Central Coast Perfection – Patios, Trails, and Tasting Rooms in Walkable Avila Beach

All across America, folks are adapting to living outdoors, be it through sidewalk dining in New York or gallery walks in Seattle. Fortunately, the outside has always been in vogue for visitors to Avila Beach, the quaint seaside town on California’s Central Coast. From ample patio dining to a spectrum of coastal recreational pursuits,

Avila Beach provides an ideal destination that’s already made for social distancing. Whether you fancy a day filled with winery and farm tours, beach play, or a refreshing hike high above the Pacific, Avila Beach offers a vacation welllived outside. Avila Beach sits at the end of an oak-lined drive through a valley famous for its natural mineral hot springs. The village’s dependably mild temperatures are due to another natural phenomenon, a microclimate that also produces consistently sunny skies. This inviting atmosphere has fostered both a wonderful array of independent oceanfront patios and exceptional wine and produce growing.

The seaside village is also home to a variety of places to stay, including spa resorts, downtown hotels and family-friendly vacation rentals. Whether in town for a gal or guys’ getaway, romantic weekend, multi-gen trip or any other gathering, the Avila Beach lodging website makes it easy to find your pillow for the night.

The Avila Valley Barn showcases the region’s provender, a farm market with picturesque displays of seasonal fruits, vegetables, and flowering plants. A roadside stand this is not: The Avilla Valley Barn is also home to a petting zoo, bakery items, and the Chicken Shack and Smokehouse. No classroom is required: a visit to the Barn teaches children and reminds family members that fresh food doesn’t magically appear at the grocery store; it is grown by knowledgeable, hardworking farmers. The Barn hopes to open its popular hayrides and seasonal tours soon. Right now, you can tune to a great virtual series that captures everything from apple picking to a visit to the petting zoo.

“Edutainment” abounds in Avila Beach, far from our computer screens and TV gaming consoles. A visit to the Avila Beach Bird Sanctuary reveals an impressive diversity of species, from surf scoter sea ducks to pacific loons and peregrine falcons. Godwit shorebirds peck at the sand like sewing machines and Wilson warblers, their black caps settled on their heads like graduation mortarboards, dash among the adjacent shrubs. The Central Coast Aquarium serves as a great hands-on primer for a day spent exploring the beach and scanning the sea for migrating and resident gray and humpback whales, among other species, including the world’s largest animal, the blue whale. Step onto the beach to search for dolphins, sea lions, and sea otters. The Aquarium is currently allowing visits by reservation only for K -12 students and their families.

There are many ways to get even closer to this amazing sea life in Avila Beach. Several whale-watching vessels depart from Port San Luis. You can also rent sea kayaks, stand-up paddleboards, and other equipment for human-powered exploration of the sublime central California coast. Pirates Cove and San Luis Obispo Bay promise calmer waters than the open ocean, ideal habitats for both marine mammals and learning or perfecting one’s paddling skills.

Avila Beach’s mild climate also guarantees that there’s something in bloom twelve months a year, especially in spring. Grab your wildflower guide or your camera phone and set out on the Pecho Coast Trail for the historic Point San Luis Lighthouse. Go for a stroll into the creekside forest on the Sycamore Crest Trail. Avila Beach is surrounded by wildlands, so pack your water, pick your route, and go. A few miles away, Johnson Ranch Open Space and the Irish Hills Natural Reserve are located off Highway 101. Cyclists love the paved Bob Jones trail, an excellent outing for every generation from toddlers to grandparents. Of course, no trip to Avila Beach is complete without sojourns upon miles of beach and a saunter along the famous Avila Beach Promenade.

Downtown Avila Beach is as walkable as the surrounding trails, a lovely way to spend an afternoon browsing boutiques, glancing among galleries, and collecting a beachthemed curio or two as a keepsake. Front Street alone is home to an eclectic mélange of mercantile , including BeachComber Bill’s and the Avila Market Restaurant and Mercantile. You can also grab some shade and styles at Hats Unlimited, the Sea Barn, and Footsea’s boutiques. Each of these beach-themed shops places their goods outside for easy open-air browsing. Under the Sea Gallery, Avila Gallery, and other regional studios offer plenty of room for art lovers and the aesthetically curious alike.

All this pretty-thing perusing can lead to quite an appetite but, fear not, café terraces spread out as wide as the beach here. Big Al’s at the Beach, Hula Hut, and the Kraken Coffee Company are great pausing points for a quick pick-me-up of coffee or a smoothie, sandwich, or salad to take out to the beach. The Fat Cats Café and Mr. Rick’s feature familiar beachside menus with a good dose of burgers, seasonal salads, and local favorites like fish and chips. Mersea’s Restaurant sits on the wharf, a perfect perch for sampling the crab melt sandwich, steamers, and/or chowder. Blue Moon Over Avila’s heated patio is the perfect go-to for a romantic dinner after a well-spent day in the sun.

Downtown has all you need in tasting rooms too, beginning with Pierfront Wine and Brew. Located right on Front Street, the oceanfront patio is open every day. The Avila Wine Company also serves a variety of wineries by the glass, the flight, and the bottle. Peloton Cellars is one of several individual wineries that showcase their vintages in town. Alapay Cellars pours on 1st Street, as does Sinor-LaVallee, a winery that takes pride in growing grapes just 1.2 miles from the Pacific. If you’d rather go vineyard viewing, head to Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards, a family-run winery, in the foothills. Beer lovers feel welcomed here, too, thanks to Libertine Brewing Company, home to 12 rotating taps and an expansive patio.

As California reopens, outdoor destinations like Avila Beach are going to expand ever wider, from dog-friendly beaches to a broad range of lodging choices ranging from hotel rooms to home vacation rentals. Even the spas come in many forms here, from the natural springs at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort to Spa Avila and Avila Bay Athletic Club & Spa. Whether you’re ready to sit outside and get served under the sunshine by the bay or up for a day traversing among tasting rooms and trails, visit the Avila Beach website at https://visitavilabeach.com to pick your perfect paradise.