My husband Zac and I love taking adventures to explore new places and we thought no better way to ring in the new year than with an adventure! Last minute, we decided to drive up the Central Coast of California to explore around Big Sur. We had a few places in mind that we wanted to visit and figured we would stumble upon some fun things along the way. Here is the itinerary from our trip including parks, coffee shops, restaurants, and the cute little Inn we stayed at in Carmel-by-the-sea.
DAY 1
Old West Cinnamon Rolls – Pismo Beach, CA
This was a recommendation from a friend of ours and it did not disappoint – these were the best cinnamon rolls the size of your hand!! Old West Cinnamon Rolls is clearly a popular place to grab some breakfast pastries, as they had a decent sized line down the sidewalk. We waited about 10 minutes before getting our hands on these scrummy baked goods, but it was worth the wait!
They have 6 different options to choose from, which was very hard to decide on because they all looked so good. We got the cream cheese frosted & the walnut (they were out of pecan, which is what I really wanted). Also, you can ask for the frosting to top any roll you choose… it is quite rich but is a great combo with the nuts! Our eyes were bigger than our stomachs, so we were a little ambitious and got 4 rolls not realizing how large and filling they would be. One is easily enough for one person, so if you go overboard like we did, just save the leftovers for second breakfast or eleven-sies (a snack for later for those who don’t get the LOTR reference).
I would recommend taking them on the go and drive a couple short blocks down to the Pismo Beach Pier to enjoy the view and sound of the waves while you munch on these glorious cinnamon rolls.
Scout Coffee Co. – San Luis Obispo, CA
My husband and I are huge coffee addicts. When we travel, we are always looking for third-wave coffee shops and this gives us the opportunity to support small local businesses in the area we are visiting. On this trip, we had Scout Coffee in San Luis Obispo on our list and it’s a whole vibe. The coffee is so good, the aesthetic of the place is dreamy, and it makes you want to stay a while.
They have unique yet delicious flavors like their Wilderness Latte (citrus, pine, & maple) and the Raw Sugar & Whiskey Latte. This is a must stop for any coffee lover!
Elephant Seal Vista Point – San Simeon, CA
As you get into San Simeon, you will stumble upon beached Elephant Seals basking in the sun. There are many places you can stop to look at them from the roadside, but I would highly recommend pulling off at the Elephant Seal Vista Point. There is tons of parking so it’s safe, especially if you have children. The vista point gets you up close and personal, but at a safe distance where you won’t disturb the seals. Between the months of December – March is the best time to see the adorable pups napping on the beach.
Lookout Point 0.5 mile from Ragged Point Inn – Ragged Point, CA
On our way into Ragged Point, we stumbled upon a vista point, or a lookout point, over the bluffs. This was a beautiful spot and the first spot where we noticed the water was so clear and the most magical blue I had ever seen. This is a great spot to stop for the view, to stretch your legs, and maybe have a little picnic. It isn’t listed on the map as a landmark, so I dropped a pin in the link below.
McWay Falls – Big Sur, CA
Probably the most popular spot in Big Sur is this iconic view of McWay Falls. Inside the parking lot is the Trailhead that leads you down to a closer look at the falls, or you can view it from the roadside bluffs. The parking fee is $10 or you can park along side the road for free and walk in. The view is absolutely stunning and the sound of the waves crashing makes you want to stay all day.
To all my photography friends, if you are wanting to take photos and capture the true color of the water, I would recommend arriving early morning before the sun makes it over the mountains. This photo was taken around lunch time when the sun was very harsh. If you look closely in this photo below, you can see the trail that takes you closer to the falls.
(Below, I will link our camera gear we used to capture this trip)
Carmel Country Inn
Carmel-By-The-Sea is a cute little coastal town with fairytale cottages and tons of little Inns to choose from. We booked a room at the Carmel Country Inn and it was the sweetest little Bed & Breakfast. The staff were so kind, they delivered breakfast to your door, and the room was very cozy and clean. Their rooms do not have A/C, but the coastal breeze kept us cool enough that we used the fireplace and heater most of the time. After a long day of driving, I enjoyed an amazing bubble bath in their oversized bathtub – I highly recommend booking a room with an oversized bath tub, it’s so worth it!
