Coastal California: a journey through wine, geology and heritage

Check in to Hotel San Luis Obispo, a stylish, boutique stay with a laid-back Californian vibe – the perfect base for your coming adventure.

Later, meet Tour Leader Rick Behl and your tour manager for a welcome drink and an overview of your coming journey through the geology-rich wine-growing regions as you travel the California coast. Then get to know the rest of your group over dinner.

Hotel: Hotel San Luis Obispo, downtown San Luis Obispo
Group dinner at hotel

Let’s get this tour of California off to a rip-roaring start! Kick things off with a scenic drive along the rocky coast to the beaches of Piedras Blancas to see – and hear – the raucous colony of northern elephant seals. (Click here for a live preview!)

Next, tour Hearst Castle, the lavish estate of publisher William Randolph Hearst and fabled playground of the Hollywood stars of the Roaring Twenties and 1930s. It’s undoubtedly one of the best places to visit in California.

On our return, we’ll stop to examine exotic rocks such as deep-sea pillow basalts and scaly serpentinite (California’s state rock). Moonstone Beach, famous for its agates, jades and jasper, is the perfect place for a picnic lunch.

Back at the hotel, soil scientist, geologist and wine maker Maia Davis will introduce you to wine “terroir” – how geology, soils, climate and even culture influence the character of wines. A guided tasting gives you tastebuds-on experience of detecting the differences in terroir!

The evening is all yours. You could wander SLO’s Farmers Market, an institution since the 1970s, where you can feast on freshly barbecued meat, browse local handicrafts and bounce along to live music.

Hotel: Hotel San Luis Obispo, downtown San Luis Obispo
Free evening to explore SLO

It’s back to the California coast, this time to visit the quaint seaside town of Morro Bay and its imposing Morro Rock, a 23-million-year-old volcanic neck used by mariners as a navigational aid for over 300 years. Keep an eye out for frolicking otters in the waters below.

A walk through Montaña de Oro State Park takes us over ancient sand dunes to a clifftop for sweeping views of colourful fractured rocks and the Pacific Ocean. Lunch is a picnic in nearby Spooner’s Cove, where you’ll see thin cycles of time recorded in interbeds of porcelanite, shale and dolomite nodules.

In the afternoon, we’ll go behind the scenes on a bespoke guided tour of Cal Poly’s Wine & Viticulture Centre where students master every aspect of the wine industry, from planning vineyards to marketing their product.

We’ll round off the day pairing fine wine with fine art at the Sculpterra Winery & Sculpture Garden. 

Hotel: Hotel San Luis Obispo, downtown San Luis Obispo
Group dinner in downtown SLO

Time to check out of Hotel San Luis Obispo and dive into California’s wine heritage with Libbie Agran, founder of the Wine History Project of San Luis Obispo. She’ll tell us all about how local viticulture began with the Spanish missions, but blossomed with the arrival of immigrants from Italy, Switzerland and France.

On our way to Santa Barbara, we’ll stop to:

View migrating Monarch butterflies at Pismo Beach (if the timing is right).
Visit an abandoned mine to glimpse an unusual geological feature.
Explore La Purísima Mission, “the crown jewel of California’s missions”.
The final stop of the day a a vineyard in the Santa Rita Hills or Santa Ynez Valley. Harvest season is in full swing so we may experience a tasting, a vineyard tour, or a fascinating talk on winemaking methods.

Check into Hotel Virginia, in a charming building that dates from 1916, a short walk from downtown and the beach.

Hotel: Hotel Virginia, Santa Barbara
Free evening to explore Santa Barbara

Spend the morning exploring Santa Barbara, nick-named ‘the American Riviera’. You could chill at the beach, browse the shops of Stearns Wharf, visit the Santa Barbara Mission or relax at a coffee shop on State Street. If you’re stuck for ideas, just ask – we’ve got plenty!

We’ll meet for lunch near the historic Santa Barbara Courthouse, then tour the Courthouse’s iconic Clock Tower and Mural Room.

In the afternoon we’ll drive to Carpinteria, a shoreline marked by bluffs, sand dunes, beaches and tide pools. “La Carpinteria” translates to “the carpentry shop”. It was named by Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá in 1769 because the Native American Chumash built canoes, baskets and houses, and used tar from the seeps here to waterproof them and even to attach arrowheads.

Back in Santa Barbara, we’ll end the day with wine tasting at the Au Bon Climat tasting room following by free time to explore the Urban Wine Trail and other treats of the city.

Hotel: Hotel Virginia, Santa Barbara
Free evening to explore Santa Barbara

Today is all about the landscapes, geology and wine of the Santa Ynez Valley and San Rafael Mountains.

At Figueroa Mountain Lookout, we’ll revel in expansive views of the Coast Ranges and wineries of Zaca Creek and Foxen Canyon (we’ll visit at least one). We’ll also examine serpentinite (California’s state rock!) and gigantic, folded strata that tell the story of California’s shifting landscape.

Next, we visit the charming, historic town of Los Olivos, the ideal spot for a picnic lunch with views of rolling hills.

The afternoon brings a scenic drive along Highway 154 back to Santa Barbara, via the San Marcos Pass, the gateway from the Santa Ynez valley to the coast for thousands of years.

Back in Santa Barbara, we explore the Funk Zone; once a marine industrial section of town, it’s now a creative district packed with art studios, wine tasting rooms and restaurants.

Hotel: Hotel Virginia, Santa Barbara
Free evening to explore Santa Barbara

We start the day with a guided tour of the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. As well as bringing to life the region’s natural history, this gem of a museum is home to the Dibblee Geological Foundation, which preserves the legacy of Tom Wilson Dibblee, one of the most renowned explorers of California’s geologic landscape.

Next up: the Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens. The nation’s first botanic garden dedicates 78 acres solely to highlighting and preserving native plants.

Lunch is in the picturesque coastal town of Montecito, before we head to Arroyo Burro Beach County Park. There we’ll take a one-mile stroll past spectacular examples of folds and faults in the rocks of the cliffs, dramatic asphalt deposits and sea mammal fossils. If we’re lucky, we might also spot whales breaching offshore.

Finally, we’ll celebrate our last night together with a farewell dinner at a Santa Barbara restaurant.

Hotel: Hotel Virginia, Santa Barbara
Group dinner

After breakfast, it’s time to say goodbye – but we won’t be surprised if you want to carry on exploring Santa Barbara’s beaches, wineries, and mountain trails! When you’re ready, your transport to the Santa Barbara airport will be waiting to start you on your journey home today.

Thanks for joining us! We hope to see you on another GeoCultura tour soon.