Beaches on the Central Coast – Avila Beach

While enjoying your honeymoon on the central coast, you might enjoy checking out some of the local beaches.   For the next few blogs, I’ll be highlighting some of the beaches in the area.

AVILA BEACH

With some of the best sunrises and sunsets in the area, Avila Beach is a must-see.   Surrounded by gently sloping hills, this harbor has three piers, two that are open to the public and ready for you to explore.   You can even dine on the pier – either grab a fresh shrimp cocktail from one of the little stands or enjoy a more elegant meal at the Olde Port Inn for fresh, seasonal seafood.   While strolling on the pier, you may catch glimpses of elephant seals and sea otters swimming in the water or basking in the sun.   While walking along Front Street, you might stop at Custom House for breakfast, lunch or dinner, either served inside or outside on the patio.   If you are just looking for salads, sandwiches, wraps, or smoothies, you might try Hula Hut.   Or, if you are wanting some coastal California food from local farms and fisheries, you might check out Ocean Grill, also on Front Street.   If you are just in the mood for coffee, try Joe Momma’s and order a pastry to have with your coffee. My favorite is the lemon blueberry scone, hot from the oven.   For a yummy breakfast, try Fat Cats.   On Friday nights, April through September from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm, enjoy the Avila Beach Farmers’ Market, with food, local produce, live music, and more. Or, venture down See Canyon for some wine tasting.   Try the award-winning apple chardonnay wine at Kelsey.   It is delicious!   For some walking or jogging activity, you might stroll the Bob Jones Trail which follows the San Luis Obispo Creek.   If you get hungry while walking, just go into Woodstone Marketplace for a delicious wrap, homemade soup, or salad.   (They even serve half-potion dinners between 4:00 and 5:30, if you just want a light dinner.)   Or, take a tour of Port San Luis Lighthouse.

If you are interested in a little history, steamboats from the bay area used to bring newlyweds from Los Angeles and San Francisco to the area to stay in a honeymoon hotel built around 1850.   In the 1990s, Unocal excavated the town to clean up decades-old oil seepage that caused a massive oil spill under the town.   After removing 6,750 truckloads of the contaminated material, the area was rebuilt using clean sand from the Guadalupe Dunes.      

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