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Make Pismo Beach Perfect
Lodging Specials, Unhurried Lifestyle, Robust Amenities
The road trip is calling us all across America, nowhere more so than in Central California where a drive or quick flight unveils beach walks, wine tasting, and a vast array of outdoor recreation. The early season is a perfect time to visit Pismo Beach. The storied coastal hamlet is celebrating its 75th Anniversary of incorporation with exceptional lodging specials. Now is an ideal time to visit for many reasons including more room to roam the trails, open dinner reservations, and unhurried wine tasting experiences. Finally, it’s time to plot an escape. Pismo Beach awaits with great accommodations whether you’re joined by family, your significant other, or a group of friends.
Perfect Pismo Beach Lodging for Every Visit
Back in town, the facades of the classic downtown offer a snapshot of days gone by. Visitors will still find fanciful boutiques, beachwear, and surf shops. They’ll also discover wine tasting rooms along Price Street and the Pismo Brewing Company on Cypress, as well as excellent restaurants sprinkled throughout the area. The lodging has also evolved since VIPs rested up at the El Pismo Inn before embarking on a weekend romp at San Simeon as guests of media magnate William Randolph Hearst. Guests can choose from private cottages, vacation rentals, oceanfront resorts, and affordable motels. There’s no fear of possible sellouts when booking in late spring and early summer.
A Bounty of Outdoor Activities On and Off the Water
Early season has never meant off-season in Pismo Beach. Restaurants, wineries, and outfitters are eager to welcome you back and introduce you to the area’s largess of activities and amenities. A visit here begins and ends with the iconic beach, site of the recently restored Pismo Pier, the fabled boardwalk, and one of the most reliable surf breaks on the west coast. Six different surf shops can set you up with a surf, paddle, or boogie board and classes for the day. Pismo and nearby Shell beaches are also the launch points for amazing cliffs, isolated coves, and sea caves, a paddler's dream. Three outfitters just off the pier rent sea kayaks and offer tours.
The sun-filled daytime temperature averages 71-degrees in June, excellent for laying out on the beach or settling a chair on the pier to catch some rays or perhaps some fish. Clamming is also a popular activity on the beaches here, so pick up a fishing license and get digging. Of course, miles of beachfront are just part of the sand-filled fun, you can also jump in a Hummer for an adrenaline-filled dune tour, or rent an ATV and take off to explore this otherworldly dune structure on your own.
Geological and geographical diversity defines the greater Pismo Beach area, as any visitor to Pismo Preserve will readily discover. Equestrians love to ride 11 miles of one-way trails and former ranch roads that traverse the 900-acre preserve. A mountain biking and hiking hub, the oak woodland and coastal ridgelines reveal insta-worthy imagery around every corner. Docent-led hikes are a great way to learn about this diverse landscape populated with wildflowers, diverse birdlife, and, according to the night cameras, fox and cougars.
Pacific Ocean to Wine Country in 5 Miles
Like lodging and outfitters, wine country can’t wait to host visitors this year. Several companies offer tour services of the Edna and Arroyo Grande Valleys, home to a variety of exceptional wineries that have gained international recognition in the past decade. Set against the Santa Lucia Mountains, it’s hard to believe the Pacific Ocean is only five miles away when traversing the verdant Edna Valley. Today’s wineries draw from Burgundian traditions in crafting outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay among other varietals.
The Spanish missions also settled the Arroyo Grande Valley, a 16-mile long recess teeming with vineyards, wildlife, and agricultural lands. Also known for Pinots and Chards, higher elevations provide cooler environments for Zinfandel, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon as well. Touring the Edna and Arroyo Grande Valley invites an experienced or novice wine lover to sample numerous boutique estate wines where the winemaker is often present to discuss the unique features in each vintage.
Famously laidback and uncrowded, the wineries come in all shapes and sizes, from a clapboard former schoolhouse to modern structures designed to create wine as sustainably as possible. Whether you visit two or ten estates, you'll hear a different founder's tale everywhere you go.
We’re all eager to plan our first excursion of the summer. Heading out early allows us to hike and bike trails with fewer folks, visit intimate tasting rooms, and have the beach to ourselves as we take advantage of early season lodging specials. Though incorporated just 75 years ago, Pismo Beach has drawn visitors to the Central California way of life for well over a century. If you’re ready for wineries, watersports, and nature trails, an early-season getaway to Pismo Beach can't happen soon enough. Visit the Pismo Beach website and start planning your escape.