It is always a pleasure to come to Pismo. The times we have come it is always clean and pleasant…read more Also, every time we come we find sea creatures or spices on the sand. This time we found a lot of by the wind sailor according to Google. And also some sand dollars. Last time were jelly fish, and the time before that were a lot of clams. I am always puzzled. I always have to walk barefoot on the beach for at least half an hour to an hour to recharge. You know science say that. Then depending on the time of the day we can lay down on the beach to wait for the sunset or go to the pier and find a bench and wait for it. This time we did the second. I took my book and enjoyed reading while waiting. It is very peaceful just to seat there read and enjoy the sound of the waves coming in and out. I am a sunset lover so I don't mind the drive from Fresno just to enjoy the beautiful time here in Pismo. Also the weather just perfect. If it's cold in Fresno it is warmer here. If it's hot in Fresno it is colder here. It's a win, win always. Highly recommend this beach for sunsets. Compared to Morro Bay that it's always gloomy. So, come and enjoy the views here in Pismo.

Pier is beautiful and flooring is stable af…read more Beach is Clorox clean. I swear!!! Visitors, locals, and staff really keep this beach clean. I didn't see any trash except in the trash can where it belongs. Weather was nice and cool. Locals are friendly and nice. We had a few of them give my ex gf and me some unsolicited conversations that made us smile. We had another local offer to take pictures of my ex gf and me with her phone. So nice. Wish folks were this nice and friendly in Los Angeles County . Male and female restrooms were clean when we needed them. Lots of places to eat and shop. Most are pricey. If you want souvenirs, definitely go to the outlets, a mile away from the beach. Biggest issue with beach (and any other beach) is available free public parking. We actually got lucky to find a nice spot while a person was leaving.

Probably one of the go to spots while in morro bay. Who doesn't want to see a sea otter? We were…read morethere and were able to see just one but it was worth it in the end. The designated area is walled off and pretty safe for kids but if you go around the corner and onto the pier area, it is open so keep your kids close as they could technically fall into the water. Good closeup area for Morro rock too if that's what you're looking for. If you are able, you can go into the pier and get a bit closer for better pics of Morro rock.

Who wouldn't love to walk and see otters and seals! This is a great place for photos…read more The waterfront Embarcadero street is close to the pier and has many shops and restaurants. I love that it is dog friendly! We walked from the beginning of the pier to Morro Bay rock.

Ask my husband - as we pulled into the main heart of the Village, I kept saying, "I want to live…read morehere!" The charming mix of unique architectural styles with varied textures and accents is reminiscent of many of the old Gold Rush-era towns in the Sierra foothills. I definitely prefer vintage character to contemporary glass and steel, so felt right at home. We grabbed a sandwich at Branch Street Deli, then wandered several blocks to check out the window displays and real estate postings. We even ventured out onto the swinging bridge, and noted the gazebo nearby. Free parking is also a plus. As we left the business district we cruised on several adjacent residential streets. It seemed like each cottage was cuter than the one before. The Village of Arroyo Grande is loaded with character. Can't wait to go back and explore more.

The Village of Arroyo Grande is always a pleasure to visit. Be it for the harvest festival, the…read morestrawberry festival, the farmers market, or ... Every time it is a fun stop and the stores and restaurants are so welcoming. Come on in and take a walk and enjoy

If you're a fan of art and you like the idea of a self-guided tour then this one's for you…read more I discovered the Morro Bay Mural Mile from my airbnb host's guidebook and since she was kind enough to lend my friend and me her pair of beach cruisers, it made for a great way to take in some fresh ocean air and see some local art. The Mural Mile is actually 2.25 miles long if you follow the recommended directional path and covers 23 murals, most of which are painted on the side of buildings in popular places in Morro Bay. I really enjoyed biking around Morro Bay to see some of these murals and plan to finish seeing the rest next time I'm in town. Pro tip: Plan to skip #3 (Treasures of Morro Bay) unless you feel comfortable walking up onto someone's residential porch to actually see it.

