by Debora Chaves

Created on: January 04, 2009   Last Updated: April 18, 2011

Santa Barbara to Cambria, California: Sights to See and Things to Do

Driving along Route One in California, also known as the scenic Pacific Coastal Highway, provides the traveler the best way to see beautiful views of the Pacific Ocean.

The entire Pacific Coastal Highway stretches from Mexico to the Canadian border, and is considered a National Scenic Byway. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, certain criteria are needed for a route to become eligible for the National Scenic Byways Program. Besides being scenic, the road must have either archaeological, historical, natural, recreational or cultural significance.

Because our vacation in California was drawing to a close, we only had a few days left in which to see at least some of the Pacific coastline. So, taking Route One, we drove from Santa Barbara to Cambria, and had the beautiful Pacific Ocean at our side the whole time.

The portion of the Pacific Coastal Highway we drove along is called the San Luis Obispo North Coast Byway. This section of the highway is considered a National Scenic Byway because of the natural beauty of the coastline, as well as the historical significance of the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, founded by Father Junipero Serra, the railroads built here, and the Hearst Castle.
We traveled from San Simeon to Cambria, stopping to take in some of the sights along the way.

First Stop on the Pacific Coastal Highway: Santa Barbara

The first place on our list to visit was Santa Barbara, sometimes referred to as the "American Riviera." Santa Barbara is the location of beautiful beaches as well as beautiful celebrities. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the late Kurt Douglas and Oprah are just a few of the many celebrities who have made their home here. Although we hoped to see someone famous... we didn't.
Shopping in Santa Barbara was a chance to see how the "other half" lived, as we meandered along beautifully landscaped and cobblestoned streets called "passeos," with their trendy (and pricey) shops. Although we would've liked to buy something from an exclusive Santa Barbara shop...again, we didn't.
We visited the Santa Barbara Mission, located on Laguna St in Santa Barbara. According to their website, it was founded in 1786, and is the tenth of twenty-one Franciscan missions in California. The Mission still functions as a church. Although there are self-guided tours from 9 AM to 5 PM, we were content to just view the grounds and facade of the Mission,

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