whom live within the coastal plains at the foot of the Topatopa Mountains. We’ll tell you why it’s so popular.
• Admission Ticket Free
Mission Basilica San Buenaventura
Located in the heart of downtown Ventura, we’ll give you some of history of this still active Catholic parish, museum and tourist-attraction.
• Admission Ticket Free
Emma Wood State Beach
This section of the Pacific Coast Highway takes us right past a couple more scenic beaches in Solimar & Emma Wood-state-beaches.
• Admission Ticket Free
Pitas Point, CA
We’ll tell you a bit about earthquakes and how the point was created.
• Admission Ticket Free
Rincon Island
You’ll hear the interesting story behind a very small island connected by a very long pier. That’s Rincon Island and the Richfield Pier!
• Admission Ticket Free
Carpinteria Bluffs Trail
The locals are very protective of these bluffs. So far they have raised $6.9 million in trust to create the Carpinteria Bluffs Nature-Preserve.
• Admission Ticket Free
Carpinteria
The coastal City of Carpinteria may be small, but there’s plenty to do here. We’ll tell just a few of them!
• Admission Ticket Free
Channel Islands of California
Take a break at Vista Point which offers a fantastic view of the ocean and if clear, Santa Rosa Island.
• Admission Ticket Free
Channel Islands National Park
At almost 250,000 acres, the park was created to protect both marine and island wildlife, as well as a number of archeological sites found on the islands.
• Admission Ticket Free
Channel Islands Harbor
You’ll see where Navy Seals are trained to withstand some of the worst conditions nature can throw at them.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Barbara
Hear about Santa Barbara’s origins which can be traced back to centuries before Europeans arrived, when the Chumash flourished here.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Barbara
A popular destination for both road-trippers and cruise-ships, Santa Barbara sees over 7 million tourists annually.
• Admission Ticket Free
Goleta
The shoreline boasts nature preserves, a quiet beach and a Monarch Butterfly Grove.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Ynez
We’ll tell you about the mountain range you’ve been paralleling, part of the Transverse Ranges.
• Admission Ticket Free
University of California, Santa Barbara
Known as a top research university it has award-winning faculty that includes six Nobel-Prize winners. In fact it’s a global leader in the sciences.
• Admission Ticket Free
Los Padres National Forest
Hear how this protected forestland, covering over two million acres of coastal mountains, protects one of its endanged species.
• Admission Ticket Free
El Capitan State Beach
Barnacles, starfish, sea anemone, crabs, and sea-sponges become trapped in these rocky pools when the tide pulls out, exposing these tiny sea-creatures for all to see.
• Admission Ticket Free
Refugio State Beach
Learn about the environmental tragedy along this beautiful beach in 2015.
• Admission Ticket Free
Gaviota State Park
The rugged coastline that surrounds the beach is also rather infamous as a drop off point for some nefarious activities. We’ll tell you what.
• Admission Ticket Free
Nojoqui Falls Park
Unlike most waterfalls, which gradually erode upstream, the Nojoqui Falls have built outward from the cliff over time. We’ll tell you why.
• Admission Ticket Free
Buellton
This small city’s claim to fame is being the home of split-pea soup!
• Admission Ticket Free
La Purisima Mission State Historic Park
All 2000 acres of La Purisima have been restored to its peak period in the 1820s, when it was the seat of mission government.
• Admission Ticket Free
Lompoc
One of the city’s top attractions are their murals in alley ways and on the sides of buildings..
• Admission Ticket Free
Vandenberg Space Force Base
Vandenberg is part of the new branch of the US Armed Forces, the Space Force, solely to space.
• Admission Ticket Free
Los Alamos
These hills were a perfect hideout for the bandit Salomon Pico. We’ll tell you about him and why he was famous.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Maria Valley
Welcome to the Santa Maria Valley, home of the second oldest American Viticultural Area and famous for their California grown and bottled Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.
• Admission Ticket Free
San Rafael Wilderness
Hear about The Hurricane Deck Trail which runs along the ridge of a mountain offering spectacular views.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Maria
Founded in 1875, settlers began arriving to taking advantage of the offer of free land, rich soil and the cooler Mediterranean climate.
• Admission Ticket Free
Presqu’ile Winery
Winery in Santa Maria.
• Admission Ticket Free
PCPA – Pacific Conservatory Theatre
Conservatory Theatre in Santa Maria.
• Admission Ticket Free
Rancho Sisquoc Winery
Interesting and beautiful winery.
• Admission Ticket Free
River View Park
Rural park south of Santa Maria.
• Admission Ticket Free
Gaviota Peak Trail
Popular trail nearby.
• Admission Ticket Free
Arroyo Hondo Vista Point
Incredible lookout.
• Admission Ticket Free
Refugio State Beach
Incredible beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
El Capitan Canyon
Picturesque roadside canyon.
• Admission Ticket Free
Goleta Beach Park
Awesome beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Arroyo Burro County Beach Park
Sandy beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Shoreline Park
Nice park by the shore.
• Admission Ticket Free
Stearns Wharf
Incredible views.
• Admission Ticket Free
Carpinteria State Beach
Beach with ocean.
• Admission Ticket Free
Tar Pits Park
Unique park.
• Admission Ticket Free
Rincon Point
Point over the ocean.
• Admission Ticket Free
Mondo’s Beach
Another beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Rincon Parkway Campground
Nice spot for a sleepover.
• Admission Ticket Free
Solimar Beach
Wicked cool beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Surfers Point at Seaside Park
Awesome local park.
• Admission Ticket Free
Ventura Beach
Another wicked cool beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Surfer’s Knoll
The best knoll of them all.
• Admission Ticket Free
Mandalay State Beach
Like the hotel, but a beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Oxnard State Beach and Park
The best beach in Oxnard.
• Admission Ticket Free
Port Hueneme Beach Park
Park with a side of beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Point Mugu Rock
A rock of ages.
• Admission Ticket Free
Sycamore Cove Beach
Combo number 5.
• Admission Ticket Free
Leo Carrillo State Park and Beach
Leo’s beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Nicholas Canyon Beach
Nick’s beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
El Matador State Beach
Here beachy beachy beachy.
• Admission Ticket Free
Lechuza Beach
Another beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Point Dume
A nice point.
• Admission Ticket Free
Point Dume State Beach and Natural Preserve
Beach and park and preserve.
• Admission Ticket Free
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
Malibu’s beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Malibu Lagoon State Beach
What a beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Malibu Beach
Life’s a beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Topanga Beach
Yet another California beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Sunset Beach
When the sun goes down..
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Monica State Beach
The beach Monica built.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Monica Pier
Incredible oceanside pier.
• Admission Ticket Free
Pacific Park on the Santa Monica Pier
Park on the pier.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Monica
Oceanside city.
• Admission Ticket Free
Santa Monica Beach
Incredible beach.
• Admission Ticket Free
Playa Del Rey Beach
Beach with a view.
• Admission Ticket Free
Highlight
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Service animals allowed
Stroller accessible
Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Wheelchair accessible
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Include
Good mobile or WiFi connection needed for the initial download
Flexible dates – tour is yours to keep and enjoy anytime on Tripvia Tours.
No time constraints, take as long as you like to complete the tour
Only 1 tour booking needed per vehicle
No signal required or data used during tour
Exclude
Smartphone or tablet
Transportation (use your own vehicle)
Attraction Tickets
**Recommended attractions may be closed/inaccessible due to season or reasons beyond our control.
Max group – 15
