Great for period, maritime, westerns films and background scenery shots.


Monterey SHPName: Monterey State Historic Park

Features:
Monterey State Historic Park served as California's capital under Spanish, Mexican and U.S. rule.  Ten buildings, including the Custom House, built in 1827, and California's First Theatre (1846-47), and several residences (now museums) built in the 1830s. This park offers a glimpse into California’s rich and colorful history.

Travel:    From San Jose (SJC) Airport  74 miles  ~ Drive Time 1 hour, 22 minutes
Website:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=575


Pigeon Point LightstationName: Pigeon Point Lightstation

Features:
  Standing at a majestic 115 feet tall the Pigeon Point Lightstation is one of the tallest in America. It was constructed back in 1872 and sits atop a cliff on the Central Coast showcasing beautiful grounds and a piece of maritime history.

Travel:    From San Francisco (SFO)  39 miles ~ Drive Time 1 hour, 12 minutes
Website:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=533


Fort HumboldtName: Fort Humboldt Historic Park

Features:
  The fort, built in1853, offers many scenic views as it is situated on a bluff overlooking Humboldt Bay. It also contains an open air display of mid 19th-20th century logging equipment.

Travel:    From San Francisco (SFO) Airport   281  ~ Drive Time 5 hours approx.
               From Rogue Valley Int'l Airport-Medford, Oregon  196 miles ~
               Drive Time 3 hours, 40 minutes
Website:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=665


Point Montara LightstationName: Point Montara Lightstation

Features:
  Built in 1875, the Point Montara Lightstation is 25 miles south of San Francisco on the California Coast. The lighthouse and all surrounding buildings have been restored and preserved to add to the scenic views that inspire visitors.

Travel:      From San Francisco (SFO) Airport  20 miles ~ Drive Time 34 minutes
Website:  
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=534


 

Pacheco State ParkName: Pacheco State Park

Features:
Among the historic features of  Pacheco State Park are an old line shack used by Henry Miller’s cattle company in the 1800s, part of the old Butterfield Stage line route, and the remains of the original Pacheco adobe. Pacheco has scenic views of the Central and Santa Clara Valleys and offers trails for hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking situated throughout the park.

Travel:     From San Jose (SJC) Airport  55 miles ~ Drive Time 1 hour, 5 minutes
Website:
  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=560


Vikingsholm in Emerald BayName:
Vikingsholm in Emerald Bay State Park

Features:
Vikingsholm is one of the finest examples of Scandinavian architecture in the western hemisphere. This spectacular mansion was built in the late 1920’s at the head of Emerald Bay.
Two hundred workers were brought to Emerald Bay and started hand hewing the timbers, carving the intricate designs, hand planing the wood for the interior walls, and forging the hinges and latches. The interior of the home has paintings on some of the ceilings and walls and two intricately carved dragon beams and six fireplaces.

Travel:    From Sacramento (SMF) Airport  121 miles ~ Drive Time 1 hour, 55 minutes
Website: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=1158


Benicia Capitol SHPName: Benicia Capitol Historic Park

Features: 
Benicia Capitol State Historic Park is the site of California’s third seat of government (1853-54.) It is the only pre-Sacramento capitol that survives. The original building has been restored with reconstructed period furnishings and exhibits. The interior includes a board-for-board reconstruction of the building’s original floor with ponderosa pine. It is the only pre-Sacramento capitol to survive.

Travel:     From Oakland (OAK) Airport  39 miles ~ Drive Time 52 minutes
Website:
  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=475


Railtown 1897 SHPName: Railtown 1897 Historic Park

Features:
  Located in Jamestown, approximately 100 miles southeast of Sacramento, this park features historic Jamestown shops and Roundhouse (a functioning repair and maintenance facility.) The park also features train excursions at various times of the year.

Travel:      From Sacramento (SMF) Airport  122 miles  ~ 
                 Drive Time 2 hours, 27 minutes
Website:  
www.parks.ca.gov/railtown


Fort Ross SHPName: Fort Ross Historic Park

Features:  
This park was a thriving Russian-American Company settlement in the early 1800’s. It served as the site of California’s first windmills and shipbuilding. There are many reconstructed buildings that depict day to day life in this early California fort.

