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Here's a list of summer camp options for kids that are usually available in the summer throughout San Luis Obispo (SLO) County below. Most places don't post information until a couple of months before summer break begins.

2025 Summer Camps for Kids in San Luis Obispo County Availability

1. Summer Experience at multiple schools in San Luis Obispo County for grades: 1st through 12th. Times and schedule vary by grade groups.


2. Summer School Camp from City of San Luis Obispo Youth Services They call it KidVENTURE! They have weekly themes for ages 5 - 12 years old, separated by 3 groups. They usually don't post information until a couple of months before summer break. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between times: 7:30AM - 5:30PM


3. Summer Blast Program by Lucia Mar Unified School District for TK - high school kids under the Lucia Mar Unified School District. Student would attend from 8AM to 2PM for free. Registration and more information will be available on March 25, 2024. They will also have After Summer Blast Care between 2PM - PM as an option. More details and registration info from Lucia Mar Unified School District.


4. Avila Bay Athletic Club & Spa in Avila Beach is having a weekly Summer Camp from 9AM - 3PM, Mon - Fri,  for members and non-members (rates are different). Each week includes tennis instruction, water activites, art projects, instructional gardening, soccer, kids fitness, kempo, obstacle courses, science experiments, and much more! This year each Friday will have a fun, special theme! Kids must complete a swim test.


5. Oceano Dunes Junior Lifeguards Program in the summer offers two sessions. Each session is $275 and the dates are: Session I 2024: June 10 - June 28, Session II 2024: July 8 - July 28. The program runs Monday through Friday 10:00AM to 2:00PM. The kids need to try out for this in order to be be admitted. Registration will open in April 2024 and you would have to go to the registration information tab for more information on ReserveCalifornia.com to register. Once registered, you would meet at 25 W. Grand Ave, Oceano 93433


6. Monarch Hills in San Luis Obispo is offering 3 sessions of summer camp in 2024 for kids who are between kindergarten and 6th grade. Kids area learning the Waldorf way, which is a farm based education program. The capacity is 15 children for each week. 


7. Boys and Girls Club South County SLO They have summer camps for elementary aged kids with pods by age groups for a really affordable rate per week. This is in South County area of San Luis Obispo. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between times: 7AM - 6PM. 


8. Pacific Flips Gymnastics Summer Camps in (Grover Beach) are for for kids ages 4 - 14 years old. You can choose between half day or full day. Half Day is 9AM - Noon and Full Day is 9AM - 3PM. You can pay by the week or by the day, with discounts if you book more days out of the week. They would occasionally host a Pajamanastics which is fun play for kids in the evening in their pajamas. Many parents have enrolled their kids at a Pajamanastics event at Pacific Flips so the kids can have fun while the parents go on date night or run errands.


9. Summer Camps at Playtime Discoveries in Atascadero Summer Camp here has different weekly activities and varies by age groups. 


10. Youth Summer Program by City of Arroyo Grande has Summer Camp with weekly plans. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between times: 7AM - 6PM.


11. Youth Evolution Basketball Summer Camp has four different locations to pick from: Arroyo Grande, Atascadero, Paso Robles and San Luis Obispo. They are from Monday - Friday for 3 hours a day by age group.


12. Summer Camp at Centennial Park in Paso Robles by YMCA is for kids in grades K - 6th. It is a weekly cost. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between the times: 7:30AM - 5:30PM.


13. Summer Camp at Baywood Elementary by YMCA (San Luis Obispo) are for kids in grades K - 6th grade. It is a weekly cost. Full Day Camp is Monday - Friday between 7:30AM - 5:30PM.


14. Central Coast Gymnastics Summer Camp in San Luis Obispo are for kids ages 4 - 13.5 years old with weekly themes. Half Days are from 9AM - Noon and Full Days are from 9AM - 3PM (depending on how many days a week the child is attending, rates for the week varies).
    
