Day trips and getaways in and around Los Angeles

Escapes Things to do

1 hour from Los Angeles: A 3-day maritime festival is taking over Dana Point Harbor next week with historic ships, booming cannon battles, and mermaid shows

Since 1984, on just one special weekend a year, Dana Point Harbor trades its usual calm for an over-the-top maritime extravaganza. The Ocean Institute's 42nd annual Maritime Festival is back next we...

Escapes Things to do

Exactly halfway between L.A. and S.F.: One of the Pacific Coast’s best small towns is shutting down its Main Street to host its 76th annual Labor Day celebration — complete with vintage cars, flyovers, and local wine

Cambria, California is one of the state's most charming coastal towns, recently earning a nod as one of the best small-town weekend escapes on the Central Coast. This Labor Day weekend, Cambria is gear...

Escapes Wellness & nature

Less than 2 hours from L.A., ‘Big Bear’s little sister’ pairs alpine vibes with fewer crowds, lower prices, and an 84-acre lake

Summer is starting to wind down, but there are still a few weeks left to make the most of Southern California’s blue skies, fresh alpine air, and cooler mountain temperatures. While Big Bear remains a bel...

Escapes Things to do

California’s ‘Little Italian Riviera’ is turning into a free seaside art and wine festival this month — with 150+ artists, local wine and live music

You could fly to Italy for a weekend of seaside views, colorful buildings and long afternoons with a glass of wine, or you could head to a tiny California beach town that has been channeling those same Me...

Escapes Food & drink Things to do

This mountain town near L.A. is home to one of the best Oktoberfests in the nation — with 10 weekends of German beer, live music, and giant pretzels

Fall is about to look a little different in Big Bear, where one of the mountain town’s biggest annual celebrations is set to stretch across an entire 10 weekends. From mid-September through November, visi...

Escapes

Southern California’s longest multi-use trail project is more than halfway done — it will cover 110 miles from Huntington Beach to the San Bernardino National Forest

Did you know that Southern California is steadily building a 110-mile mixed-use trail from Huntington Beach to the San Bernardino National Forest? The Santa Ana River Trail is envisioned as a corridor...

Escapes Things to do Wellness & nature

Where to watch tonight’s nearly total lunar eclipse around L.A.: the best spots to see the Moon turn deep red

A striking lunar eclipse is happening tonight, August 27, and much of Southern California will have a chance to see it. The Moon will move deep into Earth's shadow, with about 96% of it covered at the pea...

Culture Escapes

‘Be here when it happens’: Inside the ‘Earthquake Capital of the World,’ a tiny 1-block town halfway between S.F. and L.A. where scientists wait for the next big one

Unless you're planning a road trip between San Francisco and Los Angeles, you might never find yourself going down the rabbit hole of lore surrounding the tiny community of Parkfield, California. Only...

Escapes

This 8,000-person CA community was just named the best small beach town in the country, and you can now reach it with recently expanded service on the Pacific Surfliner

Pismo Beach has long been a favorite stop on Highway 1 or 101 for Californians looking to trade traffic for ocean air. Now, the small beach town in SLO has a new title to add to its repertoire: Last w...

Escapes Things to do Wellness & nature

California’s coast has its own ‘Little Italy’: this beautiful road trip hits the West Coast’s oldest beach town and the state’s ‘Little Amalfi Coast’ — with perfect Mediterranean vibes in one late-summer weekend

Summer's coming to an end, and there's a particular sensation that comes with it — that last golden stretch before the light changes, the crowds thin out, and pumpkin everything takes over. If there's one...

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