Craggy Morro Rock holds court over this woodsy waterfront park laced with hillside hiking trails. A small natural history museum has interactive exhibits geared toward kids and which demonstrate how the forces of nature affect us all. North of the museum, a eucalyptus grove is home to one of California’s last remaining great blue heron rookeries.
The park also incorporates an 18-hole golf course and a marina with kayak rentals.
28.45 MILES
Perched high on a hill, Hearst Castle is a wondrous, historic, over-the-top homage to material excess. From the 1920s into the '40s, Hearst and Marion…
Firestone Walker Brewing Company
19.15 MILES
Beer lovers can witness the magic happen on guided spins around the massive Firestone Walker brewery. Tours leave daily from the visitor center (reserve…
Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
11.15 MILES
Those reverberatory bells heard around downtown emanate from this fifth California mission, founded by Padre Junípero Serra in 1772 and named for a 13th…
5.6 MILES
Wind-tossed coastal bluffs with wild, wide-open sea views make this park a favorite spot with hikers and mountain bikers. The northern half of the park…
1.94 MILES
Chumash tribespeople are the only people legally allowed to climb this volcanic rock, now the protected nesting ground of peregrine falcons. You can laze…
21.15 MILES
Artists from around the Central Coast work and display their art at this collection of open studios on the eastern edge of Paso Robles' town square. Up to…
13.75 MILES
At this rural farm stand and pick-your-own berry farm, you can park alongside the sheep and goat pens, lick an ice-cream cone, then grab a basket and walk…
1.28 MILES
With exhibits, posters and more than 200 skateboards from the 1930s to the 21st century, this excellent privately operated museum is essential for anyone…
1. Morro Bay Skateboard Museum
1.28 MILES
With exhibits, posters and more than 200 skateboards from the 1930s to the 21st century, this excellent privately operated museum is essential for anyone…
1.94 MILES
Chumash tribespeople are the only people legally allowed to climb this volcanic rock, now the protected nesting ground of peregrine falcons. You can laze…
5.6 MILES
Wind-tossed coastal bluffs with wild, wide-open sea views make this park a favorite spot with hikers and mountain bikers. The northern half of the park…
9.32 MILES
Ramble along coastal grasslands and pocket beaches at this small state park, accessed from unmarked roadside pulloffs north of Cayucos. Look among the…
5. San Luis Obispo Museum of Art
11.14 MILES
By the creek, this small gallery showcases the work of local painters, sculptors, printmakers and fine-art photographers, as well as traveling California…
6. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
11.15 MILES
Those reverberatory bells heard around downtown emanate from this fifth California mission, founded by Padre Junípero Serra in 1772 and named for a 13th…
11.23 MILES
SLO’s weirdest sight is colorfully plastered with thousands of wads of ABC (‘already been chewed’) gum. Watch where you step!
8. Harmony Headlands State Park
13.06 MILES
Just south of Harmony, a 4.5-mile round-trip hiking trail winds out to coastal bluffs with inspiring sea views.