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Halloween Anticipation | California Mom Blogger

October 22, 2021
Halloween in San Luis Obispo
I love the fall season when the pumpkin patches are open and I can order a pumpkin spice latte from our coffee shops around SLO County. I also enjoy the cooler weather and how traffic is less around here as the kids are back in school and the summer tourist season is over.
Corn Mazes in San Luis Obispo
Around fall, many of the local farms start planning really fun harvest events and setting up their pumpkin patches. (See my video reel at a beautiful pumpkin patch in San Luis Obispo.) Especially with kids, I enjoy the fall and Halloween season very much as they allow me to make fun memories that I didn't have the privilege to make when I was a kid. There are so many family-friendly events at farms around this area. One thing about fall though that I dread and that is they almost always get sick right before or right after Halloween!

There is the mix of awesomeness and worry with fall. It's a very eventful season, especially around SLO County. The kids bring home cute pumpkin crafts and we'd visit many pumpkin patches. Other times, we'll stay cooped up, especially if one of my kids catch a cold, watching family-friendly Halloween movies and shows, instead of going out and about. And for me, I'm okay with mixing it all up with being cooped up and staying put when I need to because we get to recharge my battery at home. The season is changing, and we'll all need a bit of a change up, when it's time.

You can find a list of trick or treating opportunities throughout San Luis Obispo County this year by going to our Halloween Events page.

See our video reels on my instagram to see pumpkin patches that we've visited:

Video reel of our visit to the pumpkin patch at SLO Creek Farms

Video reel of our visit to the pumpkin patch at Tar Creek Ranch

Halloween Themed Supplies

 

San Simeon Hotels in San Luis Obispo County

October 7, 2021
San Luis Obispo County has a lot of famous cities and attractions. One of them is Hearst Castle.
Heart Castle Pool Picture
Hearst Castle is located in San Simeon city, a coastal town that's quaint and beautiful.

There's less than a dozen hotels in San Simeon but if you'd like to find a quieter part of California that's right at the coast, then San Simeon is the perfect getaway. Here's a list of hotels in San Simeon.

Cavalier Oceanfront Resort
This hotel is only 3 miles from Hearst Castle.

The Morgan at San Simeon Hotel
This is a boutique hotel that is pet-friendly.

Days Inn by Wyndham
Most affordable hotel rate in all of San Simeon.

Quality Inn San Simeon
This hotel is only 2 miles from Hearst Castle and has a pool.

San Simeon Lodge
This lodge has ocean view rooms as options.

Oceanpoint Ranch
They have ranch-chic style hotel rooms.

To see all hotel rates in San Simeon, click here. Many people stay in San Simeon or Cambria overnight to visit Hearst Castle. To see pictures of Hearst Castle that I took during my personal visit, click here.

Cambria, another beautiful and quaint California beach town is located only 3 miles from San Simeon. They have scarecrows on display throughout the town for the month of October every year! See all hotels in Cambria, California.

See pictures of hotels that I've personally stayed at in San Luis Obispo County for staycations.
 

Thanksgiving and Winter Break Camps in SLO County

September 19, 2021
If your kids are like mine, they usually crave to get more active by the 3rd day of any consecutive break. A few hours a day at a half day break camp can really help them have a more exciting break and still have time to relax at home.

There's a few regular places around the county that usually run break camps year round. Here's a list of places that I've found so far for 2025 that offer both Thanksgiving and Winter Break Camps. Usually in November, a selected organizations will post Thanksgiving Break offerings and then wait some time later to post the December Break camp information.
  1. Basketball Camp: Youth Evolution Training are offered at more than one city in San Luis Obispo County. There are usually 2 ages groups: 5 - 7 years old and 8 - 12 years old. It's 3 hours a day. You register through the appropriate City's Recreation website. More details. 
  2. Boys & Girls Club of South San Luis Obispo Fall Break Camp runs for 3 days and Winter Break Camp runs for 3 weeks according to the Lucia Mar District break calendar More details. 
  3. Central Coast Gymnastics in San Luis Obispo are for ages 4 and up and they plan Thanksgiving and Winter Break Camps every year. They are amazingly organized. As a mom, I want to caution you about this place so I recommend googling "Central Coast Gymnastics" under the News section as something happened earlier this year in 2023. Please do some research, then make your decision. More details.
  4. City of Arroyo Grande's Multiple Camp Options include Science, LEGO and Sports broken down by age groups and times. Click 'Youth' categoryMore details
  5. Legacy Training Center in San Luis Obispo also has Thanksgiving day camp, Winter day camp and summer day camp for kids throughout the year. More details
  6. Performance Athletics Gymnastics in San Luis Obispo has day camps during school breaks as well for ages 4 - 13 years old. You can pre-register for them online on their website. More details.
  7. San Luis Obispo Repertory Theatre is having Thanksgiving and Winter ACT Theatre Camps with sessions separated by grade levels. More details.
 

