5p* Hearst Castle La Cuesta Encantada…read moreSan Simeon A California Must See Mansion of William Randolph Hearst Designed by Julia Morgan Recommend purchase of tour tickets in advance Very cool gardens and pools Staff friendly and very helpful (except for one neo-Naz guide) Great short at Visitor Center Theatre

With a group of us staying in Pismo Beach and itching to see something touristy and historic, we…read moremade our way to Hearst Castle! I'll admit it's quite the process to get to said castle, but after booking tickets for a walking through online, we checked in at the bus entrance before boarding a huge bus and making our way up the windy road to the castle that sits on top of the hill. Sure, the windy road in a large bus gave me anxiety, but the view at the top was TRULY gorgeous and made up for it! Our tour guide was insightful, fun and answered so many questions we had, all while showing us various parts of the property! 90 minutes later we knew all about the Hearst family, the history behind the castle and spent the reminder of the afternoon looking throughout the extensive grounds. The grounds were lush with plants and colorful flowers, and offered the best panaramic views! WOW! Pricing is on point and with transportation included, it wasn't a bad deal. A must see when in the area!

Our friend group was staying nearby for the weekend and thought this experience would be fun. We…read morewere right. We learned a lot about the family passion that led to the opportunity of even being able to peek at these majestic animals. Tip: bring a big bag of carrots, maybe 2. The Clydesdales look for those snacks and will give you a lot of attention in return. We brought a lunch from a nearby shop and ate it while we were pulled in the trailer. The entire time was pleasant. I recommend it and the kids around us were so happy. Great idea!

What an awesome experience. Let me start by saying this was my best friends idea and I just went…read morealong for the ride literally. I was amazed on how much I ended up loving it. They send you pretty detailed instructions for the tour. Once you arrive, you park outside the gate, then they come get you so you can follow them into their massive property. They are great with providing instructions for those who are nervous and even those who are experienced. Just the right amount of time for the group to go on the trail ride, take photos and enjoy the outdoors. There's a nice stop where they take amazing photos of you and the view. There's porta potties at the ranch so if you need to go try to go beforehand.

I read about this area via a SLO county travel site:…read morehttps://highway1discoveryroute.com/activities/hiking-san-simeon-ragged-point/ where it's also referred as the San Simeon Point Trail. Access to these trails are from William Randolph Hearst State Beach. Gates to the park open at 8 a.m. and there's no fee to enter. The trail is about 2 miles round trip and can be accessed if you walk along the beach (on the right side of the pier if you're facing it. You'll see a trail that leads up to the bluff, about 1/2 way down the beach. Once along the bluffs, you'll wind through the trees and catch views of the beach and pier. Not too far in, there are a few fallen trees and the path, at first seems to have disappeared-it hasn't. Look to the right and there's a small opening in the fence that allows day hikers to continue on (it's marked private property with allowance for passage of day use hikers.) It's a quiet trail that's partially shaded and very quiet. For a short while I was a bit unnerved being alone but soon enough I came across some locals walking their dogs. The hike out to the point is the big payoff and plan to spend a little while admiring the views, including a small cove to the north. It was the perfect short morning adventure and definitely a less known gem in the area.

2020 review (8/21/2020) - The is the best family-friendly trail in the area. They've done extensive…read morecleanup since my last visit and many of the downed trees have been removed. It's mostly flat and the only risk to small kids are the Cliffs. The yelp address is misleading (this is not located in Pittsburgh). To get here you must park in the Hearst Memorial Beach parking lot. Walk down to the beach and walk north about 200 yards. Look for the trail that goes up to the cliff area ( just past the Hearst Winery Barn).. Many people just hike to the San Simeon point and the benches. BUT I highly recommend you continue your adventure through the tall tree path all the way to the cove with a sea cave. There are several openings along the tree trail that give exclusive and private views of the coastline. - When you start this hike keep a look out on the right hand side for a very short path that leads to a huge climbing tree.. The kids will love playing on that.. - The farther you go the fewer people you will see.

