Sand City

Sand City is blessed with an abundance of, well, sand. But this isn’t your garden-variety beach sand. We’re referring to spectacular dunes formed during the Pleistocene era at the tail end of the last ice age somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 to 15,000 years ago. These dunes are the highest found on California's Central Coast.

Look above the dunes, and you'll see a sky full of paragliders. The same steady winds that lure hang gliders to Marina State Beach draw paragliders to its sister beach a little south. Sand City is one of the prime spots in the state for paragliding. The winds are perfect, the launch area ideal — and the view is incredible. The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail runs right through the sand dunes, north to Castroville and south all the way to Pebble Beach.

The West End

A short distance from the sandy dunes of Monterey Bay, an artists' community is transforming an industrial neighborhood. Nearly 20 artists have set up studios in Sand City's West End. The artists, along with a number of restaurants and coffee houses, are creating a cool vibe by the sea.