Road tripping in Templeton, CA. The town of Templeton is a small but mighty town. We were driving…read moredown the main drag... South Main Street when we spotted a huge milk bottle statue in front of a cute house. So of course we stopped to investigate this roadside attraction. The roadside attraction turned out to be the Templeton Historical Museum. But shucky darn, it was not open. It's open Friday-Sunday 1-4pm and staffed by volunteers. There is a main house, blacksmith building, and train station building. Each building houses artifacts and photos from the past. Even though the museum was closed, we walked about the grounds and grabbed a print out of the historic sights about the town. Templeton was established in 1886. The land was part of the Paseo de Robles land grant. It was the last stop of the Southern Pacific railroad at that time. The town was named after the railroad Vice President Charles F. Crocker's two year old son, Charles Templeton Crocker. Charles F. Crocker was the son of Charles Crocker, one of the big four associates of the Central Pacific Railroad. On the grounds. (1) The 12 foot tall milk bottle is from Crescent Farms dairy. Built by Gregory Rossi in the 1930s and was displayed on the dairy in south Templeton. The dairy was founded by Gregory' father, Vincente, a Swiss Italian immigrant. Brothers, Gregory and Vincent took over the dairy when their father retired. The milk bottle was moved in the 1950s when Highway 101 was built. In 2017, it was donated to the museum. Oh by the way, Mr Rossi named the dairy Crescent Farms due to the shape of the land. (2) Sea fossil of a baleen whale skull with parts of it found and shoulder blade. In 1999, it was discovered on Gaye's Ranch in Shadow Valley off Highway 46 west. Mrs Gaye displayed it in her yard on the ranch. After her passing, her children donated it in 2007. An anthropologist studied it to be 7-18 million years old. Amazing! It sits now in the front yard of the museum for all to see. (3) El Camino real bell. It's displayed right next to the milk bottle. It's an original, one of the hundreds placed on the 700 mile stretch of Mission Highway in 1906. (4) Native American grinding stone. This is located at the side of the house. The Salinan people lived in this area before European settlement. (5) 1938 Aeromotor windmill. Model A702 with a 8 foot shell. It sits behind the house. The windmill was used to pump water from underground. (6) The Hortsman house. It serves as the museum. Albert Hortsman, a prominent local businessman, had the house built in 1920 and it originally sat on Sixth and Main Street. But was moved and donated in 1994 by the First presbyterian Church of Templeton when they expanded their church buildings.

Great place, educational, worth the trip. I go every time I'm in town. And I spend a ton of money…read morein the gift shop because I want to support the museum. Don't miss this opportunity to learn and have fun doing it. Great for the whole family.

A neat little museum to stop in when passing through. I would plan on spending about half hour…read more Entrance fee is $3 per adult.

I enjoy this amazing group of PRAA artists! The Studios on the Park gallery is wonderful & in the…read moreheart of Paso Robles. There is a beautiful park right outside the doors of the gallery & many lovely restaurants to choose from...our favorite is Streetside Ale House & Eatery! Also Cambria is only 29 miles from Paso Robles.

This was a cute little gallery, really. It is located in downtown Paso Robles, next to a bunch of…read morecute, quaint shops. Such friendly people and wonderful paintings!

So awesome to see the dioramas. Really neat gallery. I highly recommend! Kids will definitely enjoy…read morethis!

We walked in out of curiosity on my wife's birthday. Some of the pieces were interesting, but most…read morewere clumsily made and overproduced. When we found one piece we were on the fence about (too much metal work marking the wood, but maybe cute for the person we'd buy it for), the owner came over and was inappropriate with my wife, rubbing her hands and telling her a derpy dating story from high school. She gave me the let's get out of here eyes, and we left. She felt uncomfortable around him.

Across from Morro Rock on the mainland is the Morro Bay Maritime Museum. Outside of the museum is…read morethe gargantuan Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle, ready to deep submerge at any time, I suppose. Lol. You can't miss it parked in clear view of Embarcadero Road. Parking is free and plentiful. Hours for the museum are currently weekends only from 10:00 A.M. - 2:00 P.M. or by appointment. It wasn't open early enough for us, but the DSRV Avalon is there for your viewing pleasure. Public restrooms are nearby. Just head south towards the strip of eateries and shops. Will definitely have to watch "Gray Lady Down" (1977) that Kenneth H. mentioned in his review from 2/21/15. Neat piece of history. Keep it alive!

