Church & Community Groups: 4 Exciting Day Trips You Can Do With A Chartered Bus (Without Breaking The Bank)
This article is sponsored by BusRental.com.
The Golden State is so rich in diverse attractions that while day tripping in California, it is almost impossible to pick the perfect places to go during a road excursion. So, to help narrow the options for a group outing that involves a charter, here are four places that spur excitement both during the ride and after your group has arrived too.
Hearst Castle
750 Hearst Castle Road
San Simeon, CA 93452
(800) 444-4445
www.hearstcastle.org
Ever wonder how the top of the upper echelon live? Hearst Castle makes it possible to find out, with group tour costs priced to please. About a four-hour journey out of Los Angeles, San Francisco and Sacramento, this favored California hot spot fascinates with freaky architecture and overly enthusiastic stylings. When your bus full of cronies drives toward the legendary place, you may just recognize the scenery since San Simeon stood in for Xanadu in the iconic Orson Welles film "Citizen Kane." In fact, the main character was likely inspired by initial occupant, William Randolph Hearst. The lavish estate took 28 years to erect, finally becoming a virtuoso piece of work by architect Julia Morgan, who spent innumerable days with the newspaper magnet to finally come through with his vision in 1919. On the lush grounds, buildings total an overwhelming 90,000 square feet, including 165 rooms, 61 of which are bathrooms. Modified Spanish revival architecture came to be as a result of Hearst's travels on the Iberian Peninsula, and is now the hallmark of this unlikely castle on a hill in San Simeon that has been deemed a museum, a part of the California State Park System and a National Historic Landmark.
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Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
If your jumping off point is Sacramento, book a bus to take you and yours to Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, noted as being one of California's best places to get back to nature. A swift 170 miles from California's capital city, this alluring spot sports the call of the wild in the way of birds chirping, hawks soaring and Canadian geese sunning. In addition, bald eagles like to build their nests here and blacktail deer are known to make their home here. Activities for humans are varied, from exploring the wilderness on designated hiking trails to riding horses to seeking out what has been called the lost falls on the James K. Carr trail with picnic in tow. Indeed, this lush location — situated adjacent to superior Mt. Shasta and tempting Trinity parks and including some 200,000 acres of woodlands, lakes, streams and waterfalls — is a place many refer to as Nirvana.
Palm Springs
Visit Palm Springs
2901 Palm Canyon Drive
Palm Springs, CA 92262
(760) 778-8418
www.visitpalmsprings.com
A trip to legendary Palm Springs with your compadres is always a good idea, but especially so if you and your mates are looking for a day in the desert away from the distractions and deadlines of your regular life in the city. Intrigued? Then hop on your bus, which will head 110 miles east of Los Angeles to a place that was, once upon a time, arguably the most idealized small town in America. It was where big time movie stars like Johnny Weissmuller practiced their strokes at a local hotel and where Clark Gable played golf on what today has become Mecca for discerning players. In this fresh century, celebrities still mingle with royalty while regular folk drink up the rarified atmosphere by dining in superior restaurants, shopping in glorious boutiques that rival those of illustrious Beverly Hills and enjoy all kinds of activities. Find anything from hiking desert trails to soaking in hot springs to experiencing the notorious Palm Springs Aerial Tramway, a transportation marvel that takes you through five different climactic zones up 12,800 feet to the often snow-covered top.
Monterey Bay
Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau
787 Munras Ave., Suite 110
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 657-6400
www.seemonterey.com
About 70 miles from San Francisco and 125 miles from Sacramento, Monterey Bay makes for the perfect getaway when you have a day to spare. This is a land of rainbow-hued sunsets and sugar-white beaches that writer Henry Miller dubbed "a place of grandeur and eloquent silence." It certainly does come to life in a more matter of fact way these days, with a personality akin to that of a tempting yet peaceful Mediterranean coastal community. Touring visitors can opt to take a self-guided stroll past about four dozen historic adobes, including the Larkin House, California's first theater. Also not to be missed is Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row (the birthplace of John Steinbeck' novel by the same name), and one of the nation's finest aquariums named after this community and featuring innovative inhabitant galleries and exhibits that plunge visitors into Monterey Bay via deep shale reefs and turbulent tide pools.
This article was written by Jane Lasky of Examiner.com for CBS Local.
