Southern California Off the Beaten Path features the things travelers and locals want to see and experience––if only they knew about them. From the best in local dining to quirky cultural tidbits to hidden attractions, unique finds, and unusual locales, Southern California Off the Beaten Path takes the reader down the road less traveled and reveals a side of Southern California that other guidebooks just don't offer.

Take the roads less traveled in Southern California to find historic gems, Hollywood haunts, Indian canyons, gold mines, and many more hard-to-find destinations.

A People’s Guide to Los Angeles offers an assortment of eye-opening alternatives to L.A.’s usual tourist destinations. It documents 115 little-known sites in the City of Angels where struggles related to race, class, gender, and sexuality have occurred. They introduce us to people and events usually ignored by mainstream media and, in the process, create a fresh history of Los Angeles. Roughly dividing the city into six regions—North Los Angeles, the Eastside and San Gabriel Valley, South Los Angeles, Long Beach and the Harbor, the Westside, and the San Fernando Valley—this illuminating guide shows how power operates in the shaping of places, and how it remains embedded in the landscape.

The ghost towns of Southern California-some dramatic and nearly intact, others devastated-are well worth visiting. Most are remnants of once-colorful mining towns, though there are also railroad towns, a World War II relocation center, a promoter's swindle, and a failed socialist colony. Some excellent attractions remain. One of the best-preserved stamp mills in the West is in Skidoo. Smelters, homes, stores, and the remarkable wooden American Hotel can be found in Cerro Gordo, which the author calls "California's best true ghost town." Seasoned back-roads traveler Philip Varney, who has visited nearly a hundred ghost towns in the area, provides a down-to-earth and helpful guide to more than sixty of the best in Southern California and nearby Inyo and Kern counties. He defines a ghost town as a town with a population markedly decreased from its peak, one whose initial reason for settlement no longer keeps people there. It can be completely deserted, have a resident or two, or retain genuine signs of vitality, but Varney has eliminated those towns he considers either too populated or too empty of significant remains. The sites are grouped in four chapters in Inyo County, Death Valley, the Mojave Desert and Kern River, and the regions surrounding Los Angeles and San Diego. Each chapter provides a map of the region, a ranking of sites as "major," "secondary," and "minor," information on road conditions, trip suggestions, and tips on the use of particular topographic maps for readers interested in more detailed exploration. Each entry includes directions to a town, a brief history of that town, and notes on its special points of interest. Current photographs provide a valuable record of the sometimes fragile sites. Southern California's Best Ghost Towns will be welcomed both by those who enjoy traveling off the beaten path and by those who enjoy the history of the American West.

Go beyond the theme parks and crowded beaches of Southern California to discover a cliffside house sculpted from garbage, the Museum of Latin American Art, or a covered wagon tour through the desert.

Go on the ultimate West Coast road trip this summer with The Best Coast—a full-color illustrated travel guide to all the must-visit roadside attractions, beloved landmarks, hidden histories, and offbeat delights on Washington, Oregon, and California’s historic highways, include the Pacific Coast Highway! From San Diego, California, all the way up to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, you'll find unusual facts, hidden history, epic Americana, and off-the-beaten-path adventures up and down the coast. This Road Trip Atlas Includes: Route Maps - the coastal route via historic Highways 101 and 1 (the PCH) and an inland route up Highway 99 City Guides - San Diego, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento, Portland, and Seattle 30+ Itineraries and Side Trips - Catalina Island, Joshua Tree National Park, Sequoia and Yosemite National Parks, wine country, Crater Lake National Park, the Columbia River Gorge, Mount Rainier National Park, the San Juan Islands, and Vancouver, BC. Travel Tips - safety, rules of the road, wise planning, and packing lists (for the traveler and for the car) Wildlife Checklists Index of places, parks and attractions Resources - navigational aids, travel information, passes and permits, books, websites and films Hit the road with this one-of-a-kind road trip travel guide through California, Oregon, and Washington that tells the story of the diversity and depth that created the West Coast we know and love today!

Lonely Planet: The world’s leading travel guide publisher Lonely Planet Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern California is your passport to the most relevant, up-to-date advice on what to see and skip, and what hidden discoveries await you. Cruise the slow lanes of the Pacific Coast Highway, ride in spinning teacups at Disneyland Resort, or hit the trails in Joshua Tree National Park; all with your trusted travel companion. Begin your journey now! Inside Lonely Planet Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern California Travel Guide: Full-color maps and images throughout Highlights and itineraries help you tailor your trip to your personal needs and interests Insider tips to save time and money and get around like a local, avoiding crowds and trouble spots Essential info at your fingertips - hours of operation, phone numbers, websites, transit tips, prices Honest reviews for all budgets - eating, sleeping, sight-seeing, going out, shopping, hidden gems that most guidebooks miss Cultural insights give you a richer, more rewarding travel experience - history, music, arts, architecture, wildlife Free, convenient pull-out Los Angeles map (included in print version), plus over 50 color maps Covers Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, Joshua Tree National Park, Death Valley National Park, Las Vegas, Santa Barbara, San Diego and more eBook Features: (Best viewed on tablet devices and smartphones) Downloadable PDF and offline maps prevent roaming and data charges Effortlessly navigate and jump between maps and reviews Add notes to personalise your guidebook experience Seamlessly flip between pages Bookmarks and speedy search capabilities get you to key pages in a flash Embedded links to recommendations' websites Zoom-in maps and images Inbuilt dictionary for quick referencing The Perfect Choice: Lonely Planet Los Angeles, San Diego & Southern California, our most comprehensive guide to Southern California, is perfect for both exploring top sights and taking roads less traveled. Looking for a guide focused on Los Angeles? Check out Lonely Planet Pocket Los Angeles, a handy-sized guide focused on the can’t-miss sights for a quick trip. About Lonely Planet: Lonely Planet is a leading travel media company and the world’s number one travel guidebook brand, providing both inspiring and trustworthy information for every kind of traveller since 1973. Over the past four decades, we’ve printed over 145 million guidebooks and grown a dedicated, passionate global community of travellers. You’ll also find our content online, on mobile, video and in 14 languages, 12 international magazines, armchair and lifestyle books, ebooks, and more. Important Notice: The digital edition of this book may not contain all of the images found in the physical edition.