This "Pocket Park" is a SLO County Park complete with a kiddies playground and even Monkeybars. It…read morehas a small grassy area which leads one to the little known Coastal Access on the deadend of 3rd street. The Coastal Access boasts nice views and is relatively unknown, since most head straight for the main Beach. All over the Central Coast, if you look around you can find all kinds of Overlooks, PocketParks, Parks, Beaches, Beach Parks [with or without Ocean access], Hiking Trails, and so much more to explore.

Beautiful beach to walk on in Cayucos. We could spend hours here just walking and enjoying the…read morescene.

Local Eval: Cute little neighborhood SLO County Park right in the middle of "nowhere". I visited a…read morefew weeks ago, added this "new" entry to Yelp without any "credit" [was prompted for an immediate review & pics], and was Tardy with my Hardie review. Hardie Park is rather cute and has both a summer use adult pool, along with a tot pool. The fees are reasonable [one day= $2 a kid/ $5 an adult & season passes are a bargain] and the schedule is on the SLO County Park website...where you can also find the plethora of other SLO County Parks, Pools, Golf Courses, Lakes, Hikes, etc... The two Tennis courts are free, at least according to the people who were playing there. In front of the pool is a interesting sculpture dedicated to two local Indian tribes [see pics]. On the other side of the street, is a large well groomed grassy area, where there are ample playgrounds for tots. The county wisely used what appears to be ground-up tires/rubber for safety. There is a large covered picnic table area with a huge BBQ for groups. In the overhead structure, there are controls for lights & even an AC outlet. One likely needs to reserve and pay for use on the SLO County website. Just behind this is a lazy serene creek, which is pleasant. The banks are deceptively muddy and slippery, which I found out the hard way! I wanted a water/mud sample to test under my home microscope system. As my wife yelled at me not to go down that way, that was the way I went...only to regret it, as one sneaker got wet, as I slipped. It took me a bit to extract myself, as I ran nowhere fast. My wife joked that I looked like a mouse running on one of those wheels in their cage! Somehow, I did not fall. Later I had my wife grab me a water sample. Since the creek looked to be only about 6 inches deep, it would typically only be messy for an adult...unless you twisted an ankle or worse! Apparently, since I did not learn my lesson about creek banks, I repeated this stupidity, the very next day with AG Creek, where I also slipped & grabbed a huge Stinging Nettle branch with both hands. MUCHO-Ouch! In any case, if an old fool like me can mess up with creeks, you can imagine what a mess kids can get into. My New Balance sneakers were soaked with tons of mud, while I had a pair of waterproof boots in the trunk. I can be quite a moron! In any case, this is a rather pleasant "unknown" county park in SLO County, that also happens to be right next to a public library. You then can grab some eats from town, a book to read, and then watch your kid[s] use up some of their boundless energy, swimming. The surrounding town is quiet, has humble accommodations, and marginal eats...but it is a good base of operations for points north, south, or east. Both charming Cambria and Morro Bay/Baywood/Los Osos are just a few miles away, and are filled with lots to explore. Since a number of the SLO County Parks do have summer daily use pools, it is a great feature for kids. In our area, only a few health clubs have decent pools, and only an expensive one has a nice outdoor Olympic sized pool [e.g. Avila Club]. So if you have visiting relatives with kids, who are pestering you to swim, and you know that they can get hypothermia from the Ocean, then these parks may be a god send for some. While the SLO County Pools are spread out, it may give you a great excuse to sight see, as you check out the area. If you need a relatively safe sheltered beach, there are parts of Avila Beach that have little wave action, lots of sand for a stroll, but the water is still icy cold. Avila is the most kid friendly beach. Ironically, even though I made the first "business" addition to Yelp, someone else apparently beat me to the first review [a non-local brief review seemingly targeted to "beat me" to the obviously "coveted" "First-to-review" title]. It was rather annoying, after I took considerably more time to research, explore, & take many pictures of this cute park...but no matter... as a local with tons of time on my hands, one of my new hobbies is to check out the plethora of the many County or local Parks, Attractions, Farmers Markets, in SLO county & beyond. My additional beef with the multitudes of non-local "tourist" brief reviews, is that many either over-glorify, or overly-trash places, that they may visit once, and typically lack a comparative/historical local context. You cannot expect this rural area to compete with urban areas. While it is a relatively "wealthy" area, with pricey housing, most things have to be trucked in, from the ports of Long Beach, or from the SF Bay area. There are no major ports in this area, since the demise of this area's big oil rigs & refineries eons ago. Avila Pier had a railroad that once brought oil out to the port from SLO [Tank Farm] & was a polluting eyesore. The entire town of Avila was dug up to remove many feet of oil soaked sand decades ago!

Sweet little park. Play structure, covered picnic area, restrooms, large grass area, and access to…read morea creek. Within walking distance of downtown Cayucos and the beach. Clean and quiet.

