Cambria

Cambria, set on piney hills above the sea, was settled by Welsh miners in the 1890s. In the 1970s, the gorgeous, isolated setting attracted artists and other independent types; the town now caters to tourists, but it still bears the unmistakable imprint of its bohemian past. Both of Cambria's downtowns, the original East Village and the newer West Village, are packed with art and crafts galleries, antiques shops, cafés, restaurants, and B&Bs. Late-Victorian homes stand along side streets, and the hills are filled with redwood-and-glass residences. If you're driving north up Highway 1 from Morro Bay, make a quick stop 7 miles south of Cambria at the cute former dairy town of Harmony, population 18, to visit its glassworks, pottery, and other enterprises.