BEST Souvenirs From California (2024)
Heading to the Sunshine State, and looking for unique souvenirs from California? I have family ties in California and am lucky to have travelled there many times.
My brother has lived in San Fransico, Lake Tahoe and San Diego – so needless to say, we’ve been all over the state.
Many California souvenirs have been exchanged as gifts in my family, and I’ve come to discover a lot of special items that you can only buy in California.
California has a few things going for it that make it very unique to other US states:
- The right climate for growing a variety of crop
- An active, outdoor and artsy culture
- The movie scene
I’m going to share with you exactly what products and brands to look for that would make a unique California souvenir or gift.
These are things to look for while you’re in California:
Unique Souvenirs from California
1. California Republic Gear
California Republic is a clothing brand that makes everything from hoodies, hats, mitts and even small souvenirs like magnets and shot glasses.
You will likely see California Republic souvenirs at airports and souvenir shops. I saw a whole display at the airport in San Fransico airport.
If you can’t find them in person, then they also have an online store.
Pro Tip: It’s important to know that California Republic changes their designs and colours every so often. I loved my California Republic cap, pictured above but I eventually lost it. The cap in that exact design was no longer available on their website, so I had to buy it second-hand off eBay. So, just make sure to grab the design you like while its still available
2. City-branded clothing
California has so many iconic cities that are world famous – Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Hollywood, and Santa Monica – to name a few.
Wherever you visit in the state, you’ll be able to find hoodies, T-shirts, and other clothing branded with the city name.
Having been to different parts of California so many times, we have a lot of their branded clothing. Everything has been good quality and stood the test of time.
3. In-N-Out T merchandise
In-N-Out is a California-based burger chain that’s known for making fast food ‘the old-fashioned way.’
They do have a few locations outside of California; but only in the western states.
I personally can’t find much to eat there, because they don’t have vegetarian options. However, that goes back to them doing things the old-fashioned way.
In-N-Out resembles a classic 50s diner, and I think that’s a big part of what makes them so popular.
So, whether you want to eat at In-N-Out or not, you may be interested in the merchandise they sell:
- T-shirts
- Hoodies
- Socks
- A book about the story behind In-N-Out
You can browse these items, and many other options on the In-N-Out Merchandise online shop.
4. National Park souvenirs
California has more national parks than any other state.
Many (if not, all) of these national parks have visitor centres and gift shops that you can browse before ore after visiting.
Many of them even outsource their unique California National Park souvenirs to other shops, so you don’t even need to necessarily visit the actual park to get a cool souvenir of it.
When my mom was visiting my brother in San Diego, she brought me back a thermos with all the national parks.
This is more of a general US souvenir than a specifically California, but you can find ones that are specific to pretty much any national park.
Here are a few of the more famous ones, and a link to where you can find their products:
A quick Google search of whichever park you want to visit will bring you to their online store.
5. See’s Candies
See’s Candies an upscale candy store that was founded in Los Angeles over 100 years ago. There are dozens of locations throughout California.
You’ll be able to find a See’s Candies in most major cities and towns in cities in California (there are over 50 just in California.)
See’s Candies isn’t unheard of outside of California – they have locations all over the US, and even some abroad – however, no other location has as many See’s Candies as California does.
Also, their candies are made in factories in LA and in San Francisco, so you’re getting the freshest ones from buying them right here in the Sunshine State.
6. California Wine
A list of souvenirs from California wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the famous California wine!
I know that wines from California can be bought worldwide. But, many wineries in California have limited-release bottles that are sold exclusively through the winery and can’t be found elsewhere.
Being that California wine is usually excellent, I wouldn’t pass on being able to find a bottle that is unique and couldn’t be found elsewhere.
Generally, you would find these by visiting the winery. And often, wineries have little gift shops where you can buy more than just wine.
Interesting fact: Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the most popular, making up almost 1/2 of all of California’s wine.
7. A wooden map of a California lake
One of the most treasured California souvenirs in my family is a hand-carved wooden map of Lake Tahoe.
My brother bought this as a special gift for my mom in a store called On Tahoe Time in South Lake Tahoe.
You can get wood carvings of other California lakes, such as Shasta Lake, Mono Lake.
you can find many great examples of wood-carved lakes on Etsy too.
8. Ghirardelli Chocolate
Similar to See’s Candies, Ghirardelli Chocolate is mainly found in California (several locations in both north and south California)
Whereas See’s Candies were founded in LA, Ghirardelli Chocolate was founded in San Francisco and their products are supposed to be rich of the San Fransico culture.
They also make some San Fransisco-themed souvenirs, such as a tin that has the San Fransisco cable car on it.
Check Ghirardelli’s selection of chocolates and souvenirs here.