What a great landmark and a historic site to visit! I can't believe there's no charge for parking…read morenor entrance fee to look at this great marvel of nature up close. This is a gigantic rock formed over 20 million years ago from the core of an ancient volcano. You can get a great view from any of the nearby areas but my family and I just walked here from our hotel during our recent stay. There are pedestrian and bike friendly path to get here from the downtown area or from the nearby beach area. You will see several otters as you walk along the path. Since this is a historic landmark, you cannot hike or try to climb the rock. Hope no one is stupid enough to do something crazy in order to post themselves on social media.

A beautiful day within nice walk to the Morro Bay Rock. Temps at 74 degrees. Lots of seagulls dive…read morebombing and sea otters playing in the water. Pleasant and therapeutic. Recommended

There is a beach right next to the behemoth Morro Rock in Morro Bay, CA. The beach access and…read moreparking is totally free. Yup, FREE. Sandy three mile stretch of beach from the Rock to the camp grounds. There are lifeguards on duty, all ready with their gear ready to save a life. I know they are there daily in the summer, not sure about the other months. This is a popular spot with surfers. Good waves. Another tidbit to know is that there are restroom located in the parking lot. Also smack in the middle of the lot is the California State Historical Marker #821-Morro Rock. I think it's worth a quick stop to read the plaque, take a quick moment to soak in the gorgeous direct view of the rock and not to get all sentimental but also reflect on the past, present and future. Another another tidbit is that dogs and horses are not allowed on the beach due to the protected shorebird habitat such as the western snowy plover that nest from March-September and live here. Service dogs on a leash are allowed though. But so many folks broke the rule once the lifeguards left for the day. Ironic, people want wildlife and nature to be able to visit and enjoy but don't want to follow the rules that protect all those things they enjoy. Go figure?!

The last time I was at this beach, I was only 2 years old, so I don't have any memory of it. Last…read moreyear, I decided I wanted to take a trip here with my family. I've lived in California most of my life and have been to almost every beach, so it's funny that this one in Morro never really came to mind especially since it's not that far from us. When I finally came last year, I really enjoyed it. The beach was clean, beautiful, and peaceful. There were lots of sand dollars along the shore and even some wildlife, which made it feel even more special. Since that first trip, we've come back about four more times. There's just something about this place that makes me feel calm and at peace every time I'm here.

Honestly - I had such a great time kayaking with Jack last week! I was the only person who signed…read moreup so I got a personal tour. I'm not an experienced kayaker and Jack made sure I was comfortable and knew what I was doing! We saw sea lions, a blue heron, and just had a great time out there on Morro Bay. The water was smooth and we took a little break about an hour in to just stretch out on the sand bar (plus - snack!). All in all, it was a great time. Totally worth what I paid including the tip. Would do it again!

So many things went well! From the welcoming greet, smile and conversation to fitting us for the…read moreadventure. We had Kristian as our guide and he was an expert in the wild surf we had, keeping us safe but allowing for some learning and experiencing the caves. I will be back one day- they were pros!

If you like a slower pace, Morro Bay is great. Small shops, ocean breeze, and that huge rock…read morestaring at you everywhere you go. It's not a big tourist scene, which I actually loved. The beaches are clean, people were pleasant & mellow, and the bay views are beautiful. We spent most of the time just walking around. Plenty of parking too. While strolling the pier, you can find numerous seafood and waterfront dining options. If you live in California, it's a 3-day weekend escape, including the hours on the road.

Love this quiet little sleepy beach town! Morro bay is such a hidden gem off the 1, and one of my…read morefavorite spots in SLO county. There are lots of adorable little shops and boutiques, dog friendly restaurants, seal / otter watching, and a great beach for surfing or relaxing. A great spot to get fresh seafood. Highly recommend also getting a kayak or stand up paddle board to explore the bay while enjoying the great bay weather or catching a sunset.

​This is a long overdue shout-out for the Kayak Shack in Morro Bay. We've used them for rentals…read morethree times now, and they have become our go-to spot. ​The staff is absolutely wonderful! Always helpful and welcoming. The location is perfect if you're planning to explore the entire bay, and the convenience of having plenty of parking makes the whole experience stress-free. On top of that, their kayak and canoe rentals are very reasonably priced. ​We've had such great experiences here that we will definitely keep using them for all our future kayak outings. One of the best ways to experience Morro Bay is in the water. Highly recommend!

Great experience. Love that its launch is out of the busy harbor area with plenty of parking…read more Kayaks are great. Easy way to get in and out of them and love the service.

Never have I ever been treated so rudely as a potential customer as here. Not at all busy, so I…read morewent up to the open Dutch door and said I'd like to rent a kayak. Dude inside had a really lousy attitude and softly said to come to the window. As I hesitated a half second to figure out which window he meant, the dude loudly repeated "WINDOW!!!" Yeah dude, it's not hard to show some courtesy to those with dollars to trade. Bad day? Maybe. But not my problem. Thankfully there are other options nearby.

Priced per hour after you are finished with your rental. Not the friendliest of service, but a good…read morebay activity.