Santa Maria

Santa Maria

Santa Maria has its own style of barbecue (tri-tip cooked over red oak with pinquito beans and salsa), which is a legitimate regional tradition that locals will fight you about. The surrounding Santa Maria Valley is becoming serious wine country (especially Pinot Noir and Chardonnay). It's quieter and more affordable than its central coast neighbors. The Pacific is right there.

Corpus Christi

Corpus Christi is the Texas Gulf coast city where Selena grew up (the memorial on the bayfront is moving). The USS Lexington aircraft carrier is permanently parked downtown as a museum. The beaches at Padre Island National Seashore are some of the longest undeveloped stretches of barrier island in the country. Sun-soaked, breezy, and salt-aired in equal measure.