Californië bezienswaardigheden
Een van de meest herkenbare iconen van Los Angeles is het HOLLYWOOD logo dat trots tegen de heuvels van Hollywood aan ligt. Met uitzicht over de gelijknamige stad en de daarnaar genoemde filmwereld.
De letters werden in 1923 geplaatst als een advertentiecampagne voor onroerend goed. Toen stond er nog Hollywoodland. Elke letter is 15 m hoog en is gemaakt van plaatstaal dat wit geverfd is.
Ooit was het woord verlicht met 4.000 lichtslangen en tot 1939 woonde er achter een van de letters L een onderhoudsman. In de jaren 40 van de vorige eeuw werden de letters LAND weggehaald, toen het logo net als de rest van Hollywood in verval raakte. Eind jaren 70 sprongen Alice Cooper en Hugh Hefner samen met fans en andere sterren in de bres om het bekende symbool te redden.
Sitting on Rainbow Harbor you’ll find one of Long Beach’s top attractions: Aquarium of the Pacific. Home to more than 11,000 aquatic animals and approximately 500 species, there is much to see throughout their 32 exhibits. In fact, many people arrive at opening time and don’t leave until closing. Get up close to playful seals and sea lions, visit a lagoon with more than 150 sharks, see ultraviolet sea animals against a black light, take in otherworldly jellyfish of all shapes and sizes and roam the numerous indoor and outdoor exhibits.
Many of the exhibits are also interactive, allowing you to pet fish, manta rays and even small sharks; feed birds in the Lorikeet Forest; and partake in tropical reef feedings. Check the schedule when you arrive to see what shows and lectures are going on for the day. If you’re traveling as a family, stop at the desk to pick up special worksheets and scavenger hunt-like tasks for kids to fill out while exploring the museum.
Filmfanaten zijn ervan overtuigd dat Alfred Hitchcock gelijk had: vanaf Fort Point gezien zorgt de Golden Gate Bridge voor een duizelingwekkend beeld. Mistliefhebbers geven de voorkeur aan het uitzicht vanaf Vista Point in Marin, aan de noordzijde van de brug, om de wind langs de touwen van de brug te zien waaien. Vanaf Crissy Field kun je de hele brug goed zien, samen met windsurfers en kite-surfers kunt u er een prachtige foto maken. In tegenstelling tot op de Bay Bridge zijn op de Golden Gate Bridge wel fietsers en voetgangers toegestaan.
Vanaf de Golden Gate Bridge zelf heb je een prachtig uitzicht over San Francisco en Marin County, en op Alcatraz, Angel Island en grote oceaanschepen die de rode torens van de brug passeren. De Golden Gate Bridge verbindt San Francisco met de Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Sausalito en het Muir Woods National Monument.
Marilyn Monroe? 6774 Hollywood Boulevard. James Dean? 1719 Vine Street. Elvis Presley? 6777 Hollywood Boulevard. Nee, dit zijn niet hun laatste woonadressen, maar de plaats waar deze sterren hun afdruk hebben in de Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Deze sterren worden dag in dag uit bezocht, aanbeden, gefotografeerd en overlopen op de stoep van dit gedeelte van de Hollywood Boulevard. Meer dan 2000 artiesten, van legendes tot al lang vergeten figuranten, zijn hier geëerd met een roze marmeren vijfpuntige ster in de straat.
Volg dit hemelse pad langs Hollywood Boulevard tussen La Brea Avenue en Gower Street en langs Vine Street tussen Yucca Street en Sunset Boulevard.
Al bijna 150 jaar zorgt Alcatraz voor spanning bij zowel daders als onschuldigen. Ooit de eerste (militaire) maximaal beveiligde gevangenis, nu een National Park. Zodra u uw eerste stap op de rots zet waant u zich bijna vanzelf in een spannende thriller!
De trip naar Alcatraz is populair en de ruimte is beperkt. Koop uw Alcatraz tickets daarom ver van te voren, liefst tot 90 dagen vooraf.
