About the Central Coast
Exploring destinations that may be off the beaten path offers endless opportunities and benefits for intriguing discoveries.
They often have unexpected and surprising rewards—ones we can’t possibly imagine to be real. One of these destinations is California’s Central Coast, halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Here you’ll find a series of seaside villages and sleepy towns against stony cliffs with eye-popping vistas and countless sand dunes.
Pacific Coast Playground
Stretching northward from Los Angeles, California's Pacific Coast Highway is the ultimate pathway to outdoor adventures. You’ll find acres of vineyards worth exploring, towering sand dunes and pristine bays made for fishing, kayaking and bird watching. Whether you use college-town San Luis Obispo as your base or venture from the beach towns of Morro Bay or Pismo, the entire Central Coast will be your playground.
A Year-Round Destination
If you like Mediterranean weather—and who doesn't, really?—the Central Coast offers warm, dry summers and mild, sometimes wet winters. For the warmest weather, organize your family's get-together for autumn; the more you travel inland, the higher the temperature will be. San Luis Obispo, 8 miles inland, is at least 10 degrees warmer than Pismo Beach on average. Wherever you are in the area, you won't need an umbrella from May to October, and even during the rainy season you'll see some fine weather.
Tourism Fuels the Economy
When you're adventuring with your family through the Central Coast, you’re contributing to the region's economy. All of the towns in the area depend on tourism and service industries for jobs. San Luis Obispo might also rely on financial services and insurance as major industries, but some of the larger employers in the regional service sector include the Madonna Inn, Fremont Theater and the Palm Theatre, where the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival is held. The Edna Valley wine region, with its many vineyards, is another tourist attraction that creates jobs in the area. Retail and service industries are equally important to the towns of Morro Bay and Pismo Beach.
Traversing the Central Coast
Public transportation systems abound in the San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach and Morro Bay areas, but you'll probably want to rent a car during your stay. You'll find buses and trolleys in San Luis Obispo County, including connections with the Santa Maria Area Transit system. A free Avila Beach Trolley whisks you from the Pismo Premium Outlets to Avila Beach, and Morro Bay Transit operates buses and trolleys as well. But for easy adventuring between towns and beaches on this beautiful coast, a rental car will be of the utmost convenience.
More to Explore
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