Fall travel guide: Getaways for the golden season

Explore the West's beaches, back roads, vineyards, and amazing open spaces

18 great California fall trips

It's a perfect time to explore the coast towns, tasting rooms, foodie havens, and natural wonders

Nik Wheeler

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Edna Valley harvest

Wander through this quirky, unassuming wine region just south of San Luis Obispo. The nascent wine region is located in a triangle bordered by Arroyo Grande, Pismo Beach, and San Luis Obispo, and it still retains a distinctive, backroad California charm.

Today it's home to more than 3,000 acres of vineyards and 30 wine labels, including 17 tasting rooms that run the gamut from a former one-room schoolhouse to the stylish Jack Niven Hospitality Center at Edna Valley Vineyard.

At the latter, you can sample Chardonnays in front of picture windows with views of the valley's most distinctive icon, Islay Peak, an ancient volcanic plug that rose from the ocean floor.

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