We had another amazing time this year! The food, the beer, the music - wow! It's a great venue…read more Even the drizzle in the morning couldn't keep us away. Always happy to support Templeton Rotary with their community and global efforts to help humanity while enjoying the many breweries, food and craft vendors. Looking forward to next year already! Keep it up!

Shout out to Zoe for helping me with an art project today. I appreciate your authenticity and…read morewelcoming atmosphere of the art shop. If you haven't been by to see the new mural, head over and check it out!

You don't usually find art supply stores as complete as this little gem in towns the size of…read moreAtascadero. The ARTery (puns can be fun) may make most of its money from custom framing, but it is the art supplies that got my attention. If you're a painter in pretty much any of the main mediums, you'll find a rich selection of tubes and cans in a rainbow of colours here. There are stretched canvas' and even some wood panels, you have to special order those from Michael's. Run for the last 15 years by mother/daughter team of Bobbi and Zoe, The ARTery sits on a corner in an old style storefront in the vintage downtown area. Within its lath and plaster walls rest a large collection of coloured papers and drawing pads as well as lots of other art supplies and art-related knick-knacks. During my most recent visit, Zoe was giving a demonstration to one of her customers on how to use some liquid inks in alcohol. The mother/daughter team are happy to show you the technique necessary and even let you get your hands wet if need be. We are all artists and it's small art stores like The ARTery that bring it down to a local level, where it all starts. Take a short walk past the Carlton Hotel and browse the handmade card selection or maybe have a sit-down in the book section and flip thru The Big Book of Art. Highly recommended for all local artists and those of you that don't yet know you are artists.

I recently joined AronHill Winery and brought my sister and cousin in for a tasting and lunch. The…read morefood and wines were excellent, and we enjoyed the overall setting. I was especially excited to support a female-owned business, which made the visit feel even more meaningful. That said, I do want to be candid about our tasting experience. The pour sizes were extremely minimal--so much so that it was difficult to properly taste and appreciate each wine. As a member, I expected a more generous and welcoming tasting experience. I'm sharing this feedback because I value the experience you offer and want to continue supporting your winery. I do hope future visits better reflect the level of hospitality and generosity one would expect, especially as a member.

One of the best wineries in Paso Robles. Not only do they have delicious wines, they also have a…read morewonderful lunch menu. Their outdoor patio area on top of a hill overlooking Green Valley Rd. is the perfect place to spend an afternoon. The staff is friendly and add to the overall experience.

Passing through Paso Robles, wine was non-negotiable. Most places in the area require appointments,…read morewhich we did not have, because we are spontaneous like that. My wife walked up to someone outside Linne Calodo and asked if they could squeeze in two people for a tasting. They said yes. Best unplanned decision of the trip. Here is where it gets good. There is a guy standing outside and I casually ask if he happens to be with the winery. Turns out it was Matt, the owner and winemaker himself. What followed was essentially a private masterclass: he walked us through the entire winemaking process, took us into the main fermentation and storage room, did proper pours, and spent real time talking about Paso Robles and his philosophy behind his wines and the blends. No rush, no clipboard, no tour-group energy. And then he let us blend with him. Actually blend. Walking from barrel to barrel, making our own concoctions, like we knew what we were doing, which we did not, but Matt made it feel like we did. Easily the best hour we spent in Paso Robles. Possibly the best winery experience we have had in a very long time, and we have had a few. This place is the real deal, the kind of spot that reminds you why Paso Robles wine country is worth visiting beyond the Instagram backdrops. And why small family run wineries beat the big conglomerates when it comes to authentic wine making and tasting experiences. Thank you Matt. Go here. Make an appointment if you have to, or just show up and hope for the best. Both approaches apparently work. Though I would not recommend the latter

This winery is on the smaller and quaint side. We loved the intimate and modern setting, with a…read morelovely host Dani who took such good care of us! This young lady knew her stuff without being pretentious or annoying. The wines were the best we tasted on our entire weekend trip. They are all close to $100 bottles so definitely a special purchase.