De lijst met gevangenen van Alcatraz lijkt op een America's Most Wanted lijst. Topcriminelen zaten er gevangen, zoals Al "Scarface" Capone, de onstuimige kidnapper George "Machine Gun" Kelly, en heethoofd maffiabaas "Bumpy" Johnson. Hoewel ontsnappen uit Alcatraz onmogelijk moest zijn, vluchtten in 1962 de Anglin-broeders en Frank Morris op een zelfgemaakt vlot en werden nooit meer teruggevonden.
Also known as State Route 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, or PCH, runs north-south along most of the United States Pacific Coast. The California stretch is known for its endless scenic locales, making it one of the nation’s most popular road trip routes.
Segments of Highway 1 vary greatly. In some locations it can be a twisting, slow-moving two-lane road, while in other spots, the PCH is and moves like a freeway. As a general rule, speed is not the highway’s strength, which goes hand-in-hand with its scenery, leading many drivers to happily roll along at a slower pace. From beaches to mountains and forests, just when you think you’ve seen it all, something new appears. At some points, little separates the road from dropping into the Pacific below, so be prepared for major coastal views.
Across the bay from downtown San Diego, Coronado is a pleasant escape from the jumble of the city and the buzz of the beaches. Follow the tree-lined, manicured median strip of Orange Avenue toward the commercial center, Coronado Village, around the landmark Hotel del Coronado. Then park your car; you won’t need it again until you leave.
Locals call Coronado an island, but it's connected to the mainland by the spectacular, 2.1 mile (3.4 kilometer) Coronado Bay Bridge, as well as by a long, narrow spit of sand known as the Silver Strand. The visitor center doubles as the Coronado Museum of History and Art. And then there’s the fabulous, easily recognizable Hotel del Coronado, the interior of which is filled with warm, polished wood, giving the hotel an old-fashioned feel of Panama hats and linen suits. Guests have included 10 presidents and world royalty. For a taste of the Del without the stay, have breakfast or lunch at the beach-view Sheerwater restaurant.
Yes, it's a big rock, but what makes El Capitan a must-witness sight in Yosemite is the fact that it's the largest exposed-granite monolith in the world. Oh, and people climb it. Rising 3,593 feet (1095 meters)—more than 350 stories—above the Valley, El Capitan was once considered impossible to climb. However, since Warren Harding first conquered the "nose" in 1958, El Capitan has become the standard for big-wall climbing.
Take binoculars to spot the little bits of color that pinpoint adventurous climbers tackling the smooth and nearly vertical cliff.
An overlook with an incomparable view of Yosemite Valley, Half Dome, Yosemite Falls, and Yosemite's high country (stay for stargazing if you have the time), Glacier Point is accessible by car during the summer and by cross-country ski during the winter. Perhaps it's getting to Glacier Point that is half the fun!
During the winter, skiers are rewarded only after a 10.5 cross-country tour; during the summer, hikers can choose from the misleadingly named Four Mile Trail (it's actually closer to five miles long), the nearly nine mile Panorama Trail or, for the truly ambitious, a combination of the two trails, to reach the promontory.
However, if you lack the time, desire or stamina to climb the nearly 3,200 feet (975 meters) above the valley floor, consider the four-hour Glacier Point Tour, which departs daily from Yosemite Lodge.
Meer dingen om te doen in Californië
Half Dome
Perhaps one of the most famous hikes in Yosemite National Park, Half Dome was, like El Capitan, once considered impossible to climb. Now, thousands of park visitors reach the summit, but it still remains a challenge that requires knowledge and preparation. Half Dome rises 5,000 feet (1,524 meters) above the valley floor and 8,800 feet (2,682 meters) above sea level.
