Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. This landscape produces stunning views and has made Big Sur a popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak is the highest coastal mountain in the lower 48 states, ascending nearly a mile (5,155 feet/1.6km) above sea level, only three miles (4.8 km) from the ocean. The northern end of Big Sur is about 120 miles (193km) south of San Francisco, and the southern end is approximately 245 miles (394km) north of Los Angeles.

AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS:
Big Sur was voted "Best Place to Play Hookie," and "Best Romantic Getaway." Big Sur is also home of the "Best Marathon in North America" and the "Best Hotel in North America." Adding to our 'best of' list, Big Sur is now home to the "Best Restaurant in California," per the Zagat Survey. National Geographic Traveler listed Big Sur as one of the "50 Places of a Lifetime/The World's Greatest Destinations." Playboy Magazine rates Post Ranch Inn as one of the "sexiest" places on earth (Feb. '07). Oh, and Big Sur was recently on the cover of Sunset Magazine, "Spring Escapes 06; Our top picks for weekend getaways and fantasy vacations."

Orson Welles and his wife at the time, Rita Hayworth, bought a Big Sur cabin on impulse during a trip down the coast in 1944. They never spent a single night there, and the property is now the location of a popular restaurant.

Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in the 1965 film The Sandpiper, featuring many location shots of Big Sur, and a dance party scene on a soundstage built to resemble the same restaurant. It is one of the very few major studio motion pictures ever filmed in Big Sur, and perhaps the only one to use real Big Sur locales as part of the plot. The DVD, released in 2006, includes a Burton-narrated short film about Big Sur, quoting Robinson Jeffers poetry.

Henry Miller lived in Big Sur from 1944-1962. His 1957 novel Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch described the joys and hardships that came from escaping the "air conditioned nightmare" of modern life. The Henry Miller Memorial Library, a cultural center devoted to Miller's life and work, is a popular attraction for many tourists.

Jack Kerouac spent a summer in Big Sur. His novel based on the experience, Big Sur, was published in 1962.


Information courtesy of wikipedia.org