What are the best cities to visit, in California?|169818

I need a nice vacation city less than a 4 hour drive from Sacramento!!!! It needs to also be good for kids and have a beach.

Monterey and Carmel are fabulous, and around 3 hours from you. Great for the whole family, and dreamy. If you feel like you have a couple more hours of driving in you, Santa Barbara is nothing short of paradise.