California Bucket List: Top 10 Creative Travel Experiences
California is known for many things, from the beaches to the redwoods, from big cities like Hollywood and San Francisco to national parks like Yosemite, there’s something for everyone. If you’re traveling for creativity, here are the top 10 California bucket list experiences for creative travel.
With the number of activities and destinations to explore in the Golden State, it’s no surprise that California can be the gold standard for creative travel in the US. When creating a creative travel bucket list, plan your travel around experiences that can help develop your creative potential through learning experiences, cultural exchange, and enhancing well-being.
This California creative travel bucket list is designed around unique experiences for creative minds. Each destination or activity includes elements that support creative thinking. Whether you’re planning activities for a creative retreat or just a fun vacation that can inspire, these are some of the best things to do and see in California.
California Travel Bucket List
- Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
- Explore Yosemite National Park
- Play at Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth
- Hit the Beach and Go Surfing
- Wine Tasting in Sonoma and Napa
- Scuba Diving/Snorkel at Catalina Island
- Forest Bathing in the Redwoods
- Go On a Creative Retreat in Joshua Tree
- Visit Famous Creative Locations of Hollywood
- Walk the Venice Beach Boardwalk
Best Time to Visit California
Spring and Fall
California is huge, making it a perfect creative destination for year-round travel. However, due to the size, the weather can vary. California travel is also very popular, so there are massive tourist crowds you may want to avoid.
If you’re planning a creative retreat, you may want to consider less popular tourist seasons.
Spring and Fall are by far the most pleasant, with mild temperatures and crowds.
Summers are sunny and warm. In San Francisco, there will also be more wind and fog. Most of California is dry, with higher chances of forest fires. The ocean and ocean breeze is cooling if you don’t mind the crowds.
Winters can be cold and wet, depending on the region. In Southern California, you’ll still find sunny and warm weather (70°Fs), but the water will be cold.
Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
When it comes to road trips in America, few are as jaw-droppingly beautiful and packed with activities to inspire creativity as the Pacific Coast Highway.
Driving up or down Highway 1 means hours of overlooking the pacific ocean with plenty of attractions, vistas, and places to soak in the beauty. If you’re planning a road trip in California, the Pacific Coast is a must for your creative travel bucket list.
The best part of this bucket list item is it connects so many California travel destinations to help you travel and see more.
Travel Tips
- Create a playlist that inspires creativity and sparks good memories.
- Practice slow travel and be spontaneous.
- Travel north to south so you can get the best views over the cliffs.
- Rent a convertible or travel by motorcycle to enhance the road trip in new and unique ways.
- If traveling with kids – be prepared. Plan creative activities and distractions along the way.
- Don’t miss Ruby Beach, Long Beach, Fort Bragg Glass Beach, Pismo State Beach, Venice Beach, and Huntington Beach.
- Get off the highway and explore some of the attractions along the way, especially national parks for hiking.
Explore Yosemite National Park
Located in California’s Sierra Nevada mountains, Yosemite National Park is one of the most beautiful national parks in the US and a must for your California bucket list. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, this 759,620 acres has inspired countless creative minds like Ansel Adams, John Muir, Thomas Ayres, and many more.
There are many ways to experience this larger-than-life California landmark. With an incredibly diverse landscape with many activities and sights to see and experience year-round, it’s perfect for soaking in the beauty of mother nature and all she has to inspire.
Travel Tips
- Plan as much as possible in advance. You will need reservations.
- Yosemite’s granite rock formations glow like fire at sunset.
- Get plenty of forest bathing in with all the hikes the park has to offer.
- Pair your experience with creative habits and hobbies like photography.
Play at Disneyland, the Happiest Place on Earth
There are plenty of theme parks to choose from in California, but few are as popular and nostalgic as Disneyland, the first Disney theme park.