    My kids have attended their camps before and I'm always impressed by how organized they are. (Update: 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 in 2023. Please do some research, then make your decision.)


15. Performance Athletics Gymnastics in San Luis Obispo has Summer Camp with a different theme every week. You can pick from 8:30AM - 5:30PM Mon - Fri or 9:30AM - 2:30PM Mon - Fri. This is for ages from 4 - 13 years old.


16. Legacy Training Center in San Luis Obispo has Summer Camp for half days or full days and you pay by the week or by the day. They offer a sibling discount. This camp is for ages 4 years old and up. Half day hours are from 9AM - noon or 12:30PM - 3PM. Full day hours are 9AM - 3PM. 


17. Camp Natoma is a screen-free program under the stars and making new friends from June - August. This is a true camp where they sleep in sleeping bags. Location is West of Paso Robles.


18. Keshet Lavoux Childrens Art Studio is offering 5 weeks of Summer Camp with weekly themes in South Atascadero. Camp is for ages 6 - 12 years old.


19. Central Coast Aquarium offers Summer Camp from June - August for half day (9AM - noon) and full day (9AM - 3PM). Sessions are broken down by age/grade groups. They are located in Avila Beach. They usually focus on Spring Camp first and then they would publish the summer info after.
    
    See more pictures that I've taken during a past visit at Central Coast Aquarium. I've volunteered to chaperone for a field trip here and it was a very fun experience.
    


20. SLO Classical Academy is located in San Luis Obispo, California for preschoolers through 8th grade kids. There are 3 different sessions. Preschoolers and kindergartener are put in a group together while the older kids get grouped together.
    


21. Summer Camp at Central Coast New Tech in Nipomo by Nipomo Rec Office. Summer Camp is for 1st - 6th graders from 7AM - 6PM Mon-Fri and includes: games, arts & crafts, swim days at the NHS pool, field trips and more. Rates are affordable for half day and full day. Register at the Nipomo Rec Office or call 805-929-5437.


22. Cuesta College For Kids & JR Camps are two summer programs that are run by Cuesta College. The College for Kids Program is for ages 10 - 15 years old and the Cuesta College JR Camp is for ages 5 - 9 years old. Their programs are from Monday - Thursday. You can register online or call their office at 805-546-3132. 


23. Morro Bay Little Guards is a daily 3 hour program during the summer (Mon - Fri) for ages 6 - 9 years old in Morro Bay. You can choose from the morning session or afternoon session. Morro Bay is a beautiful and iconic location in San Luis Obispo County. See pictures that I've taken in Morro Bay.


24. Summer Camp at Camp Ocean Pines (cabin stay for 6 days or 13 days) in Cambria. Activities include target sports, arts & crafts, performance, science & nature, social, food and other outdoor activities. 


25. Creative Kids Performing Arts Musical Theater Camp at Pismo Beach Vets Hall from 9AM - 1PM for kids ages between 8 years old - 14 years old. There are 4 summer sessions.


26. Summer Camp at The Pad in San Luis Obispo is for kids between the ages of 6 - 14 years old. You pay the week. Every day is packed full of topics such as climbing techniques, route setting, belaying, knot tying, yoga, and more. Of course, there’s all the good stuff of a day camp, too: fun games, crafts, new friends, but with the bonus of developing a love for climbing.


27. Super Charged Science Summer Camp from June 24 - 28, 2024 for ages 7 - 12 years old offers fun educational activities and the kids will build over 40 hands-on science projects that they will get to take home.

(Note: This is a growing list so come back to check for updates.)

Reading Suggestions on Things to Do For Kids in San Luis Obispo County:

• Find Suggested Things To Do for Teens in SLO County
• Find a List of Kids Night Out or Parents Night Out Events throughout San Luis Obispo County
• Read About My Experience with the Lucia Mar Summer Swim Program at Arroyo Grande High School for the Kid's Swim Lessons During Summer Break
• Read About my Cabana Experience at Mustang Waterpark in Arroyo Grande (Only Open Between Late May - Early Sept Every Year)
• Read About my Ravine Waterpark Experiences in Paso Robles (Also Only Open Between Late May - Early Sept Every Year)
  

Read About My Chaperoning Tips and My Experiences with Chaperoning on Field Trips

Being outdoors in the summer can be so fun but it comes with a risk. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Staying active improves your mood and you'll get exercise that'll help you stay healthy.

