CARPINTERIA

Known as "Carp" by locals is lively oceanside community. The main street, Linden Ave. is lined with a myriad of mom-and-pop shops, gourmet cafés, antique stores and home to the annual Avocado Festival, held yearly in October. You can get your fill of fresh avocado everything, from guacamole to ice cream.  Carpinteria State Beach offers a mile of beach for swimming, surf fishing, tide-pool exploring and camping. Carpinteria Beach is known for its gentle slope and calm waves in selected sandy areas but also good surfing swells in some of the more rocky areas. Seals and sea lions can be seen in the area December through May, as well as an occasional gray whale. Tidepools contain starfish, sea anemones, crabs, snails, octopi and sea urchins.