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This is an astonishingly beautiful stretch of California’s Central Coast—a land of sea breezes, spectacular ocean sunsets, miles of sandy beaches, and acres of rolling hillsides. But, the landscape isn’t the only aspect of the county offering astonishing variety to visitors. Visitor attractions abound in San Luis Obispo County; from windswept sand dunes to grapevine-filled valleys; from historic villages to quaint beach towns. The city of Pismo Beach offers visitors countless ways to enjoy its lovely beaches— from swimming and sunbathing to riding horses and actually driving on it. The county’s namesake city, San Luis Obispo, is a visitor’s paradise, a sophisticated and progressive university town replete with great shopping, dining, entertainment, public art, a historic mission, and much, much more. The cities of Morro Bay, Baywood Park, and Los Osos bracket natural Morro Bay harbor with charm and an array of visitor attractions.Morro Bay is famous around the world for its fascinating volcanic Morro Rock, almost 600 feet tall and 50 acres at its base—so large it once served as a navigational landmark for ships at sea. The beach town of Cayucos is a haven for surfers and fishing enthusiasts. Non-surfing visitors will find a host of antique shops, restaurants, and taverns along the “old California” main street. The long, uncluttered, white sandy beach is home to the Cayucos pier—built in 1875—and beloved by sandcastle builders, sunbathers, and strolling romantics. Block-long Harmony (population 18) is home to a wedding chapel, shops and galleries, a restaurant/bar and a winery. The 1915 post office is still in operation today. South of San Simeon is the charming town of Cambria. This lovely village boasts a highly respected artists’ colony and supports an impressive selection of fine restaurants, specialty shops, art galleries, and ocean-view inns. Towering Monterey pines frame the dynamic coastline along unique Moonstone Beach Drive, where semi-precious agate and jasper can be found along Moonstone Beach. Once the hub of a thriving whaling village, Sebastian’s General Store (1852) in the town of San Simeon is now a state historical landmark. San Simeon Pier continues to serve the area’s commercial and sports fishing enthusiasts and offers an exceptionally beautiful white crescent beach sweeping around to San Simeon Point. Of course, no trip here would be complete without venturing up the hill to Hearst Castle, an endlessly absorbing monument to human ambition, vision, spirit, and perseverance. The dramatic coastline along U.S. Hwy. 1 in northern San Luis Obispo County has earned a reputation as one of the most scenic drives in the world. Adding to the interest, a growing population of elephant seals has adopted the county’s north coast during the winter months. These two-ton seals migrate along the shoreline along with sea lions and sea otters. Just shy of the county’s northern border, must-see Ragged Point, often described as the “Million Dollar View,” offers breathtaking, unobstructed, miles-wide vistas of both the Pacific Ocean and the inland landscape of the Santa Lucia Mountains. Visitors craving the atmosphere of either the mountains or the sea will find this northwest corner of the county a paradise of meandering nature trails, rocky shorelines, and rare black sandy beaches. Wine
growing in San Luis Obispo County stretches back to the missionary
days of California, when the Franciscan padres who settled California
in the 1880s planted the first grapevines (six of the 21 historic
California missions are located within an hour’s drive). Today,
the county is considered one of the most distinguished wine regions
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