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Day 1. San Diego, Santa Barbara, & San Luis Obispo

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My dear friend Meg and I started our Big Sur road trip in San Diego and set the GPS for our first stop in Santa Barbara for 4 d

We went to the Harbor Restaurant on the Santa Barbara Pier. I got a Bloody Mary and Lobster Roll! New England does them better in my opinion, but it was a nice taste of a place I once called home!

We kept driving to San Luis Obispo and stayed the night at a quaint little hotel called the Apple Farm Inn. They already had the most beautiful Christmas decorations all over which really made it feel cozy.

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Day 2. Hearst Castle, McWay Falls, & Ventana Campground

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‍We drove further north and stopped at Hearst Castle! We did not do the tour due to time constraints, but we went to the museum and learned a little about William Randolph Hearst. It's got massive Biltmore vibes in Asheville, NC if you are familiar with George Vanderbilt. Very eccentric style, but very cool! If you want a tour, I definitely recommend booking ahead of time!

After Hearst Castle, we continued north and made plenty of amazing stops to capture the incredible scenery. McWay Falls was a must. You can see it from the road and is a great photography spot. Though parking can be tricky, it's worth the stop! Furthermore, we landed ourselves at Ventana Campground for the night. We pitched a tent, had some light rain, so we ventured out to Big Sur Taphouse for some tacos and brews. It definitely hit the spot on that cool, fall evening.

Ventana Campground provides campsites, glamping, and a beautiful lodge. I definitely want to book a glamping tent next time! I think that would be a fun experience.

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Day 3. Pfeiffer Beach, Bixby Bridge, & Carmel

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Although it was cold and rainy, we HAD to make a stop at Pfeiffer Beach. It's one of the most popular spots in the area with beautiful scenery worth the capture. Finnegan , my dog, really enjoyed a bit of a run around. It does cost a fee of $10 to enter the state park, so be prepared to pay in cash! Other than that, it's a lovely 5 minute walk to the ocean to stretch your legs.

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After that, we headed up to Bixby Bridge just South of Carmel-by-the-Sea. There are multiple shots you can get of this bridge. The overcast day gave us intense moody vibes and great lighting mid-day. We also played the Big Little Lies theme song on repeat because what else would you in this iconic place with such an iconic show?!

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We spent the rest of our afternoon window shopping and coffee sipping in the quaint Carmel­ by-the-Sea. Such an elite and exquisite town that was very dog friendly. Don't forget to have an umbrella handy just in case!

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Day 4. Monterey

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Our final stop was Monterey, where we stayed with a good friend of mine attending the Naval Post-Graduate School. We ate at an Italian Restaurant called Cibo. Our only regret was that we were unable to spend as much time there. Monterey is wildly known for its Aquarium (a whopping $50 per ticket by the way). Next time I'm in the area, I would love to see the aquarium and explore a few wineries in the area. It's just not something we considered in our budgeting for the trip. On our last morning in Monterey, we stopped at a great coffeeshop called Tidal and drove around looking at seals before we commenced our trip back home to San Diego.

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