California Coast | Monterey Bay & Big Sur Photo Diary

For Memorial Day weekend, we took a short road trip along the northern California coast. One of our first stops was the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Because it was a holiday weekend, it was difficult to find parking and the place was packed. But making it through the crowd was most definitely worth it.

After spending several hours exploring the aquarium, we had dinner at The Fish Hopper. The restaurant is right on the water, making for fresh seafood and a beautiful view. I had the sesame crusted ahi tuna & coconut prawn salad, and Kevin had the fish and chips.

We stopped by Ghirardelli for dessert, then headed to our motel, which was just a short walk away from the ocean.

The next day, we drove down Highway 1 to Big Sur. We lost signal halfway through the drive, so keep that in mind if you’re using a GPS device or app.

We pulled over for an iconic photo op of Bixby Bridge. It took a while to get the perfect shot, with so many people trying to get the shot as well, but it was worth the stop.

Our last stop was McWay Falls. It’s cliché, with a sea of tourists with their DSLRs and selfie sticks, but we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see it ourselves.

Overall, it was a great weekend. Highly recommend visiting the Monterey Bay Aquarium and The Fish Hopper, as well as the scenic stops if you’re interested in taking photos.

Have you gone on a road trip before? What routes and stops would you recommend?