The hike, which takes between 10 and 12 hours round-trip, is strenuous, but the vistas are more than worth it. Hikers are treated to views of Vernal and Nevada Falls, Liberty Cap and panoramic expanses of Yosemite Valley and the High Sierra. In order to get those views, though, you’ll have to ascend the cables. These two metal cables will allow you to climb the last 400 feet to the summit without rock climbing equipment; if the views don’t take your breath away, the cable ascent just might.
17-Mile Drive
17-Mile Drive is often said to be one of the most scenic drives in the world and is an essential experience on any visit to California. Driving along the road offers some of the best views of Monterey Bay and many scenic lookouts with designated stopping points.
The drive runs along a winding road, through upscale neighborhoods from Pacific Grove to Pebble Beach and goes past forested areas, along the oceanfront and past several golf courses. Some of the best places to stop are at Cypress Point Lookout, where you can see harbor seals basking on sand and rocks; Spanish Bay where you can follow a paved coastal trail to Asilomar State Beach, and the iconic Lone Cypress, which has stood on its wave-lashed, wind-beaten rocky perch for more than 250 years.
San Francisco Bay
Few waterways carry the prestige and iconographic status of the beautiful San Francisco Bay. From the first years of its European discovery the Golden Gate became known as a pivotal access point to the American West.
Trade and military strategy aside, The Bay is California’s most important ecological treasure. A natural nursery for crab, halibut, waterfowl, seals and sea lions, as well as endangered species, the San Francisco Bay provides a great ecological treasure to residents and visitors alike. Whale watching, ferrying out to Alcatraz and Marin, or simple sunset tours with the glistening Golden Gate Bridge are favorite pastimes, while residents simply feel assured looking out of their windows and knowing that its calm waters are there.
Balboa Park
Met musea van wereldklasse, prachtige parken en de beroemde San Diego Zoo, is Balboa Park een van de grootste bezienswaardigheden in het centrum van San Diego. Met een oppervlakte van 485 hectare is dit het grootste stadspark van Amerika. Naast de vele attracties heeft Balboa Park ook lange wandelpaden, bijzondere landschappen, Spaanse gebouwen uit de Gouden Eeuw en het grootste orgel ter wereld.
Balboa Park bestaat uit drie delen. Het centrale deel van het park bevat de meeste attracties. De hoofdbezienswaardigheid hier is de San Diego Zoo, waar meer dan 3.000 dieren leven, vaak in woongebieden die lijken op hun echte leefgebied. In het Museum of Man, onderdeel van de California Quadrangle met de opvallende boog, zijn objecten van oorspronkelijk Amerika te zien. Verderop in het San Diego Museum, hangen werken van Europese meesters van renaissance tot modernistisch.
San Diego Zoo
Packed into 40 hectares, the San Diego Zoo presents a stunning variety of nature's largest, smallest, noblest, oddest, and most endangered creatures. This famous zoo has more than 3,000 animals representing over 800 species.
Stop first at the San Diego Zoo visitor center to pick up a map. Highlights of the zoo include the Tiger River bioclimatic exhibit, which realistically recreates an Asian rainforest environment, and Gorilla Tropics, which does the same with an African rainforest. The koalas and the rare giant pandas are also popular.
The gardens at the San Diego Zoo are renowned and some of the plants are used for the specialized food requirements of particular animals. Especially for kids, the Children’s Zoo allows young ones to pet small critters; they will also enjoy the animal nursery, which shows off the zoo’s newest arrivals. For an aerial perspective on the park, take a ride on the Skyfari.
Emerald Bay State Park
One of the must-see sights on a visit to Lake Tahoe is Emerald Bay State Park. Carved out by glaciers millions of years ago, the lake displays a stunning array of colors, especially just before the sun slips below the mountains, when the bay’s colors really peak. In the center of the bay sits Fannette Island, which gives the bay a jewel-like shape, best seen from Emerald Bay lookout – a view not to be missed. Emerald Bay is also one of the first underwater parks, protecting the various boats, barges, and other items on the bay's bottom.
