I am going to be in San Francisco/Long Beach staying with relatives for the month of October. I want to take off by myself for a few days but am not really sure where to go. I had thought of Hearst Castle, but maybe there is somewhere better. Being a 31 year old woman, I don't really want somewhere that is totally romantic and made for couples but would like to stay somewhere nice for one or two nights - Any suggestions?

Catalina! Unless you are looking for action.

No, I'm not looking for action! Just a nice place to visit.

Laura

How about:

Yosemite National Park
Muir Woods
Sutter's Mill (kind of hokey)
Lake Tahoe/Reno

Go to Big Sur-- It's beautiful, you can camp in one of the state parks, or there are nice lodges if you don't want to "rough it". Hiking, horseback riding, sitting on the beach at Pfeiffer-Big Sur (I think??) state park watching the waves crash in- truly awesome, and a great getaway.

The Hearst Manstion and the San Simeon area are worth the visit. Just make sure you have reserved tickets for Hearts. I suggest the "introductory" tour if you've never been there before. It's quite interesting.
But you'll want to figure out other things to do in that area, too

Cambria is a wonderful getaway for you. Such a quaint, lovely town and very friendly. Cute shopping along the main street, good food and a wonderful beach to wander around at sunset. And Hearst Castle is only a few miles up the road. As for tours at Hearst Castle, I would highly recommend the evening tour if it's available while you're there.

Going a little further north to Monterey and Big Sur is another good idea.

As for Yosemite and a few of the other state parks that were suggested, I'd be hesitant to travel alone as a single woman.

Laura -- I highly recommend a visit to Hearst Castle. The tours are done in groups only, each tour takes about 2 hours, and in your group there will likely be some families, some couples, and some singles. It is spectacular. A good place to stay overnight is Cambria, as someone mentioned earlier -- it is only several miles south of Hearst Castle, and a very cute little town with good restaurants, and a rocky beach where you can see seals, starfish, sea urchins, etc. -- very nice. I would feel very safe there by myself and not uncomfortable at all.

Forgot to mention two helpful websites:
www.hearstcastle.org
and
www.cambria-online.com

Big Sur is wonderful too, as someone else mentioned. It would be great if you could do both.

I would check out the redwoods up north of San Francisco -- stay in Garberville or thereabouts.

If you are staying with relatives in both places, I would recommend driving from one place to the other down the coast on Hwy 101 and Hwy 1 and just stopping wherever you feel like instead of spending a few days in one spot. Places to stop are Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur, Hearst Castle, Solvang, Santa Barbara. Lots to do in all these places and beautiful scenery.
I assume you know Long Beach and San Francisco are a long ways apart! If you haven't been to California before, you will see a lot in a short time by driving this route.

Why not also consider going north of SF. driving Hwy. 1 to Jenner, then heading east in the Russian River area. Try a B&B there, so you'll at least have some company in the evenings. Then drive over to the Sonoma and Napa areas and sample the product. Again, a B&B. Then an easy one hour drive back to SF.

I was in S.F. last year, and wish I would have had time for Monteray and Carmel. I did get to Half Moon Bay which was quite quaint. Not being a wine drinker, I was surprised how much I enjoyed Napa. I would definitely go again. One more thing, try to get to Mt. Tamalpais near Sausolito; it was spectacular.

Hi guys, Thanks for all the suggestions. I will be going to Yosemite, but with my cousins. I will also be going further north from San Francisco to visit a cousin in Ukiah, so I guess the Heast Castle/Cambria area is looking pretty good. Thanks for all the info!

Laura