South of San Simeon on Highway 1 is the charming town of Cambria, California, "where the pines meet the sea". This lovely village boasts of its artists' colony and supports an impressive selection of fine restaurants, speciality shops, art galleries and a wide variety of Cambria Calilfornia hotels and inns. Towering Monterey pines frame the dynamic coastline along its unique Moonstone Beach Drive lined with oceanside Cambria CA hotels, where semi-precious agate and jasper stones can be found along in the sand.
South of Cambria CA is the block-long town of Harmony, California (population 18), Unfortunately, there are only two businesses still open - Harmony Cellars Wine Tasting Room, and a small pottery store.
Cambria CA Interactive Area Map - An interactive map of all listings in this town.
Cambria CA Restaurants
Cambria CA Hotels
What to do, weather and what to pack!
Major events
- Farmers Market - every Friday afternoon
- Cambria CA Art & Wine Festival - January
- Western Dance Jamboree - February
- Chile Cookoff and Classic Car Show - April
- Country Coast Classic Bike Ride - June
- Picnic in the Park & Fireworks - 4th of July
- Pinedorado Days - Labor Day weekend
- Holidays in the Pines - month of December
Upcoming Cambria Events & Activities
Cambria, California is a place you may never leave.
It is an unusual beach town because the East and West Villages are not on the beach at all, but run through a narrow valley inland along Main Street. Yet the village continues to the sea along Moonstone Beach, where fine Cambria California hotels cluster.
In the older East Village, you will find Victorian houses dating from the 1870's. In the newer West Village of Cambria CA, the street passes below newer houses built on the steep slope of the hillside. On both sides of Main, in both Villages, you will find shop after shop featuring fine arts, good food, unique gifts, and services with a smile.
Moonstone Beach is a magnetic seascape just across the California Highway 1 from the commercial heart of town, still within the boundary of Cambria California. Walk the beach and watch for the jasper or perhaps a moonstone agate. This beach shelters harbor sea lions, seals and otters among its rocky coves, and is easily accessible to visitors by way of a boardwalk that runs from Leffingwell Creek and park on the north end of the beach almost to the southern cove that cuts in to the highway.
Wonderful Cambria, CA hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts line the Moonstone Beach Drive across from the protected, undeveloped beach area. You will find plenty of good restaurants, as well. Our Online Travel Guide includes lots of details about Cambria CA lodging, dining, and events, and is your best single resource for choosing a Cambria hotel or planning a complete Cambria, California vacation.
Cambria CA is just 5 minutes south of the gateway to Hearst Castle and The Enchanted Hill on the California Highway 1. A little further up the road is a colony of elephant seals, one of nature's most amazing and magnificent creatures. Keep going a little further and you're at Piedras Blancas lighthouse or at the southern entrance of Big Sur. These aren't long drives - they are easily within a morning's outing from Cambria CA.
If you prefer outdoor activities, visit the San Simeon State Park or hike or bike any of a wealth of roads and trails in the county.
Or, if you miss the action, head back across the highway to the East and West Villages, and stay in one of the delightful Cambria hotels, bed and breakfasts, or lodges closer to the town. Walk across the street to enjoy an incredible meal. See? This town combines the beach with the steep-sided valley in a way that will have you going back and forth, trying to decide which is more delightful. Don't try to choose: enjoy it all, beginning with our Online Travel Guide.
Click on the links below for expanded lists of Cambria CA businesses, events and attractions, including dates of events to help you plan your next visit.
Cambria California Chamber of Commerce
http://www.cambriachamber.org/
805-927-3624
More about Cambria, California
Population (2003): 6,521
65+ (2000): 26.6%
First settled in the 1860's.
Unincorporated
