Oh, Sweet Pismo
We have a running conversation each new place we visit. “Could we live here?” Most places are something along the lines of, “love visiting, let’s come back, but I don’t want to live here.” Pismo Beach, CA was the first place where I sat back and really thought, “I could live here.” I LOVED it. I loved the proximity to the ocean, I loved the laid back beach town vibe, I loved the food (fish tacos, anyone?), I loved the weather, I loved whale watching off the pier, I loved it all. I have said before that if money were no object, I could see living along the Central California Coast. This was a definite confirmation of that feeling.
We stayed at an RV park right downtown, literally three blocks from the beach. The spot was so teeny tiny that we had to rent a parking spot for our car because it wouldn’t fit between our motorhome and the slide from the fifth wheel next door! BUT, that didn’t even matter. The location was incredible and the facilities were near perfect.
During our two week stay in Pismo, we were lucky enough to catch a fantastic whale show off the Pismo pier one afternoon. We had debated on doing a whale watching tour but for our family of six, it was going to cost a small fortune. I am SO GLAD we didn’t do it! Everyone on the pier with us kept saying that this was better and closer than any show they’ve seen out in the ocean. They were so active and for such a long time. Woo hoo!!
We also spent a day visiting the Cayucos area, where my brother and sister in law got married, and where we did spring break with them several years ago. (Fun fact, my SIL’s mom has a beautiful cottage on the Pacific Ocean in Cayucos and it is just as amazing as you would imagine). We had lunch at Giovanni’s in Morro Bay, mostly because it has fish and chips and clam chowder worth writing about, but also a little bit because I know how much my brother and his family love it and I wanted to send them a photo to make them jealous. We also stopped by the Brown Butter Cookie Company in Cayucos and got a mixed stack of their deliciousness. Worth the stop.
We drove up to the Hearst Castle in San Simeon where we just missed the last tour of the day and it was so cloudy we could barely see the castle from the visitor center. That was a lesson in managing expectations and disappointment. BUT….silver lining, we also visited the Elephant Seal Vista Point, also in San Simeon, and saw piles of elephant seals!
We spent a day at Avila Valley Barn and had a wonderful time with hay mazes and pumpkins and all things Fall, which of course reminded us of all the apple orchards and pumpkin patches in Michigan. We had been told that the food at this farm was exceptionally good and I will say…..it was a fact. They even had a roasted corn bar where you could add all the desired toppings to a fresh roasted piece of corn on the cob. Take all my money.
Against my better judgement, we did the surrey bikes one afternoon in Pismo Beach and it was just as not fun as I imagined it would be. We mistakenly traveled up hill to start and let’s just say that a six seater bike, with only two peddlers, is rough. BUT….we survived.
Pismo…we’ll be back for tacos and beach and sunshine and not for surrey bikes.
P.S. I would actually go back JUST for Old West Cinnamon Rolls, Beachin’ Biscuits, and Taco Temple. You can obviously see the way to my heart.
*we visited Pismo Beach September 2023
