A lot of factors go in to picking the city where you are going to settle down and one is often the size. Big city living or small town dwelling often tops the list of where to set up your home. Whichever way you go, keep in mind that weekend getaways will give you the perfect opportunity to try on other size cities. Los Angeles may be spread out but it certainly is big and we enjoy sneaking out of town on the weekends to check out small towns. Check out 7 of our favorite small town getaways in Southern California.
1) Santa Barbara, CA. About 2 hours north of Los Angeles, this smaller city has mountain ranges and ocean views with tons of color inspiration. Great food and shops, consider checking out Livingreen to gather some design styles for your home.
2) Los Olivos, CA. Just a few minutes north of Santa Barbara, this small town in wine country is quaint and sweet. Wine tasting rooms dot the main street and offer small space solutions in their own right, like using mirrors to make the small spaces expand. Check out our fave tiny wine room, Carhart, for great wine, good people and some pretty wine glasses to take home.
3) Encinitas, CA. 90 minutes south of Los Angeles, this sleepy beach town full of surfers and amazing cliff side views and has a main street with great food, street fairs and our fave outdoor lifestyle store, Gardenology.
4) Solvang, CA. Near Los Olivos, this Danish town mixes old and new style. Here you can find great food, small home shoppes and wine tasting rooms. We often pick up some great home decor accents in Solvang.
5) Oxnard, CA. This small city can be accessed by the beach road or the 101 freeway and has a gorgeous marina with pretty homes perfect for inspiration. The calm bay meets the sea and has farmer's markets, cute shoppes and small town friendly nature.
6) Palm Springs, CA. It's true. It's hot here in the summer but still a fun 2 hour getaway with pretty views of the desert landscape. Find bigger name stores, like Trina Turk Residential, and hip hotels, like the newly opened Ace Hotel. Also find local spots like snack shacks.
7) Big Bear Village, CA. Known for skiing in the winter and lake swimming in the summer, Big Bear lake is a sweet spot to spend a weekend getaway in a small town. Friendly people amidst tall trees and fresh air, the color and textures alone make for great design ideas for your own space.
What are your favorite small town getaways?
Check out more travel ideas from Apartment Therapy:
Lake Arrowhead is even closer coming from LA. Less commercial than Big Bear.
view firstfriday's profile
i nominate dana point! www.danapoint.org www.danapointharbor.com
view delagirl924's profile
Ojai is quit nice.
view LoriSF's profile
My fav new destination isIdyllwild, a great small forest town in the San Jacinto mountains just above Palm Springs and anr excellent day or overnight trip. The drive itself is scenic-glorious, with plenty of areas to stop and investigate creeks and forest nurseries, and eventually get in a grand hike up the Devil's Slide into some pristine forests (and supposed swim holes I hope to visit soon). It's a lot more lowkey, artsy, and IMO more charming than commercialized Big Bear. We always treat ourselves to some pie on the drive back at the highway junction at the Wheel Inn (aka Pee Wee's Big Adventure Dinosaur set location).
For Solvang: make sure to drop by nearby Nojoqui Falls; it's a stroll and hardly visited because it's a little off the beaten track, but very simple to get to in reality. I just took my own mom and sister up there for a visit and they really enjoyed the scenery.
Cambria: nearby Hearst Castle, it's the perfect artist's community, with galleries and restaurants galore. Grab a slice of olallieberry pie at Linn's Easy as Pie Cafe after a visit to Heart Castle, then watch the elephant seals on the coast for some nature observing fun.
For obvious reasons, Big Sur remains one of my favourite small towns to visit. Drive up, explore the coastal riches of possibly the most beautiful stretch of Cali coastline and then watch the sunset at Nepenthe Restaurant while enjoying a fine meal.
view gregory's profile
Don't forget San Luis Obispo!
view slipperymarshmallow's profile
Oh, and how could I forgot the wonderfully stylish town of Avalon on Catalina!
view gregory's profile
Take the train to San Juan Capistrano. Take in some shopping at the beautiful old shops then head on over to the mission to relax in its beautiful gardens. Bring your camera there are plenty of picture to snapped.
view Palomita's profile
Everyone has made some great suggestions.
Solana Beach, La Jolla, Encinitas, Del Mar and Cardiff-By-The-Sea all get my vote for small town getaways.
view lbc's profile
Awww, someone should do a post on Pannikin's decor. I love it over there! Definitely wouldn't want to live in La Jolla though, the minute the "big one" hits, everything will be gone. I'm not so much a California girl anymore, but I have to admit that Solvang and San Luis Obispo are some sweet getaways... mmm
view dunklekatze's profile
Just spent a most enjoyable week in Palm Springs. 108 degrees every day. Stayed at the Caliente Tropics Resort (link), though its name is misleading -- it's actually just a motor lodge with a Tiki theme. Less than 40/night for a giant room overlooking their massive pool. Very nice people. Altogether a terrific experience and only two hours out of LA. Well recommended.
view Jordan Jennings's profile