Places to stop on our way to Monterey? -

My sister and I are going on a little road trip up north to Monterey, Ca. We are from Ventura County which is about an hour and a half north of L.A. Would anyone be willing to give us some tips on places to stop and check out on our way?

kinda hard to answer your question without any mention of what interests you two or if you are planning on staying the night anywhere in between, but i know that stretch of coast well and can tell a couple places that i love to visit.first is santa barbara, which you probably know pretty well if you are living in the ventura area. state street downtown is pretty nice for walking and eating, el capitan state park a little bit north of goleta has some beautiful secluded tidepools and beaches. from there, id personally suggest just taking 101 into san luis obispo rather than trying to trace any part of the 1, which is not actually on the coast and pretty dull between the two cities. SLO has a nice little downtown with some shops and restaurants, and nice mission that has a quaint courtyard out front and a terraced patio inside. just outside of SLO is avila beach, which is a nice little beach area to spend an afternoon. there s also some hot springs and a resort out that way.here s where you want to get on the 1.north of san luis is a little coast town called cayucos which is really scenic, north of that is san simeon and hearst castle. it s definitely worth looking into one of their tours if the castle is still open this time of year. that place will blow you away.beaches full of elephant seals lead from here into big sur, maybe the single most beautiful stretch of highway in california. there isnt much here, a few trails up into the mountains, and a few turnouts to stop and stare down at the ocean, and a few hidden places if you know where to look like the henry miller library. north of that is carmel, and if you like hiking around through groves of monterey cypresses and above colorful ocean coves, stop at point lobos state park. there s a few relatively easy loop hikes that make you feel as if youve just gotten lost in paradise. and past that is monterey, which is probably one of the nicest towns in the state. have fun.