Emerald Bay State Park is also home to Vikingsholm, a 38-room mansion that is one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the United States. The roof of the mansion is made of sod and sprouts wildflowers in the spring. The mansion is just a short hike downhill from the lookout. Another highlight of the park is Eagle Falls, which is a short hike from the Eagle Falls picnic area.
Bridalveil Fall
One of the first waterfalls that you'll see as you enter Yosemite, Bridalveil Fall is 620 feet (188 meters) in height and flows year-round, with peak water flow occurring in May. On windy days, it looks almost like the waterfall is falling sideways.
Bridalveil Fall became one of the most photographed waterfalls in the park after Ansel Adams published his Gates of the Valley photograph, featuring Bridalveil Fall welcoming visitors to the magnificence of nature that can be found in the park. Take the short (about 20 minutes round trip), but steep, hike up to the base to see the falls close-up, but be sure to dress appropriately: you’ll encounter spray in the spring and possibly icy conditions in the winter.
Gaslamp Quarter
Het Gaslamp Quarter is aan het einde van de 19de eeuw gebouwd. Het is nu een historische wijk van 16½ blok, met straatjes met bomen en betegelde stoepen, waaraan nog smeedijzeren straatlantaarns staan. Naast de vele historische gebouwen heeft Gaslamp ook de hoogste concentratie van bars, nachtclubs en restaurants. Veel bars zijn tevens restaurants, waardoor de wijk de belangrijkste plek voor uitgaan in San Diego is.
Het Gaslamp Quarter is ook gastheer van vele evenementen en festivals, waaronder Mardi Gras in the Gaslamp, het Street Scene Music Festival, de San Diego Comic-Con, Taste of Gaslamp en ShamROCK, een evenement op St. Patrick's Day. PETCO Park, de thuisbasis van de San Diego Padres, ligt een blok verderop in het centrum van San Diego's East Village. Croce's Restaurant & Jazz Bar, genoemd naar de bekende zanger Jim Croce, ligt ook in de wijk. Wilt u even uit de drukke straten van het Gaslamp Quarter weg, ga dan naar Third Avenue. Dit is het historische hart van de Chinese gemeenschap in San Diego.
Lake Tahoe
Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake in the United States with a depth of 1,645 ft (501 m). It calls two states home. Two thirds of the lake is in California, the remaining third in Nevada.
Much of the world discovered Lake Tahoe and the neighborhoods that surround it when it hosted the 1960 winter Olympics. (That’s the same year hockey fans and non-hockey fans alike watched the United States Olympic hockey team defeat the Russians to win the Gold medal.) Snow and any activities you can do on it or with it is popular in Lake Tahoe. At the lake level, annual snowfall averages 125 inches, but at alpine skiing elevations, the snowfall averages 600 inches. Winter turns the area into a much loved snow covered playground with numerous ski resorts that cater to visitors’ every need. Spring, summer and fall is when the lake itself, really gets to shine.
Napa Wijn treintocht
Aan boord van de beste trein van het Westen! De mooie en romantische Napa Valley Wine Train laat u de mooiste plekken van de Napa en Sonoma valleien zien en combineert dat met een spectaculaire tocht over het platteland. Bekijk de zonsondergang vanuit piekfijn gerestaureerde Pullman wagons terwijl u geniet van een van ’s werelds beste wijnen en exotische kaassoorten. Er is maar weinig zo adembenemend en romantisch als een treinreis langs een van de beroemdste wijngebieden ter wereld en door de mooiste gebieden van California.
Ideaal voor diegene die niet veel tijd hebben om het gebied te verkennen. U geniet van het uitzicht onder het genot van luxe, geschiedenis en lekkere wijn. Aan boord kunt u ook gebruik maken van drie verschillende diner mogelijkheden.
Monterey Bay Aquarium
There is a reason that Monterey Bay is considered the top aquarium in the country and draws around two million visitors a year. The nearly 200 exhibits and galleries feature 623 different species of plants and creatures: from adorable sea otters to otherworldly jellyfish, swirling sardines and crafty sharks that glide through the water. Visitors can get up-close with bat rays at the petting pool, and watch divers hand-feed sharks and fish at the kelp forest and blackfooted penguins in the Splash Zone.
