24 Hours in the Central Coast

Yikes! It’s been apparently two years since I wrote my last blog post. I’ve definitely gone on a few trips over this time and have a lot to share. Just last night, a friend text me for recommendations for their upcoming trip to Solvang so I decided to pull up the old blog and write about a recent trip to give them some ideas of what to do.

San Luis Obispo is one of my favorite places to visit because I went to school there and have very fond memories of the place. Plus it’s not very far from the Bay Area and offers a variety of things to do. In subsequent posts, I’ll write about a girls trip to SLO and a longer weekend family trip. If you only have two days and one night, you can still capture most of the best things in SLO, Pismo Beach, and Solvang.

Here’s an itinerary for a short weekend trip to the Central Coast (more details in the story below it):

• Saturday
  • Morning: Drive to San Luis Obispo.
  • Afternoon: Lunch at Firestone Grill (Address: 1001 Higuera St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401)
  • Walk around downtown SLO to places like Rocket Fizz, clothing shops, bubblegum alley which I think is nasty, area in and around Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa, and historic Chinatown.
  • Stop in at Madonna Inn (Address: 100 Madonna Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405) to check out their fun and whimsical atmosphere. Peek into the men’s restroom to see their unique waterfall. Grab some dessert and/or cocktail.
  • Late afternoon: Drive down to Solvang.
  • Before you explore Danish culture in the Santa Ynez Valley pull over off the highway and visit Ostrichland USA (Address: 610 E Hwy 246, Solvang, CA 93463). They close at 6pm and you’ll only spend somewhere between 30 minutes to an hour there.
  • Check into your hotel and drop off your stuff. We stayed at The Hadsten Solvang (Address: 1450 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463).
  • Walk to the old wind mill and then get some baked goods at Solvang Bakery (Address: 438 Alisal Rd, Solvang, CA 93463). Then do a little wine tasting at one of the tasting rooms.
  • Have dinner at a local restaurant in town. On our latest visit, we had a marvelous dinner at The Gathering Table (Address: 1555 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463).
• Sunday
  • Morning: Have breakfast at Brekkies (Address: 1655 Mission Dr, Solvang, CA 93463) – I LOVE this place!
  • Late morning: Drive to Pismo Beach.
  • I like to park at or near 321 Pomeroy Ave, Pismo Beach, CA 93449.
  • Visit the beach and pier at Pismo Beach and walk around the stores.
  • Afternoon: Enjoy lunch at Splash Cafe (Address: 197 Pomeroy Ave, Pismo Beach, CA 93449) – This is a MUST do no matter how long the line is!

Get up early on a Saturday morning and head down 101 to SLO. Your first stop in SLO should be Firestone Grill for lunch to get their famous Tri-tip Beef Sandwich with BBQ sauce. On occasion, I have brought home a few of these sandwiches for friends. Everyone loves their sandwiches but if you don’t eat beef, I’ve heard their Grilled Chicken and Pork Ribs are also good. Our go to meal is Tri-tip Beef Sandwich, Cobb Salad with Tri-tip, and a small order of Seasoned Fries. The basket of fries is just too big, even for the three of us. My nephews love their Onion Rings.

We call life in San Luis Obispo, the SLO life. Basically it means enjoying life, being present, and taking it easy which are all the things you should do when visiting San Luis Obispo. Their downtown area is not that big. You can simply park your car on the street or from your hotel and walk everywhere. Rocket Fizz is a chain but my family still finds it fun to peruse through their novelty candies and snacks. Apollo also loves looking at hard to find legos at Bricks & Minifigs (Address: 863 Marsh St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401). We often pick up a cool gift for a friend at the candy store or a unique lego set at Bricks & Minifigs. The clothing stores also have some great items. At Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa and historic Chinatown, there are signs with stories to learn about the past and the significance of the attractions. And everyone has to stop in at the famous Madonna Inn for all its pink splendor on the way south.

It’s only a little over an hour to Solvang so after SLO, you will still have time to visit Ostrichland to feed the huge ostriches and marvel at the cute little baby ones. I’ve actually driven by this a few times and didn’t notice the place. If you blink, you might miss it but it is right off the highway. A friend recommended Ostrichland and it was indeed a fun place to stop into for about 30 minutes. We then spent another 20 or 30 minutes in the gift shop. My son LOVES looking through gift shops even if we only leave with a sticker. As you enter downtown Solvang, you’ll notice the charming Danish-inspired architecture of the buildings. On our most recent visit to Solvang, we stayed the night at The Hadsten which was a very nice hotel with a bar and a beautiful outdoor patio with a firepit and games but sadly we didn’t partake as we had to get a good night’s rest. I only booked us at The Hadsten to get my Hilton points. If you’re staying just a night and don’t need the extra amenities, I recommend booking at a less expensive inn or motel in town. Many of the restaurants in Solvang have good ratings. Take a look at their menus to decide where to eat. We chose The Gathering Table and loved both the food and service. You can read my review of The Gathering Table on Yelp. For breakfast, I love going to Brekkies! They have a large selection of items including many gluten free options. Nothing is ever bad here. You get in line to order before you get seated at a table. They are super efficient and the staff is wonderful. You can read my review of Brekkies on Yelp. Don’t fill up so that you can have room for Clam Chowder in Pismo Beach.

After breakfast, you can walk around Solvang some more or head up to Pismo Beach. You can also stop off for wine tasting along the way north. I’ll tell you about that in my post documenting my girls trip. Pismo Beach is a fun place to stop off. I like to park in the parking lot at 321 Pomeroy Ave, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 next to Pismo Market because it’s less congested. There is a large parking lot near the beach further down Pomeroy but it’s often very full. Walk around and take pictures. Apollo likes to visit the beach and play in the sand. For lunch, stop in Splash Cafe for their famous and award winning Clam Chowder but don’t order the bread bowl. Instead, order a few ounces of their Clam Chowder and a side order of their grilled bread. If the place is too full, you can get your food to go and sit at a table by the beach. Otherwise, have someone get in line to order and have someone else poach a table. No matter how long the line is, go to Splash Cafe.

And there you have it…a little over 24 hours in SLO, Solvang, and Pismo Beach.