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Honeymoons | Destination Weddings | Beach Vacay
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California is not the promised land, but it sure has fooled a lot of people into thinking that it is. Gold-rush prospectors, dust-bowl refugees, Midwesterners brainwashed by surf songs, aspiring actors trying to make it big in Hollywood—they've all looked on the state as a paradise where their dreams would come true.
Most of them didn't find the Garden of Eden when they crossed the state line, but California certainly does look the part: Fertile valleys are nestled beneath rugged mountains, grapevines cover the hillsides and the tallest trees in the world stand high above a rocky ocean shore. A land of geographic superlatives, the Golden State is blessed with more physical variety than any other state in the U.S.—from desert to snow-capped peaks—while its cities are each as distinct as a thumbprint.
Travelers may be the ones who come closest to finding a utopia in the state. There are so many wonderful things to see and do that it's hard to pick what not to see and do. At the end of every trip to the region, travelers lay out plans for the next time around.
California is a huge state: 770 mi/1,240 km north to south, and 250 mi/403 km wide. Ocean, mountain and desert are California's defining features. There are several different mountain ranges. The Coastal Range, immediately inland of the Pacific shore, extends north from Santa Barbara and into Oregon. In the far northeast, the Cascades extend into neighboring Oregon, and the rugged Sierra Nevada's jagged peaks tower over the eastern third of the state.
The Peninsular Ranges extend from Los Angeles south into Mexico's Baja peninsula, while the east-west Transverse Ranges separate much of Southern California from the rest of the state. Cusped among all these mountains are several fertile valleys, including the vast Central Valley—an extremely flat area that's an agricultural powerhouse for one-third of the nation’s produce.
The southeastern quarter of the state is one vast semiarid desert fringed by valleys and mountains: Much of the Mojave Desert is enshrined within a national park. In the mid-20th century, modern water projects transformed much of this land into rich farmland and then into lush urban and suburban settings, such as the resort town of Palm Springs, where verdant golf courses spring up in the middle of the dusty landscape.
In the far east, Death Valley boasts the lowest elevation in the U.S.—and often the highest summer temperatures—and an astonishing array of fascinating geological formations, from salt pans to sand dunes.
The indigenous Americans who had the good fortune to live in what became California also enjoyed the region's natural abundance of fish, game and agriculture. California had a thriving population long before the Spanish explorers and the gold miners came to the state. These indigenous people, tribes and nations consisted of the Tipai-Ipai, Luiseno, Cahuilla and Gabrielino in southern California; the Costanoan and Miwok in central California; and the Yuki, Wintun, Hupa, Karok and Achomawi to the north, to name just a few.
Although Spanish explorer Hernan Cortes was the first known European to visit what is now the state of California in 1533, fellow Spaniard Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was the first to explore its coastline. He arrived in 1542. But more than 200 years passed before the Spanish moved to settle the region, finally establishing a presidio for the army in San Diego in 1769. Soon after, the first of Alta California's 21 Franciscan missions was built in the city.
The missions were established in part because Spain was worried about the territorial incursions of the Russians, who had settled along California's northern coast. But the end of Spain's hold on California came from a different direction: The citizenry of Mexico established an independent nation in 1821 and gained control of California and other Spanish holdings in North America.
When Mexico's short reign began, Yankee traders were already prominent in California: U.S. citizens, many of whom had married into landholding Mexican families, dominated California's business sector. The idea of annexing California to the U.S. was very attractive by the early 1840s and part of the reason for the U.S.'s declaration of war against Mexico in 1846, following the "Bear Flag Revolt" by U.S. citizens resident in California. When the U.S. defeated Mexico in 1848, a large section of western North America, including California, passed into the landholders' hands.
That same year, a crucial event shaped the region's destiny: Gold was discovered on a remote stretch of the American River in the Sierra Nevada foothills. The subsequent California Gold Rush of 1849 transformed nearby Sacramento into an overnight mining boomtown, and San Francisco mushroomed into a raucous and randy gold-crazed port city. Statehood soon followed (1850), and San Francisco continued to boom throughout the Gilded Age of the late 1800s.
Starting in the second decade of the 20th century, folks began flooding to Southern California in pursuit of another sort of glittering prize: movie stardom. With the rise of the motion-picture industry centered on Hollywood, the Los Angeles area became the entertainment capital of the U.S. and, eventually, the world. But the state has proven attractive in plenty of other ways, as well: It has been a land of promise for everyone from dust-bowl farmers to immigrants from Mexico and Asia to new-age pilgrims to high-tech entrepreneurs filling the halls of Silicon Valley's startups.
California's main attractions are its inspiring beauty, cultural offerings, rocky shorelines, skiing, urban nightlife, the Monterey Peninsula, San Francisco, the Napa and Sonoma wine country (plus younger wine regions such as Paso Robles and the Santa Ynez Valley), redwood forests, Los Angeles, Lake Tahoe, theme parks, national parks (Yosemite, Death Valley, Redwood, Lassen Volcanic and others), San Diego, Santa Barbara and Spanish missions.