Great for all ages, Disneyland has plenty to offer in opportunities for play to get in touch with your inner child. Besides being the happiest place on Earth, it’s also one of the busiest. So planning and being prepared for a visit requires strategies and a mindset to enjoy your time. It’s also an opportunity to get creative with the challenges you will face when you visit. For example, the unavoidable lines.
Travel Tips
- Plan fun movie nights beforehand that match with the rides.
- Stay at one of the unique Disneyland Resort hotels to be in an environment that inspires.
- Park hop and have a plan and prioritize attractions.
- Learn the new Disney Genie+ system to maximize your wait time.
- Pack essentials to stay energized for walking and amused while waiting in line.
- Grab a Hidden Mickey’s Book to make exploring the park a game. Find the hundreds of hidden Mickey’s throughout the park.
- Turn challenges like waiting in lines into creative opportunities. Play games, brainstorm, etc.
Hit the Beach and Go Surfing
A creative trip to California is incomplete without visiting the beach, and California has some of the best in the US. There are many ways to enjoy a trip to the beach, but if you’re looking for unique activities that support the creative mind, few are better than surfing.
Water on its own has many benefits for the creative mind, and when you add surfing to the mix, there are even more. Surfing is a mindful activity that cultivates a mind/body connection, promotes flow states, trains a growth mindset, boosts mindfulness, and more.
Travel Tips
- Join a surf school and visit spots appropriate for your level.
- Respect (and sometimes avoid) crowds, especially if you’re new. Surf culture can be challenging at times.
- Practice patience and a beginner’s mind. You’re not going to catch every wave.
- Pair with other fun, creative travel experiences like road trips and camping.
- Practice surfing skills before getting in the water.
Wine Tasting in Sonoma and Napa
When most people think of wine, they probably think of Italy, France, or Spain, but California has grown in popularity and started to produce some of the best wine in the world.
The Pacific coast and the Central Valley of California provide cool winds and fog that balance the heat and sunshine and create the climate needed to grow grapes for good wine. With more than 1,200 wineries ranging from home-grown and small boutiques to large corporations with international distribution, there are plenty of great wines and wine-related creative travel destinations to visit and enjoy.
Travel Tips
- Plan a creative retreat at a unique Airbnb or eco-friendly resort in California wine country.
- Train and heighten the senses by learning how to taste and appreciate wine to build new connections in the creative mind.
- Visit the many art studios and museums in the small wine towns.
- Bring friends to collaborate and create fun memories with.
- Be active and soak in nature with fun activities like hiking and bike rides.
Scuba Diving/Snorkel at Catalina Island
As mentioned with surfing in California, water activities are great for the creative mind and well-being, and what better water activity is there than scuba diving and snorkeling.
When it comes to unique travel experiences that creatives should prioritize when planning a creative vacation, scuba diving/snorkeling top the list. Scuba diving and snorkeling can support creative minds in many ways, including curiosity, mindfulness, autonomy, play, and more.
California has many unique opportunities for underwater adventurers, with Catalina Island being one of the best for finding clear waters alive with marine life. One of the best scuba diving and snorkeling sites on the island is Lover’s Cove, a protected bay that features a kelp forest and colorful sea life.
Other popular sites include:
- Casino Point Dive Park
- Blue Cavern Point
- Farnsworth
- Two Harbors
Travel Tips
- Make sure you’re certified in scuba diving before booking any tours.
- Catalina diving temperatures are in the mid-50s during the winter and go up to the 70s in late summer.
- January and February offer the best visibility and the smallest crowds, but you will need to be equipped and prepared to handle colder waters.
- There are many operators and guide options on the island, including Diving Catalina, Catalina Scuba, Catalina Divers Supply, and Ron Moore’s Dive Catalina.
- Get a go pro or underwater camera to add some creativity to your experience.
- Try a nighttime dive for a completely different and unique scuba diving experience.