Suggested Activites for the Summer:

• You can go to the two local waterparks, Mustang Waterpark or Ravine Waterpark, or get your own small waterpark at home for the kids. It can get really hot in the summer time. Even a splish splash slide should help the kids cool down and have some fun for hours.
• Take them to free events throughout the summer at the public library. See upcoming free events in San Luis Obispo County.
• Take them to our local beaches like Pismo Beach, Grover Beach/Oceano Dunes, Avila Beach and Morro Bay where that kids can enjoy some time in the ocean and look at the nearby shops. See all of my beach pictures and blog entries of the beaches in our county.
• If you don't mind driving an hour away, you can take the kids to the Lompoc Aquatic Center for recreational swimming. It's an indoor pool facility with waterslides located in Lompoc, California (Santa Barbara County).

A couple of my friends had both shots of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine and they told me that besides a sore arm, they didn't have any other symptoms. I wasn't so lucky.

Yesterday morning, I went to my appointment to get my second Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine. I felt great until maybe 8 hours later, my left arm (where they gave me the shot) started getting sore. No big deal. I felt like that was very bearable. I went to bed and then, the next morning, I felt more than just a sore arm. I got the chills! 

This morning, I decided to shower to see if I would feel better. I started getting kind of tired and a couple of hours after that, I started getting a splitting headache as well. I've never had a migraine before but this splitting headache was something I've never experienced before so maybe I had begun an onset of migraines! I'm in my late 30s and haven't gotten sick in probably 4 years. My body has been going baloney all day long.

After doing some googling, a few sites mentioned that women typically get more side effects than men after getting the second shot for Pfizer. The bright side is, if I'm getting symptoms, then my body is fighting like it should and creating anti-bodies that will protect me against future infections.

In the afternoon was when I was feeling my worst. My husband offered me 2 ibuprofen pills, which I hesitated at first but since my headache was bothering me, I took 1. I think that was not a good idea. Maybe it would've been better to let my symptoms run its course.

Update: Thankfully, I felt much better 2 days after.

Every year, I always look forward to playing Shop, Play, Win Monopoly through my local VONS. Other grocery stores like Albertsons, Tom Thumb and probably about a dozen others also participate around the U.S. This year, my store isn't doing the paper game board so everything can be claimed online. I like it better this way because I don't have to lick anything this time because they were like stamps before.

Things You Can Win
I really enjoy playing Shop, Play, Win to win freebies. I'd win free grocery items like O Organics Animal Cookies, bread crumbs, loaves of French bread, hamburger buns and other canned goods. You can also win discounts like $1, $5 or even $10 off your groceries and enter sweepstakes for thousands of dollars! I've never won any sweepstake though.

However, I broke my own record this year. I won over 80 free items from Shop, Win, Play! 36 of them are refreshe water in 16.9 oz sizes, which my local VONS does not always have them available in singles. I finally took the courage to talk to a worker there about my free waters and they were very accommodating in helping me out. She pointed me in the direction of where the single waters are and she also at that point realized that there were none. However, I know where to look now. They are near the check out stands!

Some other cool things I won this year includes: Free Kinder Joy Candy, Free Signature SELECT Aluminum Foil and Free O Organics Canned Tomatoes.

(Screenshot below is from my Account)


How to Win With Shop, Play, Win
You could win a few ways. You could win instantly by opening your ticket and you'd see a message with a code that tells you exactly what you won. If you don't win, you could get a second chance play and enter a code on the Shop, Play, Win website and try to match 3 of the same items. If you get lucky, you win that very item! So as you can see from my screenshot above from my account, I have instant wins and match 3 wins. If you win tokens, you can use those tokens to redeem particular items or enter sweepstakes so if you're super lucky, you can win any of their amazing sweepstakes, which could be vacations, money or gift cards.