9. A nut gift set
Nut growing is HUGE in California, thanks to its ideal climate. California grows 80% of all the world’s almonds and 75% of the world’s walnuts.
Almost all (98%) of pistachios in the US are also grown in California.
While quite a few of these nuts are exported to other states and countries, some of the smaller farm ones can only be bought from the farm itself or in a local market.
Santa Barbara Company (located in Santa Barabara, but has an online store) has great gift sets and packages, many of which have nuts in them.
If you’re looking for a gift for someone, I think these are some of the nicest California gifts I’ve seen!
10. California University paraphernalia
California has more post-secondary students than any other state, and there are over 300 colleges and universities throughout the Sunshine State.
Some of the big names are:
- California State University
- Sanford University
- University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley)
- University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
You don’t have to be a student (or even set foot at a university) to buy university paraphernalia.
Here for example is UC Berkey’s Bookstore, which also sells clothing and other keepsakes and souvenirs. A Google search of the school you’re interested in + giftshop will bring you to the campus online bookstore/shop where you can browse their souvenirs.
Good to Know: Most Californian universities are named “University of California + the name of the city or location.
11. California-grown olive oil products
California is the olive-growing state of the US; olives were brought there in the 1700s by the Spaniards, and the climate in the Sunshine State has proved ideal for olive production.
Most California olives grow in the northern part of the state.
California, like Italy, is a great place to get a high quality bottle of olive oil, although that can be a heavy souvenir. Other options are to get products made of California-grown olives.
I recommend Wonder Valley in Joshua Tree, CA for high-quality gifts and products made from California-grown olives. If you’re not going to be in that area, check out their online store!
You can also read about the benefits of olive oil-based skincare products here.
12. Dried fruits from small orchards
California is famous for its fresh fruit, but it’s hard to bring fresh fruit on a plane unless its a snack to eat in the cabin.
So, one hack for bringing lots of healthy, high-antioxidant California fresh fruit home is to buy dried fruit directly from Californian orchards!
If you’d like to visit an orchard, there’s a directory of all of them here – and colour-coded by whether they’re organic or not.
You can also check Trader Joe’s (they have over 200 stores in California, so you’ll likely be able to find one) for dried fruit.
Trader Joe’s is a more premium grocery store. Just read the label of any dried fruit you buy there to make sure it came from a California orchard.
13. Show Business Souvenirs
As you know, California is also the show business capital of the US – Los Angeles specifically.
There are countless great souvenirs related to that. Here are some ideas:
- Disney souvenirs from Disneyland
- Universal Studios souvenirs
- movie-themed souvenir stores on Hollywood Boulevard
Hollywoodland (pictured above) is a huge souvenir store on Hollywood Boulevard – if you’re a movie buff, you’d love it. They don’t seem to have an online store; its all exclusively bought in person.
If you’re looking for an online option for movie souvenirs, Hollywood Mega Store has lots of options
Where to Look for Unique Souvenirs in California
Here are the places to head to in California to find some good souvenirs
- Trader Joe’s will have locally grown nuts, dried fruits,
- California University gift shops
- Souvenir stores in all the major cities and tourist towns
- National and State Parks in-person and online stores for souvenirs related to nature, and outdoor activities
- In N Out Burger Joints for merchandise
- Ghirardelli Chocolate or See’s Candies for sweet treats
- The airports – if worst comes to worst, the airports are a good place to find some good California-inspired souvenirs
- Disneyland for Disney-based souvenirs
What to Buy in California FAQ
Here are the most commonly asked questions about things to buy in California
What is something special in California?
California has more of several things than any other US state: Trader Joe’s, national parks, nut farms and wineries.
What is unique to California?
Many fruit and nut products are unique to California because California has the right climate for growing them. California has many of its own clothing brands, such as university paraphernalia, and the famous California Republic clothing brand
What is the best gift from California?
some of the best gifts from California are California Republic brand clothing, California art, and gift sets with olive oil, dried fruits and nuts that grew in California
What to purchase in California?
When you’re in California, look in national park gift shops for some unique souvenirs. You can also get premium California-grown nuts, olive oil, olive oil-products, wine, and dried fruits that were grown in California’s ideal Mediterranian climate.
Final Thoughts on Souvenirs from California
I have no doubt that you may now have more than a few great ideas for great things to buy in California, which are unique to the Sunshine State and not easily found anywhere else.
California has such a health-conscious culture, with lots of national parks, orchards, nut and olive farms and premium grocery stores. You can find many great souvenirs related to these things.
You have your pick of lots of amazing things to buy in California. We always come back with a full suitcase of souvenirs, and my brother never has any trouble finding special gifts for people when he comes home for Christmas.