{"id":1499,"date":"2016-11-21T15:27:04","date_gmt":"2016-11-21T20:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog-staging.reservations.com\/?p=1499"},"modified":"2019-10-24T15:41:59","modified_gmt":"2019-10-24T19:41:59","slug":"5-california-small-towns-to-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.reservations.com\/blog\/lifestyle\/5-california-small-towns-to-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"5 California Small Towns You Have to Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Sure, we’ve all heard of the large cities in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco. But, what about the small Cali towns? The ones that barely anyone has heard of? We believe these small towns are the real hidden gems in Cali, packed with wonderful traditions, history and things to do. Check out our top five small towns in California<\/p>

Arcata:\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>

Ever heard of this one? Probably not. It’s a college town filled with kids who attend <\/span>Humboldt State University<\/a>. Arcata is filled with beautiful Redwood forests yet, it\u2019s easily accessible to the beach. The residents are very respectful of the planet and work together to do their part to preserve and protect the planet. Recycling is very well practiced here and all HSU’s dormitories are solar-panel powered.\u00a0 If you have a green thumb, this tiny town is your ideal visit.<\/span><\/p>

Dunsmuir<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>

This tiny historic town is best known for the “best water on Earth.” That sounds delightful, right? The water is sourced from a river that flows from Mt. Shasta<\/a> with an elevation of 14, 179 feet. Natural water for our natural bodies. Dunsmuir also has no traffic lights and zero parking meters. Wait, so you mean we wouldn’t be scrambling through traffic to get to work? Or pay for parking to do things? No headaches? Sign us up! How early can we visit?<\/p>

Avalon<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>

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This town\u2019s known for being part of an “Island Community,” because of its proximity to the ocean and its location on Catalina Island<\/a>. Avalon is 76 square miles with 87% of that being an Open Space Conservancy. On Catalina Island, they offer several things to do like taking a glass bottom boat out to look at the fish or even land exhibitions.\u00a0Relax on the beach or explore the gorgeous landscape. Surrounded with the ocean breezes, lush flowers and greenery, Avalon is sure to be a place for relaxation and living the island lifestyle.<\/p>

Grover Beach<\/a><\/strong><\/h2>

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This is the perfect California city that\u2019s the balance between the mountains and cool weather. Grover Beach offers a mild climate, meaning if you’re closer to the water it\u2019s warmer and when you are away from the\u00a0<\/p>

water or up towards the mountains then it\u2019s cooler. Grover Beach offers horseback rides on the beach, like a romance scene from your favorite Nicholas Sparks book, 4-wheel ATV’s to rent for the sand dunes, or even leisurely walks along the beaches and hikes through the mountains. Residents of Grover Beach love being outside, wrapped in their beautiful climate and if you visit there then so will you!<\/p>

Folsom<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>

This tiny town is on the outskirts of Sacramento<\/a>, California. It ranges about 34 square miles and 2.4 square miles of this is consumed by Folsom Lake. Folsom started as a city of gold miners seeking money and fortune by mining in the Sierra Nevada. Since then the city has evolved to house 32 miles of bike trails and several other outdoor activities. The climate is beautiful here. It\u2019s always receiving the golden California sunshine. If you aren\u2019t feeling the outdoors, that\u2019s ok. There\u2019s the Folsom Prison Museum and they offer tours around the facilities. It\u2019s not quite as famous as Alcatraz<\/a>, but it\u2019s the state\u2019s second oldest prison. With over 137 years of history, the prison was the countries first prison to have electricity. But if prison doesn\u2019t sound fun to you, then you can visit the Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. It\u2019s a park with a decommissioned powerhouse located in it. But it\u2019s a great place for camping, fishing, hiking, biking, and any other outdoor activity.<\/p>

These tiny towns might not be as glamorous as the bigger cities. But they are quant and peaceful. They\u2019re filled with history, nature, and relaxation. A perfect getaway for a busy bee!<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tFollow Reservations.com<\/a> on Twitter\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sure, we’ve all heard of the large cities in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco. But, what about the small Cali towns? The ones that barely anyone has heard of? We believe these small towns are the real hidden gems in Cali, packed with wonderful traditions, history and things to do. Check out our […]","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"loftocean-featured-post":"","loftocean_post_format_gallery":"","loftocean_post_format_gallery_ids":"","loftocean_post_format_gallery_urls":"","loftocean_post_format_video_id":"","loftocean_post_format_video_url":"","loftocean_post_format_video_type":"","loftocean_post_format_video":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_type":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_url":"","loftocean_post_format_audio_id":"","loftocean_post_format_audio":"","loftocean_post_format_quote_text":"","loftocean_post_format_quote_byline":"","loftocean_post_format_link_text":"","loftocean_post_format_link_url":"","ceramag_post_header_style":"","ceramag_enable_background_video":"off","ceramag_show_in_top_slider":"off","ceramag_post_background_video_start":"0","ceramag_post_background_video_end":"0","loftocean_page_background_video_id":"","loftocean_page_background_video_url":"","loftocean_page_background_video_type":"","loftocean_page_background_video":"","ceramag_background_video_start":"0","ceramag_background_video_end":"0","ceramag_single_page_hide_header":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[54,55,348,67,309,349,64],"class_list":["post-1499","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-lifestyle","tag-beach","tag-beaches","tag-california","tag-cheap","tag-reservations","tag-small-towns","tag-vacation"],"yoast_head":"\r\nTop 5 California Small Towns You Have to Visit this Year<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reservations.com\/blog\/lifestyle\/5-california-small-towns-to-visit\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Top 5 California Small Towns You Have to Visit this Year\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sure, we’ve all heard of the large cities in California: Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco. 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