These are California’s most ‘charming’ main streets
Bourbon Street, Broadway, 5th Avenue… a city’s main thoroughfare says a lot about the community and culture of the region and some streets are worth making the trip alone.
While some are entertainment hubs with vibrant nightlife, others are more quaint and understated rich with history and lined with small businesses.
Mixbook, a photography website that helps users edit images and make gifts and memories with them, recently went out to find the best streets that represent the latter.
Surveying 3,000 “seasoned travelers,” Mixbook created a list of the main streets across the U.S. that respondents said are most “charming.”
Historic buildings, walkability and plenty of local shopping are all present in many of the top listings.
Although no California main streets were able to crack the top 10, two did make the cut in the top 100.
According the Mixbook, these are the most “charming” main streets in California.
State Street, Santa Barbara (No. 14 overall):
State Street is the main artery through downtown Santa Barbara, with historic theaters, boutique businesses, restaurants and history abound.
Santa Barbara has worked hard to maintain the look of its downtown, instituting design restrictions to make sure that the Spanish Colonial style that the city is famous for remains preserved.
Those who walk along State Street, which has been partially closed to vehicle traffic since the pandemic, can find towering palm trees overlooking red-tile clay roofs and stucco walls. Follow State Street from the center of downtown to its terminus and you’ll end up at the Pacific Ocean in front of the famed Stearns Wharf, one of California’s most beloved piers.
Depending on the time of year, State Street will often transform for the city’s iconic events, including Summer Solstice parade and Old Spanish Days Fiesta, among others.
State Street, according to Mixbook, is the most “charming” main street in California.
Mission Drive, Solvang (No. 25 overall): Not only are the two most charming main streets in California located in SoCal, they’re both located in the same county less than 45 minutes apart.
In the heart of the Santa Ynez Valley sits Mission Drive, the main roadway that cuts through Solvang and its neighboring communities.
Mission Drive, or Highway 246, cuts through the Danish Capital of the America, passing several of the European-inspired village’s landmarks along the way. Solvang’s Little Mermaid fountain, a replica of a seaside statue in Copenhagen, Denmark, is one of the first sites along the drive or walk.
Another statue in a park located in the center of the town celebrates the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen, best known for scribing fairy tales such as “The Ugly Duckling,” “Thumbelina,” “The Princess and the Pea,” and the aforementioned “The Little Mermaid.”
Keep traveling along the road or sidewalk, passing the town’s unique Danish-inspire shops, restaurants and tasting rooms, and you’ll eventually come across two of the town’s iconic windmills. If you’re interested in a wild encounter, if you keep going along the highway toward Buellton, passing through a tree-lined corridor with vineyards and farms on either side, you’ll end up in at Ostrichland USA. There you can feed the world’s largest birds and buy trinkets to commemorate your trip.
The entire trip along Mission Drive is set against a background of rolling hills and blue skies with some of California’s best wineries hidden along the way.
If you’ve already visited and taken a stroll down these California roadways and are interested in expanding your horizons, these are the 10 most charming main streets, according to those surveyed.
King Street, Charleston, South Carolina
Main Street, Lake Placid, New York
Main Street, Beacon, New York
Main Street, Montpelier, Vermont
E. Las Olas Boulevard, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Broughton Street, Savannah, Georgia
King Street, Alexandria, Virginia
Broadway Street/Biltmore Avenue, Asheville, North Carolina
Washington Avenue, Ocean Springs, Mississippi
Main Street, Eureka Springs, Arkansas
For additional information about these main streets, and to see the complete list of 100 streets compiled by Mixbook, click here.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KTLA.