Downtown Carmel-By-The-Sea
Everything is in walking distance, so it was nice to be able to stretch our legs by walking a few block to the downtown area instead of driving around to find a parking spot. In the evenings, we would walk down to explore the local shops and art galleries, walk down to the beach to watch the sunset, then grab some take-out for dinner to bring back to our place. This little German fairytale-like town is so quaint and was fun to explore.
Restaurants
There are many places to choose from in the way of restaurants downtown, but we chose to grab dinner at La Bicyclette and Brophy’s Tavern. La Bicyclette we ordered their wood-fired Salumi pizza that came with chili oil, red pepper flakes, and parmesan cheese to add on if you wish. It was pretty pricey, $22 for a 12″ thin crust pizza, but I could tell it was made with quality products, so it was worth it in my opinion. Brophy’s Tavern was not as pricy, but they satisfied the void of wanting a good burger and fires. We ordered their Brophy’s Burger with the truffle fries, which was an excellent choice.
DAY 2
Point Lobos Natural Reserve – China Cove
Zac and I really wanted to go to China Cove on our way up, but since it was New Years Eve we had to bypass it to check-in to our room before the office closed for the holiday. Honestly, I am so happy we did because this park is so beautiful we took our time enjoying it the next day. China Cove is located in Point Lobos National Reserve right off the CA-1. If you want to utilize the parking lot, the cost is $10 and it fills up very quickly, so I would recommend going first thing in the morning before it fills up. If you don’t want to pay for parking, you can park outside the park along side the road and walk in for free – this is what we did.
Once you enter the park, to the left is the trailhead to Plateau Trail (0.8 mile hike in) that takes you to the coastline of China Cove. When you reach the coastline, there is a fork in the trail. Left: takes you to a steep staircase down the bluffs to Gibson Beach.
Right: takes you to Bird Island Trail & Lookout that is a loop around the cove from the top of the bluffs. We saw many birds sunbathing on the rocks and the cutest spotted seals with their pups taking naps on the beach below.
These trails are easy hikes, the sights are stunning, and it’s a short yet enjoyable hike. I would recommend bringing a bottle of water to stay hydrated in case time gets away from you like it did for us. We spent a good 3 hours here just taking our time exploring, taking in the sights, and of course capturing photo/video for a vlog of our trip (I will attach the vlog link below). Overall, this spot was probably our favorite part of the trip.
Post Hike Food & Coffee – Monterey, CA
After our hike we needed to fuel up, so food and coffee were next on the list. Zac found a coffee shop in Monterey he wanted to check out, so we decided to find some lunch first in that area and stumbled upon Melville Tavern. This lunch hit the spot for us both, with their Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese Sandwich and Cobb Salad w/ Green Goddess Dressing (do yourself a favor and substitute the blue cheese crumbles for goat cheese – best decision ever!). They have a little park out front that we enjoyed our lunch at before venturing to find coffee.
Captain + Stoker Coffee
Like I mentioned, we love third-wave coffee shops. This was a gem of a coffee roaster and you can tell the serve high-quality beverages. We ordered their Vanilla Latte and they make their own vanilla syrup in-house. You could see the vanilla bean specks within the latte, so you know it was fresh and top quality. It was probably the best vanilla latte I’ve had thus far and I highly recommend this coffee shop!
Day 3 – The Drive Back
Bixby Creek Bridge – Monterey, CA
As our trip was coming to a close, it was time to head back home and we left around 6:30am. This early morning drive was beautiful as we watched the sunrise over the mountains and the marine layer rolling over the bluffs. We drove over the Bixby Creek Bridge on our way north, but didn’t have time to stop to enjoy the view. It was for the best, because you want to stop off at the vista point on the north side of the bridge but in the south bound lane. This is the best view of the bridge and the coastline.
To finish off our trip, on the drive back we stopped at the same places we visited on the drive up. This allowed us to enjoy each spot a little longer since we weren’t crunched for time. We made sure to stop at the Ragged Point vista point we originally stumbled upon, to enjoy some breakfast as we overlooked the Pacific.
I hope you enjoyed reading about some wonderful spots we visited and inspires you to take a similar trip. We are always looking for places to visit in California, whether outdoors or coffee shops. If you have any recommendations, please leave me some ideas in the comment to add to my travel list! In the meantime, enjoy this Vlog my husband put together from our trip…
Watch Big Sur Vlog…
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Rachel Sopak 
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