Port San Luis Pier (Harford Pier) Pictures in Avila Beach

August 29, 2021
There are 3 piers in Avila Beach but Port San Luis Pier is my favorite of the bunch. It's located on the farthest right if you're facing the ocean and driving into Avila Beach from the road. It's past the PG & E plant and lighthouse.


You'll see some campers parked there. Don't be discourage. Just keep driving and you'll see a free parking area. That is when you'll see the Port San Luis Pier. You can go fishing on this pier without a fishing license and also see sea lions from this pier. They like to hang out around here.

I really love coming here with the family. Like any fishing pier, it can smell fishy but if you love seafood, it shouldn't bother you. When it's cloudy, I feel like I'm in heaven as the fog hangs really close.


Here are more photos that I took from my walk on Port San Luis Pier on a sunny day last year. The restaurants were just opening again from the pandemic and we decided to come here as they have restaurant with an outdoor area to enjoy our meal.

See my video reel of Port San Luis Pier in Avila Beach on instagram.


Port San Luis Pier><img  alt=

A lot of boats were roaming around the bay. 
Avila Beach Piers

After walking around for awhile, we enjoyed a lunch at Mersea's, which is a seafood restaurant located right on the pier! I had their tacos while I enjoyed this fantastic view.
Mersea's Restaurant Picture in Avila Beach
Port San Luis Pier/Harford Pier Address for GPS: 3950 Avila Beach Drive, Avila Beach, CA or you can GPS Mersea's Restaurant in Avila Beach and it'll lead you right to this pier as well.

All photos, even pinned photos from Pinterest are original from SanLuisObispoMom.com. Please give credit if you plan on using them. 

More about Avila Beach:
Avila Beach is located in San Luis Obispo County and is one of many beaches in the area. They have farmers markets, a lot of restaurants and shops and a great playground for kids. I've visited 5 different tasting rooms in Avila Beach. See pictures that I took at all of the wine tasting rooms that I visited in Avila Beach.

Avila Beach T-Shirts:

Avila Beach California Vintage Retro T-Shirt

Being outdoors can create such wonderful memories but it comes with a risk. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have kid's sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Swimming is always one great idea to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise if you feel bummed out for any reason so they are always great skills for kids to have.

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

See more pictures of Avila Beach.

 

Pismo Beach T-Shirts - Men, Women and Kids Souvenir Shirts

August 25, 2021
There are many different Pismo Beach t-shirts that you can find locally as souvenirs. There's not a shortage of souvenir shops near the Pismo Beach Pier that sell t-shirts, but it could be overwhelming to search through hundreds of them to find the right one. Upon going on a hunt to find Pismo Beach T-Shirts or 805 T-Shirts as a gift, I was getting a bit tired already after just finding a decent parking spot at the beach. I wasn't tired physically, just mentally tired. Then, stopping in one-by-one through a swarm of tourists was another obstacle. That is why I am such a happy online shopper. I'll happily go to the beach to put my feet in the sand but shopping for a t-shirt makes me a bit light-headed. 

However, to make is easier on yourself, you can actually find Pismo Beach t-shirts and souvenirs at Rite Aid and CVS in the Pismo Beach or Arroyo Grande areas. They are only a few minutes drive from the Pismo Beach promenade and many Pismo Beach tourists come to neighboring cities for awesome restaurants and groceries. Sometimes these Pismo Beach souvenir shirts are in a rack is in the back of the store but still visible or in an odd aisle. At VONS in Grover Beach, they are located in the Toys aisle.

The great thing is you can find all of these Pismo Beach T-Shirts and souvenirs at the local drug stores that I mentioned above, beach shops in Pismo Beach or online but finding a Grover Beach T-shirt is like finding gold in the sand. I wrote a blog entry about a list of Grover Beach t-shirts that you can find online.

About Pismo Beach

Pismo Beach, California is famous for their classic California beach vibe, their annual Pismo Beach Clam Festival (read about my hang out at the Pismo Beach Clam Festival), cool beach view restaurants and shops that line up near the promenade and the long Pismo Beach Pier (see my near minute long video reel of the Pismo Beach Pier) that allows you to catch the whales or dolphins, if you're lucky.

There are also some cool date nights spots in Pismo Beach that I recommend visiting if you're looking to wow your partner.
Bello Street Walking Tunnel With Neon Lights
See all of the photos that I took of Pismo Beach and the other beaches in San Luis Obispo County throughout the years.

 

About Me


San Luis Obispo Mom Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
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All photos (except for ads) on SanLuisObispoMom.com including: homepage, 'Family-Friendly Things to do' page, 'SLO Restaurants' page,'Mom Groups & Childcare' page, and 'blog' page were taken by me so they are my original content and belong to this blog/website.

To find family-friendly activities in the SLO area, go to the 'Family-Friendly Things To Do' page.

Some of the links are just useful local information that I'm sharing for free and some are commission-based products that may help me earn a small commission for each sale to upkeep with the fees of running this local blog.



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