You can count on famed California beaches like Santa Monica, Santa Cruz, and Laguna Beach, amongst others, to be congested with tourists, especially in the summer. Luckily, the Golden State has a vast coastline which means that there are several underrated places found throughout California. This includes Pismo Beach on the Central Coast, with one Reddit user referring to it as a hidden gem. In 2024, it was named one of the best coastal small towns in the country by USA TODAY 10Best. It’s not hard to see why.