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40+ Top Things to Do in San Luis Obispo County California

Sherianne Higgins·
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Top Things to Do in San Luis Obispo County California

If you are planning a trip to San Luis Obispo County California and looking for the best things to do, see, and eat while visiting, you are in the right place.  There is so much to do on California’s Central Coast. Planning a stop to explore Morro Bay, Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo (SLO) is a must on a California coast road trip. The area is known for its castle, an extinct volcano, wine country, breweries, boardwalks, fishing boats, sea otters, elephant seals, humpback whales, and pelicans. Scan this bucket list of top things to do, see, and eat while in San Luis Obispo to ensure you don’t miss a thing. Enjoy your time out of the office!

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Things to Do in San Luis Obispo County California

Go tide pooling at Corallina Cove

Watch the sea otters at the Morro Bay Estuary

Ride a bike out to Morro Rock

Shop along Morro Bay embarcadero

Eat fish and chips or BBQ oysters

Take a sunset cruise around Morro Rock

Fly a kite on Morro Strand State Beach

Visit the rescued sea animals at the Morro Bay Aquarium

Search for sand dollars

Climb the Black Hill Trail and take in the view

Enjoy a glass-bottom boat tour of Morro Bay harbor

Go whale watching

Search for sea life off the Estero Bay Pier

Check out the coastal view from Spyglass Park

Tour the Piedras Blancas Light Station

Say his to the elephant seals at Piedras Blancas Rookery

Browse the San Luis Obispo farmers market and eat BBQ tri-tip

Check out Harmony and wander the artist colony

Search for the perfect rock at Moonstone Beach

Go for a hike up Bishop Peak

Check out the view from Dinosaur Cave Park

Go for a walk at the Elfin Forest Natural Area

Spend an evening at the Sunset Drive-In Theater

Bar hop along SLO Higuera Street and check out the SLO Brewing Company

Tour the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

Kayak on Avila Beach

Hike the Avila Ridge Trail

Grab a dozen cookies at the Brown Butter Cookie Company in Cayucos

Spend the night at the Madonna Inn and eat pink champagne cake

Add your gum to SLO Bubble Gum Alley

Shop downtown San Luis Obispo

Go wine tasting at the Edna Valley Wineries

Watch the sunset from Terrace Hill

Go for a ride in the Bob Jones Bike Trail

Shop for souvenirs in Cambria

Relax at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa

Dig for clams in Pismo Beach

ATV across the sand dunes

Take a walk on the Pismo Beach promenade or pier

Tour Hearst Castle

Ride a Clydesdale horse at Covell’s Clydesdale Ranch

Spend an afternoon wine tasting in Paso Robles

Check the San Luis Obispo County Tourism Board website for upcoming festivals, special events, and what’s happening during your stay.

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My Favorite Booking Resources

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  • Go City Card Save up to 50% on attractions, tours and activities.
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  • Visitors Coverage Pick the right travel insurance for you.
  • Use code SAVE10 to pick up a travel guide from Lonely Planet to browse on the plane.
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Have a great vacation!

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18 Responses

  1. I have never heard of San Luis Obispo County but I guess its because I flew from Los Angeles to San Francisco when I was in California (and I have been there just once!) rather than take the amazing road trip that I have heard so much about. Next time I am in Cali, it’s going to be a 4-5 day road trip with several stops on the way, and these kind of little coastal towns are going to be on my list!

  2. We definitely want to explore of the West Coast / California especially the areas between San Fran and LA. Love the colors in this charming town. It seems like the mix of everything we love in a destination, hiking + near the coast. A road trip in Cali is definitely in order when we can travel to the US!

  3. SLO, gotta love it! We hit up the breweries and the speakeasy, then saw a show at the theater. Naturally this was years ago when things were open. It’s been way to long since I visited, might have to stop by again soon because I never went to the wineries in Paso Robles.

  4. We spent 2 days in San Luis Obispo and know we did not see it all. We would definitely return for all the great seafood we found. We saw this area from land so it would be fun to get out on the water. A sunset drive in movie would be a fun throw back thing to do! But I definitely will plan to ATV on the sand dunes next time.

  5. San Louis Obispo is one of my favorite spots on the Pacific Coast. So many things to see and do in this area! We stop here quite often, on our way to Monterey or San Francisco. When our son was very young, we used to take him to the Morro Bay Estuary to watch the marine life, but I never knew they had an aquarium in Morro Bay as well. We could have taken him there too. He also enjoyed the sea lions at the Piedras Blancas. What an amazing place that is! Your post brought back some sweet memories, Sherianne.

  6. Hi there,
    Wow, what a comprehensive list! I had no clue there was that much to see and do in San Luis:)
    FYI – the links for Chase say offer is no longer available so I could not view the offer. Nikki

  7. I have never been to California, but doing a road trip up the coast has always been on my bucket list. Would love to make San Luis a destination. It seems as though San Luis is less touristy than the main CA cities that draw so many people, which makes it a perfect spot to explore! Thanks for sharing!

  8. Thank you for this compilation. With this list, we surely won’t run out of things to do. I’m especially interested in the cookies and pink champagne cake and basically everything else that’s food-related. Also, pardon my ignorance but I didn’t know that there were castles in the US! That’s very interesting.

  9. I am going to have to admit, I had to look on Google Maps to see where this area was. Never even heard of San Luis Obispo. I havent been to this part of California yet but this area seems to have some interesting places to hit up, for me, its the hiking trails, the coastal scenery and just getting away from the crowds of the big cities.

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