I, along with my boyfriend and another couple, attended the 15th Annual Paso Pinot & Paella…read moreFestival at Templeton Park in 2018. It was completely different than what we expected but still exceeded our expectations. I'm glad I looked online at photos of years past as many folks brought blankets, chairs, and event popup canopies to relax under. So definitely don't forget these items if you intend to make the afternoon as comfortable as possible. Pinot & Paella Festival is a local tradition. It's a smaller festival, capping out at about 500 tickets sold. Proceeds benefit local Youth Performing Arts, so you can feel even better about drinking that glass of wine. The park itself was a fabulous location. The large trees provided nice shade in the warm afternoon. Even with the temps capping out at 95, the shade temps with a nice coastal breeze didn't feel above the mid/high 80s. The vendors for wine were solid, but basic. The real star of the show was the paella. There were at least 15 different entrants into this Paella competition. Each one featured a different style of paella. Some were seafood based, one was vegan, others traditional. They all were delicious and amazing though. My only suggestion would be to provide nicer porta potties, and possibly more of them. Just two were not enough for the festival. There also didn't seem to be any security. Most of what I saw were folks wearing security shirts but were also eating and drinking at the event. It's a slower paced festival that is mostly made up of locals. I mean, it is a Sunday afternoon, after all. So if you're into a leisurely Sunday festival like this - by all means try it out. At the very least you'll leave stuffed with paella!

So much to love and enjoy here in Atascadero. They seem to have it all . . . and still more to…read morevisit. And whether it's Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Wine Tasting, Beer and Cocktails, Shopping, Tchotkes, there's absolutely something for everyone. My favorites here in beautiful Atascadero are Amstrdm Coffee House, Atrium Mercantile, Barley and Boar, The Book Odyssey, Carbon 6, Cielo, Kula Hawaiian Kitchen and Tasting Room, Malibu Brew House, Mr. Q, Nogi, and Whiskey and June. And all within walking distance to their beautiful Sunken Gardens. Year-round they have special events at the Sunken Gardens, Atascadero Lake Park, and the Central Coast Zoo. A great way to keep up with the happenings is visitatascadero.com

In Spanish the word, Atascadero means one big mess. This to me is the best way to describe this…read morecity. One big beautiful mess. Grapevines, open land, hills, oak trees, golden grass, ranch style homes, clean, paved roads leading to multiple planned out destinations surround this low key area. It feels more like a get away city for the upper class who probably own mansions in Hollywood, but this is when they want a taste of simple ranch life. Then you also have the other half which you can tell have been living here for a long time or inherited the big pieces of property. Then of course you have the still pricey locations where the middle class lives to provide services for the Atascadero residents and visitors. Sounds like the formula used in majority of California cities, but it's nicer and cleaner here. I leave this review with one of my favorite quotes, "You can sit at the dining table, but you can't touch the silverware."

As one enters the Deprise Brescia Art Gallery, one can see and feel the positive energy and vibes…read moreemanating from the artwork inside. This studio features many powerful pieces of artwork from various local artists, however the owner's artwork dominates the interior space. Deprise Brescia, the owner of this woman-owned gallery, is an extremely talented artist full of positive energy. Her works are created with a thorough knowledge of transformational energy incorporating history, New Age and metaphysical aspects in her art. Many of her works gave rise to interesting conversations with her. The gallery offers a wide variety of art objects & creations, as well as individual crystals, stone works and jewelry.

Deprise Brescia Art Gallery has extraordinary, unique works of art, from gorgeous jewelry to…read morepaintings and sculptures. One exceptional artist uses broken glass shard to create adorable fox terriers with amazing realistic expressions! I'm enjoying the Encaustic painting (using melted beeswax) I purchased there. Everyone there was so personable, interesting, and fun to interact with. I lost my step tracker and the owner Carlotta mailed it to me one-day delivery after her daughter crawled under the desk and found it! Amazing customer service!