Central Coast Gondola / Gianetta & Stefano Anastasia are THE VERY BEST!! Such a Fantastic…read moreexperience... the attention to detail, wonderful communication, great personalities, delightful time on the bay, delicious and top quality food, and all around warm/kind/romantic atmosphere! From 1 to 10... TRULY an ELEVEN!! We can't wait to have another special occasion to bring us back.

Where do I start? The gondola itself it intricate and gorgeous. We got a history of it and…read morethoroughly enjoyed learning about it. The gondola was nicely furnished with pillows to make us comfy and it was a truly romantic experience. Stefano stopped halfway on the bay to serenade us and it was so heartwarming, especially the authentic Italian ukulele songs. I accidentally found his company on the internet and it def charmed us. We will be back and recommend for sure!

I've stayed here a couple times when I'm in the area. The campground is well taken care of…read more Bathrooms are cleaned daily and the cleaning people do a great job. The Rangers in the kiosk and law enforcement are professional and helpful with answers to questions we had about the area. The $10 extra car fee is per night. When you reserve the site 1 car is included. Cars after that are $10 each night. 2 cars allowed at a site. 1 extra car in over flow is allowed. They also free parking on the road. It is clear on the kiosk and online reservations. 10 days stay/30 day max and they do track your stays. No WiFi in park. They have free WiFi if an emergency at kiosk and you're able to check your email or look online there. Be prepared for no internet or cell service within the park. Campfire wood is sold at camphost. They are super friendly and helpful. We appreciate the water & dump station. All dry camping. No electric available. Generator hours is 10am to 8pm. At night you can hear the ocean from Washburn. No dogs allowed on the beach, but there are places nearby. Ask for a list. We saw whales, dolphins, turrens, an owl and the zebras.

Nice as far as it had friendly host, regularly cleaned bathrooms, and shower availability. But be…read morecareful about getting campsites closer to the water - it gets windy during the day and can be a little miserable. The upper campground - Washburn is further from the water but with nice views of the mountains. In between is nice too, just avoid the high hundreds numbers - 131. 132,133 for wind. Beach access was cool. Lots of green rocks and driftwood for kids to build with. They also had an amphitheater and we saw a ranger talk on great white sharks. Also a nice home base to go your Hearst castle or do wine tasting. Cambria and Harmony are cute nearby towns to see.

This would be my second review of Sidecar Tours and it still remains 5Star! Jeff was my driver in…read more2022 and unbelievably, Jeff was our driver today!!! He was wonderful, he made extra stops for us to show us things along the way and allow us to take photos and videos. Today it was just my best friend and I, but photos are linked to the original review 4 years ago with mom and aunt.

This is a fabulous adventure you don't want to miss. Our drivers. Hoss and Boo were the BEST! We…read morehad so much fun and are now trying to figure out when we can do this again. You will love this!!!

I wanted to plan an awesome wine tasting tour for the wife's significant birthday. My wife is #6 of…read more6 sisters and I knew she would love to spend this time with her sisters since we live away. This has been years in the planning by the way. I was struggling with how to plan something special for a group of 6 without busting the bank and still getting a great experience. I heard about Kathy & Jim's "The Bus Stop Pismo Beach" tour through a niece. I will tell you this was perfect! First, Kathy & Jim are two of the sincerest people you will meet. They both are members at wineries throughout the Edna Valley, so they know their stuff and they love (almost passionate about... ) wines from this valley. One of the sisters is a a wine lover and shared that every winery that Kathy took them too was some of the best ones to visit. Every stop we had a reserved area so Kathy put in the time and catered the tour to us. But it didn't stop there! They included an afternoon snack time at one of the wineries and they shared local products from the valley too. Again, they are passionate about their valley and it extends beyond the wine. The best part of for me was the ride. It is a working, vintage VW Bus!!! This experience took the sister-in-laws back to their glory days; lol... Kathy was the perfect host. She related to the girls and still hosted a professional and memorable guided tour. If you are looking for a fun, memorable experience...do not pass up this one!!!

