A Sporty Vacation? Try California
Of the U.S. states, 32 of them have no major league teams that representing the great American pastime of baseball.
But California has five – count ‘em five – major league baseball teams, including two in the Bay area (the San Francisco Giants and the Oakland Athletics) and three in Southern California (the San Diego Padres, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and the Los Angeles Dodgers).
It just doesn’t seem fair.
Of course, the state is most famous, perhaps, for its diverse opportunities. You can surf in the ocean in Southern California in the morning, then hop in the car and head up to the mountains or some downhill skiing in the afternoon. In addition, you can book a world class hotel room at the Rancho Valencia Resort and Spa north of San Diego or try a humble bed and breakfast inn along the coast – there are 436 of these to choose from, according to the California Bed and Breakfast Association.
Is this confusing? You might start at a business association for advice on hotel options or look for anecdotal reviews at TripAdvisor.com or find customer opinions for hotels or timeshare, such Welk Timeshare Review, which covers the timeshare option so popular for families trying to stretch their dollars luxuriously.
California, while we are on the subject, also has three National Football League teams – the San Francisco 49ers, the Oakland Raiders and the San Diego Chargers – and four teams in the NBA, the Lakers, Clippers, Warriors and Kings.
They have three NHL teams and, I need to ask, do they even have ice in California? Ice that is flat? Hockey rinks?
Apparently, yes. The Golden State sports the Ducks, the Kings and the Sharks, which indicates they at least know how to enjoy the game, even if they are a bit parched when it comes to hockey team names. The Ducks, really? And since when do sharks know how to skate?
No matter. California is simply the place to be when it comes to professional sports, the state that dwarfs all others when it comes to top level sports programs.
And what else does California have for major sports spectacles? For one, the state has some of the most outrageous college sports programs in the country, from the UCLA Bruins, who once dominated the Division One National Collegiate Athletic Association basketball to the USC Spartans, a perennial powerhouse on the football grid iron.
And, did we mention, California simply rules the up and coming U.S. spectator sport of Major League Soccer?
No question about it. The Los Angeles Galaxy, based in Carson, Calif., were Major League Soccer champions in 2002, 2005, 2011, 2012 and 2014 and if they have an off year, the San Jose Earthquakes are there to back them up, winning the MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003.
It probably goes without saying that California is also home to one of the most exclusive and famous golf courses in the world, the Pebble Beach Golf Links of Pebble Beach, which is on the Monterey Peninsula south of San Jose.
It will cost you up to $530 to play a round of golf at Pebble Beach, but you might just want to go as a spectator, given it is a standard outlet for professional golf competitions, hosting the U.S. Open at least five times since World War II.
There are three other premium courses in the area that boast of green fees close to $300 or more. The Cordevalle Golf Club in San Martin costs up to $390 for a round, while the Spyglass course in Pebble Beach costs up to $385 for 18 holes. Nearby, the Links At Spanish Bay in Pebble Beach charges $295 for a round.
California is a great state for sports, but it is also unparalleled in tourism revenue, making both exciting and hospitable. In terms of tourism revenue, the state is No. 1 with $87.7 billion generated in 2009, according to Investopedia, which ranks it far ahead of Florida, which is No. 2 at $70.5 billion and New York at No. 3, which took in $50.4 billion.
That means there are great places to stay in California and the state is ready to wine and dine you when you get there.
Your options for places to stay in the Golden State include some of the greatest hotels in the world to an 840-mile coast line that often seems to be the bed and breakfast capital of the world.
There are 504,201 hotel rooms in California, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and 5,531 lodging properties – part of an industry that generates $7.6 billion per year in tax revenue for the state.
There are also time-shares, camp grounds, vacation rentals and homes to rent, if you want to go in that direction.
Time-shares are a popular option, as they are strategically situated and so focused on vacations that everyone in the family can get their vacation goals met, whether it is fine dining, golf, swimming or heading out to a San Diego Chargers football game.
Options can be discovered by scanning one of the largest timeshare companies in the state, Welk Timeshares, which was begun by the famous band leader Lawrence Welk, who went off to invest in some orange groves, but ended up buying a small hotel and a nine-hole golf course, instead.
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