Loved it in December ! It soooo beautiful ! The lights and photo opps were awesome!…read more Such a great place with a lot of holiday spirit. I love love love SLO during the holidays !

Beautiful spot, surprised it is not getting more attention. Creekside. You can continue on along…read morethe creek where various bistros and such pop up.

Ewww, but it's something to see!…read more There even is a smell wafting the corridor. Almost like a community work of art/sculpture. Watch out when walking, one just might miss it.

We came, we saw, snapped a few selfies, and left. It's oddly fascinating, yet still a bit gross…read more But since it's considered art, it's worth checking out at least once!

Madison was extremely helpful with planning the event. She was there for the event to help with…read moretechnical issues. The facility is very scenic and will equipped.

This was our second time having an event at the Octagon Barn. The venue is a favorite of our…read moreattendees, with easy access, parking, clean bathrooms, and being in a wonderful, historic site. Madison is a dream to work with, allowing us access in advance for setup, and being there throughout the event to help troubleshoot any situations that came up. The community is very fortunate that we have the SLO Land Conservancy that renovated these buildings and makes them available for rent.

Chinatown San Luis Obispo is a lovely small shop that truly left a lasting impression on me. I…read morearrived right as they were closing (around 5 pm, if I'm not mistaken), and since it was Christmas, I really wanted to buy some ornaments before leaving town early the next morning. When I explained my situation, the owner kindly let me in anyway. I will never forget that thoughtful gesture. It meant so much and showed the heart behind this small business. If you're visiting San Luis Obispo, this is definitely a place worth supporting!

Ah Louise aka On Wong Store in San Luis Obispo Chinatown was started in 1870, and 1874 it was the…read morefirst Chinese store that sold merchandise and groceries, he also open a bank, a post office, a Chinese pharmacy and a brickyard for contractor in 1940 much of the very first Chinatown in California was torn down. Ah Louise building is still standing today as a Historical Landmark and operating today as a knick knacks store selling lot's of cute Items, I was able to talk to the now store keeper, the stated to me that the family still own the building, there is also a few Chinese building still standing as well

Really wonderfully maintained lighthouse that is available for tours. The docents are informative…read moreand engaging with their knowledge of the area and it's significance. It's a beautiful ride to the lighthouse and some nice views all around. Order tickets online as they do sell out.

I have had the chance to visit this lighthouse many times when I was younger and love the views of…read morethe harbor from there. Lighthouses like this one are historically significant as a beacon for boaters. The lighthouse lens is no longer in the building as the local museum if I recall houses it now. Anyhow, there is a lot of wildlife there. I have seen foxes there more than once.

Local Eval: Little did I know, that as a kid staying with my mom in a rustic dive motel in…read morePennsylvania, that 3,000 miles away, in the little town of SLO, was it's first ancestor....and that 1/2 century later, I would call the SLO/Pismo area home. The "Milestone Mo-Tel Inn" was built in 1925 [closed in 1991] & the main building is a historic landmark, which is possibly owned by next doors "Apple Inn". While there were plans to rehab this area, is still not redeveloped yet & is not open to the public. But one can still stop, just before the N101 ramp, & marvel at these testaments to early visionaries of what we have long taken for granted, for almost a century. While there are numerous local and national accounts, I do favor the one done by Smithsonian Magazine in DECEMBER 12, 2016, as follows: "The World's First Motel Was a Luxury Establishment, Not a Dive The first motel was supposed to turn into a chain, but it was quickly overtaken by cheaper competitors. By Kat Eschner SMITHSONIANMAG.COM The year was 1925. Across the country, thousands were touring in their cars. Auto travel was becoming normal. But on this day in San Luis Obispo, a town roughly between Los Angeles and San Francisco in California, something totally new was happening. An architect and developer named Arthur Heineman had spotted a niche in the market. His response: the Milestone Mo-Tel Inn. Heineman created a hotel designed specifically for drivers, writes Eric Zorn for the Chicago Tribune. It had small garages next to several dozen bungalows. Use of one cost a motorist $1.25 per night, about $17.00 in today's money. Heineman shortened "motor hotel" down to "Mo-Tel," and a term was born. It was luxurious for the 1920s, wrote Kristin Jackson for the The Seattle Times two years after the motel closed in 1991. "It cost $80,000 to build in its ornate Spanish-mission style, with a three-tiered bell tower, white pillars, and a tree-fringed courtyard," she wrote. "In those days most American car travelers still were staying in campgrounds or tiny wood cabins (some about the size and style of chicken coops) that were clustered by a gas station or general store." Up to 160 people could stay at the motel. According to David Middlecamp of the Tribune, units had modern conveniences like showers, central heating and carpet, he writes, and there were even rooms for chauffeurs. Jackson spoke to Marcella Faust, who as a young woman was one of the establishment's first waitresses. Faust described how the waitresses were dressed--"Spanish-style," including a vest and a "big hat with roses on it"--and their varied tasks, which included handing out brochures at the roadside. "We'd stand out there on the road in our big hats," she said. "My girlfriend would work the cars going north, I'd work the ones going south. They were Model A's and Model T's back then, so they'd have to go pretty slow up the steep hill there. We'd just stand there and wave and hand them the booklets as they went past." It wasn't long before the Milestone had competition from other motels. Heineman had originally planned to open a chain with 18 California locations, Jackson wrote, but he wasn't successful. The Great Depression meant that motel chains opted for less luxe styling, Zorn writes. The Milestone, eventually renamed the Motel Inn, closed in 1991 and then the site fell into disrepair. Even the word "motel" has been slipping out of favor, he writes. But across the country, motels remain part of American road culture. "Motels opened up the American road to those who were neither rugged enough for car camping nor wealthy enough to stay in 'real' hotels," Zorn writes. "In a way that's largely unsung, they aided our transformation to a mobile culture." Hopefully, one day, this wonderful landmark will be rehabbed into a fascinating & historic place to stay, minus Model T cars and chauffeurs!

