Take a stroll in the California sunshine, breathing in the tang of ocean air while waves roll ashore under your feet — and do it without getting your feet wet and while staying within easy reach of food and amusements. And while you’re at it, do a little salt-water fishing.
It all happens on some of the piers that stab out into the Pacific from the California coast, mostly in the southern end of the state.
www.santamonicapier.org
www.healthebay.org/smpa
These are not garden-variety docks like the one where your cousin Vern parks his bass boat. There are structures such as the Santa Monica Pier, a combination amusement park and shopping area that stretches about 1,000 feet from the beach. The Santa Monica Pier Aquarium sits at beach level. And the Santa Monica Pier Carousel is an ornate beauty that has been fully restored.
www.santamonica.com
While you’re in Santa Monica go play on its famous beach, sample its restaurants, and wander through the twice-a-week farmers’ market.
tinyurl.com/2bzz5l
Lots of people go to California’s piers just for the view or the fresh air. But others use them for fishing, and the Santa Monica Pier is no exception. Take a look at the entry in Pier Fishing in California for descriptions of the pier’s accommodations for anglers — including multilevel sections where you can get your fishing gear closer to the water.
www.pierfishing.com
Browse through the rest of Pier Fishing in California for the author’s observations on bait and the locally available fish around other piers. The site’s goal is to sell you a copy of the book, but there’s also a fat list of links to Web sites for anglers, and a short “events” section with fishing tournaments.
tinyurl.com/2hy2a
By the way, you might not need a fishing license. Go to the state Department of Fish and Game’s Frequently Asked Questions and search for the entry on fishing piers.
tinyurl.com/2j7doa
tinyurl.com/2mqvec
Planning to be around Santa Barbara? Spend some time on the city’s Stearns Wharf, which this guide says was originally built in 1972 for cargo and passenger ships and now is an attraction for 5 million people year. Look at “Things To Do,” including eating and looking for whales. Click on the Santa Barbara.com logo at the top of the page for more information on the area.
www.beachcalifornia.com/piers-beach-california.html
To learn about the other piers where you can fish or just relax, Beach California has a photo gallery with links to profiles, plus local information for some of them. For example, click on the shot of the Monterey Wharf and you get links to the nearby Monterey Bay Aquarium, plus hotels and jazz festivals.
www.socalfunplaces.com
Another view is provided by the aptly named Southern California Fun Places where “Harbors, Bays &Piers” takes you to descriptions of things to do.
gocalif.ca.gov
You probably don’t want to spend your entire vacation on a pier. California’s official tourism Web site has buckets of information on things to see and do along the coast and inland.
Roger Petterson, Associated Press
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