Every year, we have Mother's Day as a special day to celebrate. Sometimes I love this holiday even more than my birthday as I feel like I'm celebrating it with all of the moms in country.
(My sons playing a game at a local Mother Son Dance that they attended with me during Mother's Day weekend)

Here are some tips on how to celebrate Mother's Day in San Luis Obispo County for 2024:

1. Go to a special event. There are special Mother's Day themed events around San Luis Obispo County. You can check out each City's planned events but there are several notable ones. These include the following:
   • Mother's Day Concert happens every year in Pismo Beach on  Mother's Day at Dinosaurs Cave Park Pismo Beach from 1PM - 4PM. You can see more details on the Family-Friendly Event List page when they are announced and added to the list. This is a free admission event.
   • Every year, Grover Beach hosts a Mother and Son Dance in May. See the Family-Friendly Events Page to see upcoming events in San Luis Obispo County. Grover Beach is part of San Luis Obispo County. Here's a picture of the decorated table from the Mother & Son Dance that I had attended in the past below. I've been to 3 Mother and Son Dances. See my Pros and Cons Summary on Whether You Should Go To a Mother's Day Dance or Not by clicking on this blog link.
      
   • Every year, the City of Arroyo Grande hosts a Mother's Day Tea Party at Heritage House in Arroyo Grande from 1:30PM - 4PM. $40 for a couple and $15 for an additional guest in your party. Wide selection of tea, lemonade, tea sandwiches, scones and desserts will be served. Register at City of Arroyo Grande's website. Address: 201 Nelson St., Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
   • On Mother's Day, weekend, SLO Botanical Garden usually hosts a special event from 10AM - 3PM. Activities will be at the Children's Garden and includes nature activities and crafts, musical performances, faerie marketplace, storytelling and faceprinting. Food and beverages will be available for sale. $3 per car at the park's kiosk at El Chorro Park. Limited parking and carpools encouraged. They will have a free shuttle from Cuesta College lot. Address: 3450 Dairy Creek Rd., San Luis Obispo, CA 93405
   • On Mother's Day, a popular thing to do is go to the Charles Paddock Zoo. See all pictures that I've taken at Charles Paddock Zoo in Atascadero. Address: 9100 Morro Rd, Atascadero, CA 93422
   • SLO Public Market is a very kid-friendly space and has a kid's area with toys upstairs in their main room. SLO Public Market has many restaurants that you can enjoy in a casual atmosphere. See pictures of the SLO Public Market that I took during our recent visit on Instagram.
2. Find a nice brunch spot! Many hotels and restaurants around the area offer brunch specials on Mother's Day. Usually they focus on Easter in April first but will immediately start promoting Mother's Day after that. If any of the restaurants is allowing reservations, I highly recommend doing so! Popular Mother's Day Brunch locations include:
   • Madonna Inn - Mother's Day Brunch takes place every year at Madonna Inn. It is usually a brunch buffet.
     
     I'm a regular visitor at the Copper Cafe at Madonna Inn and we've also had two overnight staycations there in the following unique rooms: San Francisco Room and Antique Cars Room. The above pictures are my personal pictures that I took during a couple of my stays there. See all of my blog entries about my visits at the Copper Cafe and family staycations at the Madonna Inn.
   • Cambria Pines Lodge in Cambria - Mother's Day Brunch takes place every year at Cambria Pines Lodge. Year round, Cambria Pines Lodge has brunch every Sunday, including Mother's Day so this is also a great place for brunch for any special Sunday. Reservations are recommended. We've had brunch here at the Cambria Pines Lodge for Mother's Day in the past. (See image of my buffet plate below on Mother's Day.) 
     
