California is a big state with a lot of variety. It is the most populated state in the US and the third largest in terms of area. California is so significant that their GDP is bigger than all but 8 countries in the world.
California is incredibly diverse when it comes to places to see and things to do. There are the sandy beaches of Southern California and the rocky coastline in Northern California. There are deserts and there are forests with some of the largest trees in the world, with both the extremely tall and fast growing redwoods and the giant sequoia. California has the tallest mountain (Mount Whitney) and lowest point (Death Valley) in the lower 48 states. California offers a variety of amusement parks, like Disneyland and California Adventure, Knotts Berry Farm, Universal Studios, Sea World, and Magic Mountain. California is also home to some stunning National Parks, such as Yosemite. California is home to several of the worlds best known cities, like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, and each of them also has a lot to see. Interestingly, none of those cities is the capital of California, which is Sacramento.
When many people think of California, they think of cities first, like Hollywood, LA, San Francisco. But many of the best things to see in California are natural. Lake Tahoe is breathtaking, and Yosemite National Park is one of the most scenic places in the world.
One thing to know about California is that because of its size you need multiple trips to see it all. Just driving from the North to the South would take over 15 hours. That does create one fun way to see California, which is driving up the coast and making stops along the way. You can take Highway 1 and a combination of other highways, and be treated to spectacular scenery and fun cultural stops all along the way.