Southern California plays second fiddle to the northern half of the state when it comes to popularity ratings among tourists. It has many of the same attractions, such as pleasant weather, lots of beautiful shoreline, many good hotels and restaurants, shopping with snob appeal and varied attractions. Northern California has the mountains and, hence, the associations with winter sports. However, air and water temperatures are warmer in the south, which means there are still plenty of sports for the active vacationer — but many are in the water instead.

Just like the north, Southern California has parklands that offer access to nature, scenery, uncrowded spaces and a range of physical activities. Nevertheless, it is among the venturers and venturer-leaning travelers that its numbers fall way down. Attractions in the area are widely separated, which means visitors need to book a tour or rent a car to get around effectively if they want to do more than concentrate on one city.

Who goes there? Disneyland continues to be a big draw for families, and the Los Angeles area also has the Universal Studios and Six Flags Magic Mountain to add to the theme park mix. Visitors can see tapings of popular TV shows in the Los Angeles area. These attractions appeal more to authentics and authentic-leaning personalities. The same can be said about San Diego, the metropolis to the south, with its mild climate, beautiful bay and famous zoo. When do they go? People come all year. “Snowbirds” visit in the winter, swelling the populations of desert communities like Palm Springs. Families headed for the beach or theme parks come in summer because that's when their kids are out of school.

Go whitewater rafting on the Kern River, which flows from head-waters surrounding the California’s highest peak, Mount Whitney (14,495 feet), to the arid landscapes near Bakersfield. Guided trips operate from April through August and come in varying degrees of difficulty.

Plan a full-blown hands-on foodie holiday in Santa Barbara County. Take a cooking class from a local chef. Sample wines from some of the 60-plus wine tasting facilities in Lompoc, Santa Maria and Santa Ynez valleys. Dive for lobster and crab in the Santa Barbara Channel (with supervision). Sample the goods at a farmers’ market, and visit a farm to learn about sustainable agricultural and relevant environmental issues. See www.santabarbarafresh.com.

Imagine biking, camping and hiking in Death Valley National Park. Or, make that mountain biking and backcountry camping, but you’ll do this only from late fall to earliest spring because of the heat. Want to hike in summer? Head to the park’s mountains. (There is a small hotel in the park, too.)

Follow the Fresno County Fruit Trail which puts you on the scent of orchards filled with fresh fruit from May to September. More than 40 farms participate.

Go kayaking in the Channel Islands National Park. Also, at this park, you can dive and snorkel, go fishing, do some bird-watching and, depending on the season, watch seals, sea lions and whales.

Go surfing in the Pacific.

Choose hiking, and the trip can be as challenging as you want. Consider the two-day hike 21 miles up San Gorgonio Peak which, at 11,499 feet, is the tallest mountain in the region (about two hours east of downtown Los Angeles, in the San Bernardino National Forest).

Attend a Boot Camp for Women (Rancho Cucamonga, Upland and Riverside) that can last four weeks and addresses fitness, diet and motivational training.

Tour the former luxury liner, the Queen Mary, which is berthed at Long Beach. Dine on board or stay overnight.

Fish for trout at Irvine Lake; camp on site.

Come to Pasadena for the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl Parade. You have to plan that in advance, and the same applies to the Rose Bowl football game if you want to attend it.

Sample Mexican food, Southern California style.

Sign on for a cooking class at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center. Customer excursions include tours of organic farms and behind-the-scenes visits to local wineries. The center provides its own a tasting bar, as well.

Vacation at a guest ranch. You determine if this will be a soft adventure (golf, tennis, hayrides and slow jaunts on a horse) or not so soft (participating in ranch activities like rounding up cattle).

Go bird-watching in the Big Morongo Canyon Preserve, where more than 240 bird species have been observed.

Visit the Hearst Castle at San Simeon, and make that an evening tour when you are invited to experience the castle — built by William Randolph Hearst — as one of Hearst’s visitors might have. Available only in spring and fall, the evening tour features costumed reenactors providing the living history program.

Sample the original Disney experience at Disneyland. For a change of pace, visit Knott’s Berry Farm.

Go to theater at La Jolla Playhouse.

Spend a day at the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Wild Animal Park. It is part of Balboa Park, which also houses several museums, lovely gardens and the Ruben H. Fleet Space Theater.

Go to the races at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club.

See the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum in Simi Valley, Calif. See the Air Force One craft that served U.S. presidents from Richard Nixon through Bill Clinton. George W. Bush flew on it once.

Stay at a Palm Springs resort; play golf, swim, enjoy the clean desert air.

Be pampered at a Beverly Hills spa. Or, go to the San Diego area, which has a high concentration of luxury, European-style spa resorts. There are spa programs for children, too.

Take a sightseeing boat tour to see whales. You can watch from land, as well. Try the glassed-in observatory at the Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma in San Diego. Attend a festival, such as the Celebration of the Whales event in Oxnard or Santa Barbara’s annual Whale Festival. Both are held in March.

Take a tour of Beverly Hills, and book a tour to see the interior of a movie or TV studio. This may sound so stereotypical, even corny, but can be lots of fun.

For more information, consult the California Travel and Tourism Commission at www.visitcalifornia.com
and LA INC., the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau at www.seemyla.com

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