Forest Bathing in the Redwoods
Forest bathing is a relatively new term, but nature therapy for well-being and creativity has ancient roots. And what better place to practice forest bathing than one of the oldest and most gigantic forests in the world, Redwood National Park.
It’s hard not to marvel at the beauty of these giants. Many of these redwood trees reach over 300 feet tall and 2,000 years old. With hiking trails, scenic drives, wildlife, and more, you’ll have plenty of time to soak in the beauty of nature and maybe even spark some creative thinking.
Travel Tips
- Take a creative problem with you to brainstorm and see how forest bathing can aid your creative process.
- There are no restaurants or shops inside the park, so prepare packed lunches and snacks.
- Extend your hiking experiences by staying at nearby camping sites and hotels just outside the park.
- The weather is pretty decent year-round, but the best months for hiking are from May to September. Also, note the winter months tend to be rainier.
Go On a Creative Retreat in Joshua Tree
Joshua Tree National Park has been a creative and relaxing escape for California creatives since the early days of Hollywood.
This desert oasis is packed with fun activities to get you out into nature and disconnected from the distractions of daily life. Good for a day trip or extended stay, there’s plenty of creative Airbnbs to stay at for rest or get some creative work done in nature.
Travel Tips
- Plan an overnight stay to gaze up and wonder at the Milky Way.
- Get creative with some hiking, rock climbing, and bouldering.
- Remember, it’s a desert, so stay hydrated for a healthier and more creative mind and body.
- Check the park website to plan your trip around a free day.
- Don’t plan on cell reception. Be sure to have maps downloaded.
- Great place to practice photography, and you don’t want to miss the sunrises and sunsets here.
Visit Famous Creative Locations of Hollywood
Since the rise of Hollywood in the early 1900s, California has been a hotspot for creativity. With the film, music, and other creative industries calling California home, there are plenty of historical locations to visit to inspire creativity.
When traveling to California, seek out creative locations. Ask yourself:
- What movies, books, and even songs have inspired you?
- Who are your favorite historical creative minds?
- Where did they go for inspiration to overcome their creative challenges?
California is full of creative history and stories to explore. Add to your California travel by following in the footsteps of past creative minds.
Travel Tips
- Plan your trip beforehand and research creative locations to visit. Think of movies, books, songs, etc., that have inspired you to get you started on places to visit.
- Pair creative mediums to interact with these locations. Recreate moments from movies with photography, sketching, and more.
- Find ideas by reading biographies of famous creative minds and their habits for creative living.
- Buy a star map and other resources to make a road trip out of Hollywood locations.
Walk the Venice Beach Boardwalk
The Venice Beach Boardwalk is known for its vibrant and creative atmosphere. You’ll find all walks of creative lifestyles, including artists, musicians, dancers, roller-skaters, and more. The beach and its many attractions are beautiful and fun, but it’s the creative people and atmosphere that most people come for.
It can be overwhelming, especially if you don’t like crowds, but it’s certainly a must for creative travel bucket list experiences when visiting California. When visiting, it’s best to keep a loose itinerary. Explore the area to see what activities and places spark your curiosity. A big part of creative travel is leaning into the adventure aspect of travel, and this iconic destination is a great place to wander and flow.
Travel Tips
- Check out all the creative expressions, including street performers, the Venice Beach Graffiti Walls, the Norton House, and more.
- Don’t forget to support the creative here. Especially if you photograph street performers, it’s customary to tip.
- Get healthy and creative with one of the events and activities like a yoga class, muscle beach, surfing lessons, and other available activities.
- Don’t just walk, roller skate, bike ride, skateboard, run, and more to experience this stretch of beach.
- Get some creative work done at one of the many inspiring and cozy cafes along the boardwalk and restaurants on Abbot Kinney Blvd.
Zach is an international writer, photographer, filmmaker, martial artist, and creator of Creative Enso, the Zen art of creative living. His goal is to empower and inspire creatives to live healthier, happier, and more creative lifestyles.
