Reporting by Daniella Segura, USA Today Network/Palm Springs Desert Sun
As Californians continue to grapple with rising costs in one of the nation’s least affordable states, free activities can be hard to pass up.
HGTV recently rounded up the best free things to do in every state, including some of the best free attractions in California, so you don’t have to spend a dime.
“We’ve crisscrossed the country to find your entertainment budget’s new best friends,” HGTV said. “These unmissable natural wonders, cultural icons and local curiosities are perfect for day trips and vacations of all kinds.”
In California, HGTV spotlighted three free attractions, from a popular farmers market to elephant seals and monarch butterflies.
Here are the best free things to do in the Golden State, according to HGTV.
Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market
“Head to Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo for the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market, a hundred-vendor block party with free live entertainment that kicks off every Thursday evening,” HGTV said.
The market spans five blocks of Higuera Street in Downtown San Luis Obispo from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. during summer and from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. during winter, according to Downtown SLO.
“We are a year-round Market and one of the largest in California,” Downtown SLO said.
The market’s live music adds to the blissful atmosphere, according to Visit California.
“The event has long been a place where you can see local acoustic and electric bands as well as lone buskers perform for shoppers as they stroll along,” Visit California said. “For kids, there’s a Bouncy Castle, face-painting, and activity areas. Overall, the downtown SLO Farmers’ Market is a sensory treasure trove, with amazing sights, smells, sounds, and of course tastes.”
Piedras Blancas Rookery
“Bring along any provisions you gathered at the market for a day of wildlife appreciation, California-style: Start out at Piedras Blancas Rookery, where boardwalks and viewing platforms offer glimpses of the only easily accessible and free-to-visit elephant seal colony in the world,” HGTV said.
The Piedras Blancas Rookery, about 7 miles north of San Simeon on Highway 1, is easily accessible, free, and open to the public every day of the year, according to the San Simeon Chamber of Commerce. Reservations are not needed.
The Elephant Seal Rookery traces back to the 1700s “when elephant seals and other marine mammals were hunted for their oil-rich blubber, which was used to make lamp oil and lubricants,” the chamber said.
Over time, the maritime fur trade in the Pacific Northwest almost “drove local seals, sea lions, dolphins, whales, and otters to the brink of extinction,” according to the chamber.
The northern elephant seal was thought to have become extinct by 1900. Twenty years later, the seals received protected status in the United States and have since slowly recovered in California.
“The Elephant Seal viewing area is the best place to see the seals, with boardwalks and viewing platforms extending north and south of a large parking area,” the chamber of commerce said. “On-site volunteers and interpretive educational panels will guide you around the rookery.”
Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach
“If you’re in the area between October and February, head to Pismo Beach’s free-to-visit Monarch Butterfly Grove, where tens of thousands of the intrepid flutterers overwinter,” HGTV said.
Monarch Butterflies migrate thousands of miles to California’s Central Coast every fall, according to the Pismo Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau.
“Pismo Beach has long been one of their favorite wintering destinations,” the visitors bureau said. “The Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove is one of only a few sites in the state that have historically hosted tens of thousands of butterflies, clustering in the limbs of tall Eucalyptus trees beside the coastal estuary.”
The grove is on the southern edge of Pismo Beach, off Highway 1.
“Trails are flat and accessible, making it easy to experience this unique natural phenomenon up close,” the visitors bureau said.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun.