Two of the nicest people you'll meet! They came to our shop in SLO and set up their VW in kind of a…read morecentral coast/boho fashion. They supplied local wines along with charcuterie and told us all about the wine. This is a super unique way to have an amazing time with friends and experience the central coast. Very cool idea, guys! Wish you all the luck and I will recommend you to everyone.

My husband and I did the kayak and lunch tour with Mandy as part of our honeymoon adventures. We…read moreabsolutely loved the entire tour! The views, the wildlife, and Mandy's knowledge made everything so enjoyable. Afterwards we enjoyed a delicious lunch with a beautiful view! The food was so fresh and so good we highly recommend this tour!!

Mandy was amazing. So many interesting facts about the estuary. the kayaking was wonderful…read more Highly recommend this tour.

I can't say enough positive things about our experience with Avila Beach Whale Watching. The…read morebooking process was a breeze and directions to the boat super clear. The boat was extremely comfortable and super easy to get on and off. Only 6 people so everyone is able to see the show. Captain Mark is personable, experienced and safety conscious. While you can never be guaranteed as to what you will see, the experience we had totally exceeded our expectations - lots of whales breaching and showing off their flukes and dolphins accompanied us for a while playing alongside the boat. This was my first trip with this company, but it won't be my last!

Truly an amazing experience! We saw countless whales, and at times it felt like there were whales…read moreeverywhere you looked. We saw multiple groups of whales lunge feeding, with whales, sea lions, and tons of birds all feeding together. We also saw lots of dolphins and had a chance to cruise alongside them for a while. Our guide, Mark, was fantastic. He clearly knew the whales and their behavior, always kept us informed about what was happening and where to look, and was happy to answer all of our questions. The highlight came when Mark spotted a whale away from where we were watching and decided to head over to check it out--even though we were already seeing some incredible activity. We're so glad he did. Shortly after we got there, the whale breached right in front of our boat! An unforgettable moment that we never would have experienced without Mark's knowledge and instincts. Our original trip had actually been canceled the day before because of bad weather. While that was obviously disappointing, it was completely outside their control, and we really appreciated how they handled it. They added an extra third trip the following day so they could accommodate us. We also brought our three-and-a-half-year-old along, and he had a great time. He was comfortable throughout the trip and really enjoyed the experience. It may not be for every three-and-a-half-year-old, but it definitely worked great for ours! It was the best whale-watching experience our family could have asked for. It truly couldn't have been any better!

This trail is a great way to explore some of the central Cali coast! And PRO TIP: there are about…read morefive other beaches used by the Elephant Seals so their breeding season is a wonderful time to visit (winter months). And these are much less crowded view points than the main one. Another tip - sunsets along this trail are positively magical too! The Pacific coast along this trail is packed full of giant boulders for the waves to crash against- just gorgeous views all around. And bonus - you get to see the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse from several different angles and view points too! You'll see lots of wildlife too - ground squirrels, tons of birds, definitely Elephant Seals, and sea otters if you're lucky and have a good eye. AllTrails says this trail is just over 5 miles with 252 feet elevation gain. I honestly didn't notice any elevation gain - seemed flat to me but probably bc it's so gradual. The trailhead is located at the larger, paved parking lot in the main Elephant Seal vista point (the north view point). From that location, it's about 2 miles to the end. There's a lovely, more wild beach area at the end of the trail that puts you pretty close to the seals too. It's fenced for their safety (and you're lol) but the views are fantastic. The trail can get muddy in places but they installed boards and bridges in those spots - it's pretty well maintained. No bugs in winter either. But my understanding is it gets pretty buggy in summer and watch out for ticks! Parking is in the two lots for the "Elephant Seal vista point" and is free and ample. There are no bathrooms anywhere around here so be prepared.

The trail runs from the paved elephant seal viewing parking for near two miles, to a half mile…read morenorth of the Piedras Blancas Light Station, which offers spectacular scenic vistas of the coastline and opportunities for wildlife viewing. The trail includes coastal bluff, grassland, and wetland areas, however, no dogs are permitted.