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Home to over 1,000 golf courses, 50 snow resorts, over 1,250 miles (2,012 kilometers) of coastline with 420 public beaches, the world's largest outdoor amphitheater (The Hollywood Bowl), the country’s largest state park (Anza-Borrego Desert State Park) and largest protected sanctuary (Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary), California is a recreation paradise. The state’s abundant natural beauty is preserved in several national parks, over 270 state parks, and 134 wilderness areas. Opportunities for outdoor recreation are unparalleled. The state’s climate, size and diversity make for a plethora of year-round options. Available activities include hiking, backpacking, fishing, swimming, surfing, windsurfing, boating, kayaking, rafting, sailing, surfing, biking, skating, mountain climbing, camping, scenic driving, and wildlife viewing. Winter months offer downhill skiing and snowboarding, as well as cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and snowmobiling.

California is a recreational wonderland, home to 280 state parks (the most diverse natural and cultural heritage properties in a single state) and points of interest. The California Department of Parks and Recreation manages almost 1.4 million acres (468,231 hectares), with over 280 (451 kilometers) miles of coastline, 625 miles (1,006 kilometers) of lake and river frontage, nearly 15,000 campsites, and 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) of hiking, biking, and equestrian trails. Parks include historic sites, buildings, culturally significant areas, ghost towns, reservoirs, coastal wetlands, beaches, estuaries, dune systems, lighthouses, fragile deserts, majestic redwood forests, recreational areas, underwater preserves, and plant and wildlife reserves. The state is also home to 20 million acres (6,689,019 hectares) of National Forest.

The state’s numerous national parks are comprised of five National Monuments: Cabrillo National Monument in San Diego, Devils Postpile National Monument in the Sierra Nevadas, Lava Beds National Monument in Tulelake, Muir Woods National Monument in Mill Valley, and Pinnacles National Monument in Paicines; three National Recreation Areas: Golden Gate National Recreation Area (which includes Alcatraz Island, the Presidio of San Francisco and Fort Point National Historic Site), Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Thousand Oaks, and Whiskeytown National Recreation Area; four National Historic Trails: California National Historic Trail, Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail, Old Spanish National Historic Trail, and the Pony Express National Historic Trail; seven National Parks: Channel Islands National Park in Ventura, Death Valley National Park, Joshua Tree National Park in Southern California, Lassen Volcanic National Park in Mineral, Redwood National Park and State Park in Del Norte & Humboldt counties, Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks in the southern Sierra Nevadas, Tulare and Fresno counties, and Yosemite National Park in the Sierra Nevadas; four National Historic Sites: Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site in Danville, John Muir National Historic Site in Martinez, Fort Point National Historic Site, and Manzanar National Historic Site in Independence; two National Historical Parks: Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park in Richmond, and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park; one National Preserve: Mojave National Preserve in Southern California; one National Seashore: Point Reyes National Seashore; and one National Memorial: Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial in Concord Naval Weapons Station.

The Golden State has seven major sports stadiums and arenas and more professional sports teams than any other state. These include the Anaheim Mighty Ducks (NHL); the Oakland Golden State Warriors (NBA), A's, (MLB) and Raiders (NFL); the LA Angels of Anaheim (MLB), Avengers (AFL), Clippers (NBA), Dodgers (MLB), Galaxy (MLS), Lakers (NBA), Kings (NHL) and Sparks (WNBA); the Sacramento Kings (NBA) and Monarchs (WNBA); the San Diego Chargers (NFL) and Padres (MLB); the San Francisco Giants (MLB) and 49'ers (NFL); and the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS), <SaberCats (AFL) and Sharks (NHL).

Choices for tourist activities in the state are never-ending. With its rich pioneer history, melting pot of cultures, culturally significant landmarks, renowned museums, varied wildlife habitats, and spectacular vistas, California is an ideal vacation destination. A few of the many attractions include the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, 21 historic California Missions, and over 700 wineries (yielding the majority of wine produced in the U.S.). The Golden State boasts more theme parks and amusement parks than any other state, with some of the most thrilling rides. A few of the dozens include Universal Studios Hollywood, Legoland in Carlsbad, the San Diego Zoo, Disneyland in Anaheim, Knott's Berry Farm, and five Six Flags parks. California offers incredible views from its over 50 state and National Forest designated scenic byways, including Big Sur Coast Highway along Route 1 and Death Valley and Tioga Road/Big Oak Flat Road National Scenic Byways.

California’s over 200 museums include the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento, the American Center for Wine, Food & the Arts in Napa, the University of California’s Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, the Burlingame Museum of Pez Memorabilia, the California Science Center in Los Angeles, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument in San Simeon, the University of California’s Museum of Paleontology at Berkeley, the International Surf Museum in Huntington Beach, and ZEUM in San Francisco. A few of the many gastronomically inspired annual festivals in the state include the Gilroy Garlic Festival held the last full weekend of July, the Los Angeles Tofu Festival held in August, and the Carpinteria Avocado Festival held in early October.

California leads the U.S. in motion picture and television production, exporting entertainment across the world. The California Film Commission (CFC) offers incentives for filming within the state, where its diverse ecology enables it to match the look of nearly any imaginable worldwide location. Major studios in the state include DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, and Universal Studios.

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