Travel:     From San Francisco (SFO)  102 miles ~ Drive Time is 2 hours, 27 minutes
Website: 
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=449


 

Colonel Allensworth SHPName: Colonel Allensworth Historic Park

Features:
   This park was a small farming community founded in 1908 by Colonel Allensworth. This is a unique park that includes restored and reconstructed buildings including a schoolhouse, a church, businesses, homes, a hotel, a library, and various other structures of an independent, democratic town where African Americans lived in the early 1900’s.

Travel:     From Bakersfield (BFL) Meadows Field Airport  32 miles ~ Drive Time 36 minutes
Website: 
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=583


Jack London SHPName: Jack London Historic Park

Features:
  This park was the home of Author Jack London and contains the cottage residence where he wrote books, articles, short stories etc. The grounds contain many trails that lead to various structures and natural settings that inspired the author.


Travel:      From San Francisco (SFO) Airport  62 miles  ~ Drive Time 1 hour, 26 minutes
Website:  
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=478


Ehrman Mansion in Sugar Pine Point SPName: Ehrman Mansion
in Sugar Pine Point State Park

Features:
 The mansion is located in Sugar Pine Point State Park amongst a grove of pine and cedar trees. It was home to the Ehrman and Hellman families and offers a glimpse of the lifestyles of the wealthy in Lake Tahoe.


Travel:    From Sacramento (SMF) Airport  132 miles ~ Drive Time 2 hours, 10 minutes 
Website:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=510


Bidwell Mansion SHPName: Bidwell Mansion Historic Park

Features:
  This beautiful Victorian Mansion serves as a memorial to John and Annie Bidwell.  The three story, 26 room structure contained the most modern plumbing, water systems and gas lighting for the era in which it was constructed.

Travel:     From Sacramento (SMF) Airport  86 miles ~ Drive Time 2 hours
Website: 
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=460


Malibu Pier in seen extending out into the middle of Malibu LagoonName: Malibu Pier

Features:
  Malibu Pier is a Southern California icon in an area once called the "Riviera of America.” The historic landmark is located in the heart of California’s surf culture. New restaurants offering classic seaside dishes complement the pier’s beautiful coastal location and the rich history of Malibu Lagoon State Beach. Malibu Lagoon contains the Malibu pier and is also home to the Adamson House (a National Historic Site).

Travel:      From Los Angeles (LAX) Airport  27 miles ~ Drive Time 39 minutes
Website:  
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=24409


Old Town San DiegoName: Old San Diego Historic Park

Features:
  This park recreates life from the Mexican and early American periods from 1821 to 1872. There are 5 original adobes that are part of the historical complex as well as various restaurants and shops.

Travel:      From San Diego (SAN) Airport  15 miles  ~ Drive Time 25 minutes
Website:  
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=663


Columbia State Historic ParkName: Columbia Historic Park

Features:
The town's old Gold Rush-era business district has been preserved, with shops, restaurants and two Victorian hotels. Visitors have the chance to time-travel to the Gold Rush era of the1850s, imagining life when gold miners rubbed shoulders with businessmen and the other residents in Columbia. There are opportunities to ride a 100 year-old stagecoach, pan for gold, or tour an active gold mine.

Travel:    From Sacramento (SMF) Airport  129 miles ~ Drive Time 2 hours, 39 minutes
Website:
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=552


San ClementeName: San Clemente State Beach Historic Cottage

Features:
  The Historic Cottage provides the visitors a glimpse of a unique architecture, as well as the lifestyle and time period of the 1930s.

Travel:     From John Wayne Airport (SNA) Santa Ana  28 miles  ~
                 Drive Time 39 minutes
Website:
  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=646


California State Capitol buildingName: California State Capitol Building

Features:
The California State Capitol Museum is the name given to the grounds and buildings of the California State Capitol building. Visitors can tour the restored historic offices of the Attorney General, Secretary of State, Treasurer, and Governor of California. The building features rare artworks, statues, and historical collections. There are 40 acres of gardens in the surrounding Capitol Park.

Capitol Park has trees from around the world and memorials including the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial, with life-size bronze figures of service men and women featuring engravings of names of Californians killed or missing in action. The California State Capitol Museum’s historic rooms and park open space maybe used for motion picture filming with permission of the Senate Rules Committee and California Highway Patrol. This building has been home to the California legislature since 1869.

Travel:    From Sacramento (SMF) Airport  20 miles ~ Drive Time 25 minutes
Website: 
www.capitolmuseum.ca.gov