Visiting SLO and my wife heard about this trail. I checked online on how to access...unfortunately…read morethe article was from 5 years ago and seemed to be outdated. Make sure you have plenty of time as there is quite a bit to see. We had a little over an hour and weren't able to see everything. We parked at the parking village drive parking garage, which was $10. There are 2 trails that head to the entrance arch shown in the picture..the first we ran across connected to the living quarters as was a narrow trail in the grass leading to the woods. This is a tad more challenging as the other trail is a gravel road with a slight incline and this route is a small path through the woods ( incline, decline, over branches and roots, etc). After about 14 mins it connects the gravel travel. To access from the gravel trail start from the parking garage opposite of the parking garage entrance there is a sidewalk path leading to a bridge, cross the bridge and you'll be on your way. Immediately, we saw some horses wandering around and crossing us on the trail. They were calm and a pleasant surprise. I won't post much of our photos, but there are lots of interesting structures that gave me a burning man feel. Lots of graffiti too, not sure if that is welcome or just vandalism. This was a nice change of pace trail and I would recommend.

If you've heard of the Architecture Graveyard, this is the way to get there! Other reviews have…read moregood directions but I highly recommend going on a weekend so you don't have to worry about finding parking. There's also a parking garage that isn't too far, in addition to the nearby staff lots. Trail is a fire road, and occasionally there are cars/trucks on it, so stay aware. You'll eventually come to a route to your right with a bridge for a hidden trail, but keep going to the left to get to the graveyard - plan to spend an hour or two if you really want to wander around and see all the structures. The trail itself is shady, but several of the projects are out in the open - take sunblock and water, and use common sense. For better or worse, most of the architecture displays are run-down, broken, and/or vandalized with graffiti - it lends a cool dystopian vibe to the area but it's a shame that the university let them get so damaged. Still cool to explore, though, stop by to take a look and get in some steps on a nice day!

Cute little town that we visit mainly for the cookies. Brown Butter Cookies are a must when passing…read morethrough. I would rather buy the cookies here than in SLO. The weather was perfection today. So beautiful! 7/29/26

North of Morro Bay and South of Cambria comes a 3 block casual little beach town…read more Cute and quaint, yes. Beach, yes. Pier, yes. Great breakfast/brunch place (Hidden Kitchen), yes. Antique Shops, yes, but a BIG no for me. The town just doesn't offer enough for me. But, the beach is lovely. Lots of surfers, great waves. Beautiful to walk on a warm day.

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."

I've been coming to San Luis Obispo for years and let me say it is gone downhill as far as I'm…read moreconcerned so many empty stores everywhere you walk there are empty stores. Yes there's still stores but I wonder why there are so many empty stores. This used to be a great place to go visit during a vacation trip or something but now it's not so great. we love to come and visit the mission food prices are ridiculous. Also, I'm not saying that the food is not bad but the prices are ridiculous. Perhaps they charge two months for rent in the shops one year you will come and the shop will be there the next year you come back and the shop is gone. It just doesn't seem like they have much foot traffic through this town anymore. Very sad.

Perfectly situated halfway between LA & San Francisco, equal parts city & small town…read more Coming from San Francisco, I'm blown away by the clean, picture perfect downtown, lively during the day, Edward Hopper painting at night. I'm not sure where all the homeless go at night, you see a few sitting on benches outside businesses, wandering around after dark, but no obvious encampments. There's a lot of really smart people around, Cal Poly students, professors, & retirees, enough to keep the Apple Store crowded. There's plenty of local retail, large enough for Pottery Barn, Urban Outfitters, Victoria's Secret, Patagonia, excellent restaurants & hotels, much etc. I looked at apartments & real estate once & discovered nobody ever leaves! The pickings are slim. The city is built in a valley, surrounded by mountains, making the weather temperate, and SLO is only 15 minutes drive to Avila Beach. What's not to like? Well, the complete lack of ethnic diversity. I have no idea where all the hotel maids & nannies live. And where are they hiding the homeless people? That said, San Luis Obispo is destination worthy.