What makes Monterey Bay Aquarium so special is its commitment to environmental conservation and education. The aquarium continuously pumps Monterey Bay ocean water through the tanks. During the day the water is filtered for clarity and at night the unfiltered water brings in food in the form of plankton. Waste ocean water from the aquarium is returned to the bay – making the aquarium essentially a part of the ocean.
Pacific Battleship Center - Battleship IOWA Museum
Located at Berth 87 in the Los Angeles Harbor in San Pedro, the Pacific Battleship Center allows visitors to explore a famous battleship, the USS Iowa. Serving the United States during WWII, Korean War and Cold War, the ship was once touted as the “World’s Greatest Naval Ship,” a nickname referencing her enormous guns, top speed, heavy armor and advanced fire control systems. Back in the late 1930’s/early 1940s the ship cost $110 million to build, which by today’s calculations would be about $1.8 billion.
Visitors to the museum can take a self-guided Tour Alpha, where you can board and explore the USS Iowa, getting to stroll around the same ship sailed by notable people like President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, President Ronald Reagan, First Lady Nancy Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Heavenly Gondola
The centerpiece of South Lake Tahoe’s Heavenly Mountain Resorts, the Gondola at Heavenly provides riders with an impressive view of the cobalt-blue waters of Lake Tahoe. No matter if you’re a skier or not, you won’t fail to be awed by the vistas afforded on your way up and down.
The Gondola at Heavenly travels from the middle of the Heavenly Village 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) up the mountain in 15 minutes. When you reach the summit, you can take one of the three hikes that circle the mountaintop. After your hike and a reinvigorating lunch at Adventure Peak Grill, you can ride back down to the Village and spend some time in the pedestrian mall. Here, you can browse souvenir shops and boutiques; if you’re with kids, take them to the arcade or for a skate at the Heavenly Village Outdoor Ice Rink.
Muir Woods
Redwoods langs de kust, met de bekende mammoetbomen, zijn de grootste natuurgebieden ter wereld en een wandeling langs deze giganten is een ware belevenis, die alleen kan worden ervaren in het noorden van Californië en een klein deel van zuidelijk Oregon. De mooiste plekken zijn de Muir Woods oerbossen, die slechts op 19 kilometer ten noorden van San Fransisco en de Golden Gate Bridge gelegen zijn. Zelfs op drukke momenten brengt een kleine wandeling je weg van de menigte en midden tussen de mammoetbomen.
De Main Trail Loop is een makkelijke route van 1,5 kilometer, die loopt langs de Redwood Creek richting 1.000 jaar oude bomen bij Cathedral Grove. Vervolgens gaat het richting Bohemian Grove, waar de hoogste boom van het park te vinden is (77 meter). Meer ervaren wandelaars nemen de 3,2 kilometer lange tocht naar de top van de Cardiac Hill, een route die door dichtbebost gebied uitkomt op een heuvel met vrij uitzicht op Mount Tamalpais, de Stille Oceaan en San Francisco.
Bezienswaardigheden in de omgeving van Californië
- Bezienswaardigheden in Santa Barbara
- Bezienswaardigheden in Yosemite National Park
- Bezienswaardigheden in Los Angeles
- Bezienswaardigheden in Long Beach
- Bezienswaardigheden in San Francisco
- Bezienswaardigheden in Palm Springs
- Bezienswaardigheden in Paso Robles
- Bezienswaardigheden in San Luis Obispo
- Bezienswaardigheden in Pismo Beach
- Bezienswaardigheden in Santa Monica
- Bezienswaardigheden in Sausalito
- Bezienswaardigheden in La Jolla
- Bezienswaardigheden in Nevada
- Bezienswaardigheden in Arizona
- Bezienswaardigheden in Utah