Go to San Simeon and visit Hearst Castle. It’s a must see.
http://www.hearstcastle.org/
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Visit the Monteray Bay Aquarium
http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
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South Lake Tahoe is beautiful.
http://www.bluelaketahoe.com/

The Sunday brunch at Harrah’s Forest Buffet is one of the best I’ve every been to. It’s on the top floor and has a beautiful view of the surrounding mountains and lake.
http://www.harrahslaketahoe.com/casinos/harrahs-lake-tahoe/restaurants-dining/forest-buffet-detail.html

The Vikingsholm Home & Castle is an interesting tour.
http://www.vikingsholm.com/tours.html

Visit Ehrman Mansion
http://www.tahoecountry.com/oldtimetahoe/ehrman.html

Hike to Eagle Falls
http://www.tripwiser.com/trip_thing_to_do-Eagle_Falls_Hike_South_Lake_Tahoe_California_USA?itiNodeId=8ad198040d86fd44010d87b2a5d87727&eType=activity&tripEleTabName=details&fromSearch=true

Heavenly has a gondola ride.
http://www.skiheavenly.com/lake-tahoe/lake-tahoe.aspx

Take a riverboat cruise and dinner on the lake
http://www.zephyrcove.com/cruises/index.cfm

Sutter’s Mill is day trip down U.S. 50. It’s also a nice drive along the American River. It passes through Strawberry CA. which has a lodge that was a stagecoach stop.
http://www.coloma.com/
http://www.strawberrylodge.com/

Virginia City is an interesting day trip. Made famous by the TV show Bonanza, it was the center of the Comstock Lode, the biggest silver strike in history. They have an old steam locomotive mining railroad you can ride and you can tour the actual mines. The city looks like it did in the late 1800’s, complete with wooden sidewalks, saloons, gambling halls, and boot hill.
http://www.virginiacity-nv.org/info.aspx
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Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park
http://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm

There are many trails that connect the Sequoia groves.
http://www.sequoia.national-park.com/hike.htm

Besides the Sequoias, there is a rare marble cave in the park (most caverns are limestone). Crystal Cave is accessed by a picturesque half-mile trail that leads to the Merced river valley.
http://www.sequoiahistory.org/cave/cave.htm

Moro Rock is a great hike. You climb nearly 400 stone steps to the top of the barren rock (6,725-foot elevation)
http://kevingong.com/Hiking/MoroRock.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moro_Rock

Enter the park from the south, CA Route 198. It doesn’t allow RV’s or trailers so there is less traffic. It’s a mountain road that climbs thousands of feet, has great hairpin turns and the views are spectacular.
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=merced+map&ie=UTF8&split=0&gl=us&ei=CGyMSt3lMIiksgPG5oi4CQ&ll=36.486453,-118.875504&spn=0.422878,0.447693&z=11

There is lodging at Three Rivers, CA and it is close to the entrance.
http://maps.google.com/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4HPIA_enUS314US314&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=three+rivers+ca+lodging&fb=1&split=1&gl=us&view=text&ei=9m2MStz2LIWQsgP137S1CQ&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=more-results&resnum=1
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San Diego is one of the nicest cities in the country. It’s a major tourist destination and they know how to treat visitors right.

Mission and Pacific Beach are your best bet for fun in the sun. Belmont Park has a vintage wooden roller coaster (one of two remaining seaside coasters on the west coast) as well as other rides.
http://www.missionbeachonline.com/
http://www.belmontpark.com/

Some must see attractions are the world famous Zoo, Sea World, and Balboa Park. Balboa Park is the largest urban cultural park in the country. You can get a park passport which allows you entry to a dozen museums as well as the zoo.
http://www.balboapark.org/info/passport.php
http://www.sandiegozoo.org/zoo/index.php

La Jolla offers great views, great food, and shopping.
Check out the surfers at historic Windansea Beach. At low tide you can walk out onto the tide pools. Walk along the Cove and check out the caves. Visit the Museum of Contemporary Art. Take a stroll on Prospect St and check out the shops, galleries, and have some authentic Mexican food at Alfonso’s. Then head to the Birch Aquarium at The Scripps Institution of Oceanography. It has a spectacular view of the bluffs over the Pacific Ocean.
http://www.dreamlajolla.com/
http://www.beachcalifornia.com/windn.html
http://www.mcasd.org/
http://www.alfonsosoflajolla.com/
http://aquarium.ucsd.edu/

Check out these sites for discount coupons and other info
http://www.sandiego.org/nav/Visitors
http://thebestplacesinsandiego.com/

Carmel by the Sea, Santa Barbara or the Lake Tahoe area…

i can help 🙂 do you like the travel by train? amtrak has the surfliner that runs up and down the coast
then again not sure how long that takes. There is Santa Barbara as well as Montecito. Have you done wine tasting up in nappa valley. there is this inn called the madonna inn i think in or near san luis obispo
which is close to or on the way to the hearst castle – hearst castle is a must!!!! if you can fit it in.
there is la jolla or little beach communites around san diego and los angeles
have you googled b&bs in california or do a bing search – that engine is really great.
do you live in california or have to get there – that can definitely factor in or factor out what can be done
the perfect spot would be a b&b on a secluded beach – like in the move nights in rodanthe but that was other coast and actually not a real b&b
hope that helps