Everyone should see California, but visitors need to plan carefully to make the most of a visit. There is too much to see in one vacation, so make your choices and leave the rest for another trip.
Looking for a free place to live? Try Slab City, 1,000 acres/405 hectares of remote Southern California desert near the town of Niland. Though owned by the U.S. government, the site is home to approximately 3,000 people who live in trailers, RVs and converted buses. The settlement has existed since the 1950s, when the first arrivals set up housekeeping on the bare foundations (slabs) of former military barracks.
If California were an independent country, its economy would rank as the world's 12th largest, and Los Angeles' economy is larger than all but four U.S. states.
Bristlecone pine trees, the oldest living things in the world, grow in California (and Nevada) at an altitude of 11,000 ft/3,350 m. Some are estimated to be nearly 5,000 years old. The largest living things in the world are the coast redwoods, which frequently top 300 ft/93 m tall. The General Sherman Tree in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks is the largest tree (by volume) in the world.
Fort Tejon State Historic Park, near Lebec (north of Los Angeles), was the western terminus for the U.S. Camel Corps. It was an Army experiment where camels carried supplies across the desert from San Antonio, Texas, to California.
Soul singer Otis Redding's song "The Dock of the Bay" was penned while he stayed on a houseboat in Sausalito, in San Francisco Bay.
California is the epicenter for inventions as diverse as the Frisbee, the laser, the first 360-degree looping roller coaster, the vacuum tube, the egg incubator, the first digital (virtual reality) theme park, the television, the first radio broadcast, the freeway, the gas station, the seedless watermelon, the fortune cookie, the enclosed shopping mall and the Barbie doll.
The highest temperature ever recorded in North America was 134 F/57 C degrees in 1913 in Death Valley.
Nine counties in California supply all the artichokes in the U.S. The annual Castroville Artichoke Festival's first Artichoke Queen (in 1947) was the then-unknown actress Marilyn Monroe.
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10/16In full disclosure, I was UNSURE that this trip to Universal Studios Hollywood was going to be "worth it" but I wanted to do it for research purposes for clients/ friends and of course for the content...
Read moreClick on a location below to learn more. We recognize that vacations are not just an investment, but often the highlights of our lives, and we take that responsibility seriously. We want to ensure you have the best experience.
All of these are signs that you are a great fit to become an independent travel agent, and turn your love of travel from passion into profit!
Learn MoreOur motto at Vincent Vacations is, we go so you know! We want to ensure you have the BEST experience, whether it's a river cruise, or a corporate group incentive trip, we want to ensure your vacation is a success.
Many of our travel agents have been in travel since 2002! With Vincent Vacations, all travel components are taken care of - this includes accommodations, air, transfers, tours, activities, insurance, contracts, EVERYTHING.
Destination weddings, Anniversaries, vow renewals, honeymoons, engagements, elopements, retie the knot, babymoons, proposal trips and more
Corporate group retreats and incentive trips, seniors-only river cruises, friends & family getaways, special group anniversary celebrations and more
All-inclusive resorts, Hawaii, cruises, Europe, African Safaris, exotic Fiji and the islands, there are so many travel options for families
Adventures by Disney, Disney Cruise Lines, Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Resorts, Aulani, Universal, MyDisneyExperience, Disney Genie, characters dining, and more
We know Europe! Paris, London, Rome, Florence, Barcelona, Swiss Alps, Prague, Amsterdam, Venice, Athens, Vienna, Madrid, let's go!
Ocean cruising, river cruising, yacht charters, expeditions, Royal Caribbean, Norwegian, Viking, Lindblad, there are so many options when it comes to cruising
We create custom travel itineraries and trips, and we know travel - Whether it's Universal, river cruises, safaris, yacht charters, Australia, Thailand and more!
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Debt free and in business since 2013. Vincent Vacations has agents in Dallas, Kansas City, Houston, Shreveport, Little Rock, Roswell, Oklahoma City and more locations.
Travel agents can help save time and stress by doing the research and handling all your bookings for you. An experience travel agent is best at finding great deals and packages, as well as providing you with helpful information and tips. They can also help you plan special activities and experiences that you may not have thought of on your own. All in all, using a travel agent can be a great way to make sure you get the most out of your trip.
In travel since 2002, and in business since 2013, our travel team serves clients all over the US! Planning a vacation away from home takes a great team. We have taken the time to build a team of dedicated, smart, hard-working personnel who are each committed to excellence and service. We work side-by-side, creating and ensuring INCREDIBLE vacation experiences for you and your group. Our store front in-office team, and our travel consultant independent contractors, work all around the US.
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