As far as I am concerned, this is the best place to have a wedding in San Luis Obispo ... ever. In…read morefact (if you didn't guess) this is where my husband and I got married. This is why I loved it, and why all my family is still talking about how ours was the best wedding they had ever been to: 1 - Really beautiful garden, and it is SLO, so you know the weather is going to be beautiful. There are lots of pretty benches and places to take photos. 2 - None of this dumb "all included package" junk, so you can have whatever you want! We had friend's as the musicians, DJ, photographers, bartender, officiant, and Mo's catered. Mmmmm .... Mo's. 3 - CHEAP. It is a city park, so you go pay a relatively small fee at the Parks and Rec. department to rent the area (I think it was $600ish), and then a $99 one day liquor license. 4 - It is roughly across the street from the Travelodge on Marsh, so you can reserve a block of rooms for your guests, and they can WALK to your wedding. And if not ... there is ample parking. 5 - It is close enough to downtown to go to bars and stuff after, but far enough away that there is little noise from traffic. So yeah, maybe it isn't great if you have a HUGE family (ours was about 130 people, which was just right), and you do have to get all the tables, linens, your cake, and everything there and set up ... but really ... grab a few friends, and family members. We started at 8 am and had the place set up by 9:30or 10, which left plenty of time to get ready for our 3 o'clock ceremony. I wouldn't have changed anything about the day. Everything was perfect, and we didn't spend tens of thousands of dollars.

Those interested in local history will find this Victorian home - constructed circa 1880 and filled…read morewith many of its original furnishings, artwork, kitchen utensils, dishes, family keepsakes, and a library housing more than two thousand volumes, including a number of valuable first editions and many of the Harvard Classics - of interest. Although their fame didn't extend much beyond the Central California coast, the Jacks were active enough in ranching, politics, travel, banking, and land development to inspire the city of San Luis Obispo to restore and maintain their estate as a tourist attraction. Every Sunday from 1:00 - 4:00pm, guided tours of the interior and immaculately-landscaped gardens are conducted by volunteer docents; adults $2.00, children free.

Crystal clear view of SLO and Morro Bay. Stunning! Difficult bike ride to the top but the view was…read moreworth the sore legs!

An amazing drive. I took it back and forth just to soak it all in. You can get wine and apple cider…read moreat the See Canyon end. You're also close to the beach on that side. I'd advise going early so you can look at the vistas and then head to the beach. At the end of the day head back so you can get some drinks for the evening. https://www.youtube.com/@artsyfartsy7036/videos

Excellent Value for such a quality and well laid out vintage theater. Feels like you are walking…read moreback in time, the seats are comfortable, the atmosphere is eclectic and other worldly. One must support the theater and buy a Tshirt (they are pretty cool, you'll see); but becoming a member has many benefits!

My favorite place in SLO and my favorite movie theater anywhere. It's all about the people who…read morework here and the wide selection of films...and the popcorn...and the reasonable prices...and too much to identify in a Yelp review. The Palm is the past, present and future for how we go out to watch movies together. A cornerstone of excellence.

The Motel Inn is the world's very first motel, one of San Luis Obispo's most iconic and forgotten…read morelandmarks built in 1925 and closed due to disrepair in 1991. What a grand opportunity to draw increased tourism to the Central Coast! By simply offering up a few postcards and perhaps a book or two, along with the DVD of Huell Howser's visit in 1991, cities along this section of the coast could gain immensely.

This is the site of the world's first motel. Most of the Motel Inn was demolished years ago. If you…read moreare in the area, it is worth stopping by if you are into historic sites. Otherwise, there is not much to see and not worth a special trip.