This is an incredible opportunity the be able to see up close and personal a real DSRV. Wow! read…read morethe history of the USS Thresher and why this submarine was built. Re live the thrilling movie The Hunt for Red October, and know that this is the machine that would have been used for rescue. Rather than spill all the beans, I will say stop by and enjoy the history in the future location of the Morro Bay Maritime Museum (planned at this time).

Fun experience and definitely worth visiting once. But as I assume for most people, I probably…read morewouldn't feel the desire to come back repeatedly, unless there's some major rehaul or addition of more impressive installations.. The Field of Light was cool to see but not as incredible as I imagined based on social media depiction (definitely looks better in photos). Either way, it was probably my favorite installation of the bunch just due to its vastness. The lights all being solar powered is a fun fact, although the dimness of them really kept this exhibit at just "cool" when it could easily be "breathtaking" with some minor improvements. Missed opportunity for something bigger and better in my opinion, but it keeps the crowds coming so I guess that's good enough for business. Dimensions was my second favorite installation. Really neat concept and I loved the lights, shadows, and giant spinning lanterns. Fun and interactive! The other exhibits honestly seemed like afterthoughts.. I wouldn't be surprised if they're just there so that they can advertise there being "seven separate installations" and mark up the ticket prices lol. If it were me, I'd get rid of the "unnecessary extras" and use those funds towards making ones like Field of Light and Dimensions more amazing. The venue is huge and well laid out. I really loved the main food area with the live pianist. Great vibes and fun place to chill outdoors.

I was super impressed by this place but there are a few tweaks I would give it. When we first…read morearrived with our three children I noticed there were not a lot of children there. We went to an outdoor are where there was a band playing on a stage, huge glass area, one food truck, and couches to sit on. It was a bit chilly but nice environment. The lights were gorgeous, there were 4 exhibits to see. Very artsy, creative. My favorite being the Indian-esq one with all the colorful lanterns that would change color which made a bedazzling effect. I wish there were more exhibits to be honest and I think it lacked a bit. Was it work the price? It was a bit pricey? Definitely not a first date kind of place but more of a 3rd anniversary kind of place. I would recommend eating before going to this event.

This was the most beautiful and fun Christmas market I have ever been to. We purchased a package…read moredeal with the Cambria Pines lodge that included a one night stay, entry into the Christmas market, parking and breakfast for the next morning. Our cottage was right next to the Christmas lights display entrance. It was so convenient. The light displays were amazing. We were both blown away by the beauty of it all. We were in a Christmas wonderland. There were so many vendors selling many different things. There were a lot of German made decorations and ornaments. Lynn's was selling their mini pies and cinnamon rolls. The nursery area had a gorgeous store with amazing displays of Christmas decorations that were all for sale. You could purchase succulents and plants. There was BBQ tri-tip and bratwurst in the nursery section. By the main entrance next to the lodge there was a beer garden. They had wood fired pizzas, cocktails and beer. There were also many more food vendors selling tamales, German pretzels and German desserts. We thought the Bratwurst on the pretzel bun was the best thing they had. We tried the tri-tip but thought it was just okay because the meat was dry. It was better after adding bbq sauce. We bought some mini pies from Lynn's that were excellent. I don't recommend the tomato and Gouda soup. It was way too sweet. The German pretzel was just okay. Things are pricey here. But that's how it is at most events like this. The staff were amazing and helpful! I really loved the Christmas music being played throughout the market. We really enjoyed ourselves and will be coming back next year. It's really worth checking out.

What a wonderful night! The shuttle was amazing. Quick on…read moreand off to and from. There were so many lights and displays to fill your night. The food was good. Obviously expensive but honestly not bad. They had tons of vendors to choose from.

We were so glad we wandered in here. Meeting and chatting with Patrick and watching him work was a…read morehighlight of our trip to the Central Coast. He is so charming in a down-to-earth way, and we loved his paintings. It was really interesting learning about his artistic process as well. We bought several small pieces and plan to buy some larger pieces - or even commission a painting - once our budget allows. (His pricing is good given the quality and the amount of time the paintings take.)

Wandered in here while shopping on Main. All the pieces were so unique and fantastic, and Patrick…read moreis very welcoming (and hilarious!) We got a print and a small box painting - both fairly priced. We will treasure them!