The SJ Merc had a big article in the Local section today about a large pod of whales off Mass Landing. Link
What a sight!
San Luis Obispo county resident here.
Thirding (fourthing, whatever), the Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery.
Morro Rock in Morro Bay is cool-looking (although there is not much to do at the actual rock) and you can walk along the (somewhat touristy) Embarcadero to a nice playground near the harbor. Someone upthread mentioned the Morro Bay Natural History Museum, which is small but well done (and with very cheap admission).
Montana De Oro State Park in Los Osos (just south of Morro Bay) has a beautiful bluff walk and some great tidal pools.
Avila Beach (just north of Pismo) is a really nice beach and is less touristy than Pismo. Port San Luis Pier is a short drive from Avila and there are usually some sea lions there.
San Luis Obispo has a nice downtown which includes the Mission. There are also a ton of great hiking trails for all ages.
Personally, I avoid driving on Highway 1 whenever possible because it is twisty and there is a lot of traffic for a two-lane road (including lots of slow RVs). When we travel from San Luis Obispo to Monterey (with kids) we always take the 101. If you are planning on stopping at Piedras Blancas and Hearst Castle it might make sense to take Highway 1, though.
The hotels in San Luis and Pismo all seem to be pretty good. The only one that really stands out is Madonna Inn, but personally I don’t think the quirkiness of the rooms is necessarily a good thing when you are traveling…
Another San Luis Obispo “attraction” is Bubblegum Alley.
San Luis Obispo has a pretty nice farmers market on thursday evenings.
You can expect to see Northern Elephant Seals on the California coast from December - March (all ages, with January-February being most interesting for the breeding/pupping season and male competition for beach control,) March - June (for young pups,) and June-July (mostly younger age classes, for molting,) August - November is pretty dull for Elephant Seals on the beach - they’re mostly out to see and you’ll only see a few stragglers if any during those months.
Grrrr… that should be “out to sea”
Roseburg (which you’ll have to pass through anyway on 5) is only an hour and a half side trip from Crater Lake. I think they’ve boat tours, but don’t quote me on that. If you go, bring heavyweight mosquito repellant. Then again you’re from Alaska, if I’m not mistaken, so maybe you wouldn’t find them that objectionable?
Fisherman’s wharf in Monterey usually has plenty of CA Sea Lions on one dock or other. They used to have a stand where you could buy fish to throw at them. Or you could just walk around the wharves; they’re usually pretty easy to see swimming around. The seafood in the area is excellent.
Late August / early September is when I remember the fog really starting to stay offshore, but since we’re in an El Nino, I don’t remember how that changes things. Not sure if your kids are old enough to kayak, but sea kayaking in Monterey Bay is a kick. Another massive +1 on the Aquarium. The Exploratorium is awesome for kids, with lots of truly interactive, hands-on stuff for them.
One thing I haven’t seen mentioned yet are farmstands. You’ll be driving through one of the biggest spots for growing strawberries and artichokes in the US. The prices, in the misty past when I lived in CA, were very reasonable.
Sounds fun!
Edit: sounds like whalewatching is something else going on right now. Plenty of places you guys could hop on a boat for a day and see plenty of wildlife.
More great stuff. Thanks!
Wednesday Evening - thanks for SLO suggestions and pointing out the SLO Mission. I’d like to stop at a mission just for a quick walk and history lesson for the kiddos. SLO might be the easiest to do. I’m thinking maybe we should stay in SLO.
My memory of Pismo from college was really hot and no shade the time I went there (probably Aug).
Any recommendations for the easiest way from SLO or Pismo to Universal Studios? I’m happy to leave the coast for something faster and easier to drive.
By the time you’ve reached SLO, you’re back on 101, the slow part of the coast is behind you.
The downtown Farmers’ Market on Thursdays is indeed very nice (live music & entertainment, lots of food choices) but in the summer it tends to be a zoo. As a local who doesn’t like crowds I avoid it like the plague unless I’m entertaining people from out of town.
Concur
Consider going to a Santa Maria BBQ place when you’re in that area. Santa Maria BBQ is a local specialty: trip-tip cooked over oak coals with pinquito beans, fresh salsa, salad and grilled French bread. Here is a map of Santa Maria BBQ places.
There’s a really nice little creek walk that borders Mission Plaza as well. If you want to add a little more to the history lesson, the SLO History Centeris right across the street from the Mission. It’s small but free.
When we head to LA we always take the 101 straight down from SLO.
Hope you enjoy your stop in SLO! I think it’s a pretty awesome place.
Any SLO area hotel recommendations? I’d like something “affordable” for a family of 5. We’re staying is nice places elsewhere. Just something clean and comfy. Doesn’t have to be on a beach, a designer place, quaint, etc. Actually the kiddos will probably love to have a pool over any other amenities.
Oh yeah, now I’m hungry. I’m keeping this map for my own gluttonous purposes.
When I stayed at Morro Bay about a year ago during my own PCH trip there were also plenty of seals around the shallows and structures of the port. The town has a number of hostelries and is very convenient to SLO but it was considerably chillier and foggier for such a relatively short distance between towns, you can really feel the effect of the topography that way. I join others in praising the SLO mission/creekwalk as a worthwhile stop.
I’m another central coaster. Personally I wouldn’t stay in SLO there just isn’t the much to do. I’d head over to Avila, it’s really changed in the last decade to make it more tourist friendly and you’re right on the beach. Avila is still one of more inexpensive towns around. For a family I’d definitely recommend eating at Jocko’s in Nipomo, get the pork chops if you’re there for dinner or the large steak sandwich for lunch. There is no ambiance but the food is amazing.
If you’re getting a little tired of highways and ocean I’d recommend taking highway 154 through the hills down to Santa Barbara rather then staying on the 101. It has some great California hills views and the you get to look down on Santa Barbara and the Pacific from the hills before you decent into SB.
For the kids: Isn’t there also a kiddie-oriented museum of some sort (a science museum IIRC?) just one block off the south end of Mission Plaza, sort of across the street from the old Carnegie Library? (The old Carnegie Library is some sort of history museum. Is that the one you are referring to above? It’s across the street from the back side of the Mission.)
Okay, just refreshed my memory of SLO with a look at google maps. Yes, the SLO History Center of which Wednesday Evening writes is in the old Carnegie Library, across the street from the back side of the Mission. There is an art museum across the street.
There is a children’s museum a block farther south on Monetery Street.
Re: hotel recommendations–The Best Western Royal Oak in SLO and the BW Casa Grande in Arroyo Grande are decent and have nice pools.