     Reservations are definitely recommended for Mother's Day. It was very packed, even with our reservation. There is a line to every buffet line station there but I really enjoyed my food. See pictures that I took of Cambria. After my brunch on Mother's Day, we went to their gardens and gift shop. See my video below of how beautiful this place is.
     
   • Lido Restaurant & Lounge in Pismo Beach/Shell Beach offers a 3 course brunch every Sunday, including Mother's Day. Lido Restaurant is located inside of The Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa in Pismo Beach. It is a beautiful resort with views of the ocean and cliffs. See an instagram reel of my experience at Lido Restaurant and Lounge.
   • Marisol at Shell Beach usually offers a brunch menu every day but often offers a few Brunch Specials on Mother's Day between 8AM - 3PM. They have a spectacular view of the ocean.
     
     In the past, I've enjoyed a lobster pappardelle dish (pasta picture above), a blood orange blueberry cheesecake dessert (dessert picture above) and their oysters. The images above are my personal pictures that I took of my food before I devoured them! Marisol Restaurant is located inside of The Cliffs Hotel and Spa.
   • Gardens of Avila Restaurant at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa usually has a menu for Mother's Day every year but they don't announce it until very last minute. I've dined here several times. Here's a YouTube Short below that I captured of how the Gardens of Avila Restaurant and Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa property look like. It's a small restaurant but it makes it a convenient visit if you're going to soak in the hot tub there.
     
     I also came to Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa to celebrate a few other special occasions in the past. Read about our experience at the mineral springs at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa during Valentine's Day weekend.
     
3. Take her wine tasting and/or brunch at a winery! San Luis Obispo County has hundreds of wineries scattered all around the county. Two top regions to go are: Edna Valley and Paso Robles. Edna Valley takes the San Luis Obispo city name as their address and is located just 10 minutes drive from Pismo Beach. Many of the wine tasting places have a wine tasting room (indoors) and a patio area to enjoy your wine outdoors so there's a great flexibility there. See my wineries' reviews throughout SLO County and pictures of beautiful tasting rooms that I took during my visits. A few wineries in the area also typically serves a Mother's Day Brunch Special at the winery. I went to a Winemaker Dinner recently and loved the experience but it is a for sure, a once in a long while thing for us.
   
   Here is a list of wineries or tasting rooms in San Luis Obispo County that usual offers a brunch menu:
   • Tooth & Nail Winery in Paso Robles has a food menu. The winery is a castle (see a picture that I took below at Tooth & Nail Winery)! Read my blog entry about Tooth & Nail Winery and see all of my pictures that I captured at this beautiful place. Address: 3090 Anderson Rd., Paso Robles, CA 93446
     
   • Rava Wines in Paso Robles has a nice food menu. We've visited here before and they have a walking trail (see a picture that I took below at Rava Wines). Reservations are recommended. Address: 6785 Creston Rd., Paso Robles, CA 93446
     
4. Take a fun class together! Local cities all around San Luis Obispo usually have cool art classes you can take for a really decent price. A few wineries and breweries around the area host sip and paints. Sip and paints, or sometimes as 'sip n paints' is where you sip on wine or beer while you paint. They usually provide all of the supplies and the wine so you just pay and show up! I really like sip and paints or paint nights (as some used to call it) because you get to keep that art you made as a memory of your celebration. You can find upcoming art social events in the SLO County area.
5. Cook her a tri-tip Santa Maria style! One of many things that we're known for in this county is that we love our tri-tip grilled on a Santa Maria grill. If you really want to wow her, you can buy that expensive hunk of meat, marinate it hours ahead and slowly cook it for your momma! Or better yet, take her to a bbq restaurant that has tri-tip made this way on the menu. My top pick (and Yelp's too) is Firestone Grill. They are located in downtown San Luis Obispo. See my reviews of restaurants throughout San Luis Obispo County on the Restaurants page.

Suggested Reads:

Read about my staycations at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.

