Central Coast Cruise

Drive 15 minutes from San Luis Obispo County Airport, and you’re in the family-friendly beach community of Pismo Beach. This sun-and-fun town with its bustling pier and soft sand beckons beach walkers, kite fliers, boogie boarders, and surfers. Take a surfing lesson with the pros at Pismo Beach Surf Academy, or stick to dry land with a stroll along the oceanfront bluffs at Dinosaur Caves Park. Show up in Pismo Beach from November to February and you can observe thousands of orange- and black-winged monarch butterflies at North Beach Campground in Pismo State Beach. At any time of year, stop in for a laidback meal at the Cracked Crab. The server dumps a bucket of shellfish, red potatoes, and corn cobs on your paper-lined table, and you dig in. 

With its broad stretch of sand tucked into a sheltered cove, Avila Beach is a beachgoers’ favorite, but there’s more here than sun and sea. Take your kids to see the marine creatures at the nonprofit Central Coast Aquarium. Dip into healing waters at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa, a collection of secluded hot tubs and a rock-lined waterfall lagoon. Or broaden your apple horizons: From late July to early December, take a drive or bike ride on the 14-mile See Canyon apple tour, which visits 1900s-vintage orchards in the narrow canyon northeast of Avila Beach. Local apple farmers favor heritage varieties with intriguing names, like Missouri Pippins, Winter Bananas, and Splendors from Tasmania. Even when apples aren’t in season, you’ll find other forms of agricultural bounty at Avila Valley Barn and Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards. 

Morro Bay is both a coastal town and a wildlife-rich estuary—its protected bay acts as a nursery for populations of fish and marine life. Separated by a long, sandy spit from the harsh ocean waves, the bay’s most photographed landmark is monolithic Morro Rock, an extinct volcanic peak that rises 576 feet above the waterline. Get eye-to-eye with coastal birds, seals, sea lions, and whales on a kayak trip with Central Coast Outdoors. Watch pelicans dive head-first into the water while you eat fish and chips at Tognazzini’s Dockside Restaurant. Sample Morro Bay’s locally grown oysters at Grassy Bar Oyster Company or Morro Bay Oyster Company. Wander through the Morro Bay State Park Museum of Natural History, perched on a cliff overlooking the bay. Survey the exhibits on local wildlife and geology, or just admire the views from the floor-to-ceiling windows and outdoor observation deck.

Unplug from the world in the historic dairy village of Harmony, population 18 (“if you count the cows,” as the locals say). For such a tiny town, there’s a fair amount to do and see: Snap a selfie by the ornately carved wooden doors of the Harmony Chapel. Visit Harmony Pottery Studio and Gallery to see the handiwork of more than 150 Central Coast artists. Join a glass-blowing workshop at Harmony Glassworks or shop for colorful glass sculptures, kaleidoscopes, paperweights, and jewelry. Sample the Chardonnay at family-owned Harmony Cellars, or pop by the Harmony Valley Creamery truck for small-batch ice cream.

Cambria’s easy-walking village offers a lot more than just overnight lodging for Hearst Castle visitors. Ramble along Main Street and peek into art galleries and studios, including Amphora, Vault Gallery, Artifacts, and Ephraim Pottery West. Sample local vintages at Moonstone Cellars or Fermentations. You won’t find much in the way of sandy beaches in Cambria, but the coastal vibes are strong: Look for sea stars in the rocky tide pools at Leffingwell Landing, and hike the oceanfront headlands at Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Refuel with lunch on the patio at Robin’s or a slice of olallieberry pie at Linn’s Restaurant.

You can’t drive this stretch of Central Coast shoreline without touring Hearst Castle, the ultra-extravagant 115-room mansion built by William Randolph Hearst. The newspaper magnate filled his splendid San Simeon“castle” with precious artifacts including European tapestries, ornately carved choir stalls, and Norman fireplaces. Take a tour of Hearst’s monumental home, then go see bulbous, blubbery elephant seals sprawled out on the beaches at Piedras Blancas. The “e-seals” are most plentiful from November to March, but there’s almost always some type of pinnipeds lounging out on San Simeon’s beaches. If you want to put a few sandy miles under your feet, take a long stroll at William R. Hearst Memorial Beach.

Big Sur is a place where sandstone, surly waves, and the sundown sea come together in a never-ending dance of creation and destruction. (Ed. note: As of December 2023, portions of northbound Highway 1 in Big Sur are closed. See this page for details.) The village of Big Sur houses some of the Central Coast’s most famous and fabulous inns: Ventana Big Sur, Post Ranch Inn, and Deetjen's. Even if you can’t stay overnight, linger for as long as you can: Take a short walk at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see McWay Falls plummet to the sea. Tour the 1889 Point Sur Lighthouse, a stone sentinel presiding over the shipwreck site once known as the “Graveyard of the Pacific.” Stop in to the Henry Miller Memorial Library to see a collection of fascinating clutter about the writer and his life's work. Or just kick back with a cocktail on Nepenthe’s deck and savor Big Sur’s rugged, wild coastline. 

Paso Robles is the jumping-off point for more than 200 wineries spread across seven different growing regions, each with its own microclimate and terroir. A stroll through Paso Robles’ compact downtown takes you to 20-plus tasting rooms: Start with Pinot Noir at Tudor Wines, then move on to Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel at Justin Wines. Nondrinkers have plenty to do, too: Browse the works of Central Coast artists in Park Street Gallery and Studios on the Park. Taste locally produced olive oils and vinegars at Kiler Ridge, where the tasting room is built from eco-conscious straw bales. Or spend an hour wandering the meticulous grounds at Sculpterra Winery to admire massive bronze and granite sculptures.

San Luis Obispo doles out a perfect ratio of surf culture, local heritage, and farm-to-fork cuisine. The city’s cheerful downtown, filled with boutiques, wine bars, breweries, and cafes, also hosts the whitewashed Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, founded by Spanish missionaries in 1772. Start exploring at shade-dappled Mission Plaza, where San Luis Creek meanders by. Check out the local shopping scene in and around Higuera Street. Browse Junk Girls for hand-stamped metal art, lamps built from found objects, and artisan jewelry. Shop for surf and skate gear at Central Coast Surfboards. Dig through shelves of hardbacks at Phoenix Books. And don’t miss San Luis Obispo’s most eccentric landmark: Instagram-famous Bubblegum Alley, a narrow pedestrian passageway covered in already-been-chewed gum—an estimated two million pieces.