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

See a list of free family-friendly events throughout San Luis Obispo (SLO) County for the year.

Some of my favorite gifts from my sons are Mother's Day crafts that they made in school and surprised me at home with. I really have to give the teachers a lot of credit for all of that. I also really like it when my husband encourages my kids to go to the store to buy flowers for me for Mother's Day. This always brightens up my day!

Oceano is a quieter beach town than neighboring Grover Beach and Pismo Beach but it is still part of Pismo State Beach and visitors are catching on to the this little gem in San Luis Obispo County. It is actually where the famous dunes are located but many visitors would often mistakenly think they're still in Pismo Beach, when in fact, the Oceano Dunes are located well, in Oceano, California.

There's a mix of the old and new. It's trying to change but there is a bit of hesitation. I like hanging out at beach here when I happen to be in Oceano to run an errand. However, you really have to be careful with people driving on the beach once you get out of your vehicle to walk on the sand, especially with little ones! Nonetheless, it's a gift to be able to drive or ride on the beach. It is the last beach area in California where you can pay to drive on the beach. (You can also drive on the beach from the Grover Beach entrance and into the Dunes as well.)

See My Short Video of My Drive on the Beach Entering from Grover Beach and Driving Through Oceano Below

See My Short Video of the Velella Velella, By-the-wind Sailors, When They Made Their Appearance in Oceano

However, beach aside, I really want to highlight on the places in Oceano that you can visit as a visitor. I spent a morning with my kiddos there and took some pictures of Oceano's neat places.

Oceano Depot

Oceano Depot is a community museum where you can go inside the visitor's center and get some brochures. There is a bit of a courtyard in the back where you can see some stationed collections. It's a nice place to stretch your legs a bit and learn some history. Oceano Depot Address: 1650 Front St, Oceano, CA 93445

The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville

One of the most unique things about the beach town of Oceano is there is a very professional theatre located on Front St. called The Great American Melodrama & Vaudeville or just Melodrama Theatre for short. It has the traditional vibe of a theatre that reminds me of San Diego. One of the most coolest things about this place is when there is intermission, the actors themselves also run the concessions! My kids are still too antsy to sit still through a whole theatre show so my husband and I went on a date here when my mother-in-law was in town to watch the kiddos. It was a unique way to spend time with him and it's probably one of my favorite dates with my husband. Melodrama Theatre Address: 1863 Front St, Oceano, CA 93445

Elk Lodge

Whenever you drive towards Oceano Beach, you'll notice Elk Lodge. I don't think it's actually a place for the public but it's memorable. They have events there for fundraisers, but it still seems like a member-only type of place. However, the building is unique so I took a picture of the place. They seem to occasionally have public events like a Halloween event every year! Elk Lodge Address: 410 Air Park Dr. Oceano, CA 93445

Deltina Coffee Roasters

Deltina (formerly Quintessa) Coffee Roasters is a coffee shop that roast their own coffee! They have a little courtyard in the back for you to enjoy your coffee and do some reading. I ordered a latte and really enjoyed their coffee! I'll have to come back here again when I'm passing by. Deltina Coffee Roasters Address: 1945 Front St., Oceano, CA 93445

Oceano Community Center

I've taken advantage of the Parent Participation Program here and they've hosted many free community events for kids at the Oceano Community Center over the years as well. I think it's a really good place to look into for finding free events throughout the year for the kids. It's a pretty building with one main large community space for activities. Oceano Community Center Address is 1425 19th St, Oceano, CA 93445.
Reading Suggestions:

• Read about my staycation at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.
• See my other blog entries and pictures of other beaches in San Luis Obispo County.

Popular Things To Do with Kids in San Luis Obispo County

• Charles Paddock Zoo -- Read my blog review
• Hearst Castle -- Read my blog review
• The Ravine Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• Mustang Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• San Luis Obispo Children's Museum -- Read  my blog review
• Central Coast Aquarium -- Read my blog review
• San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum -- Learn more
• Paso Robles Children's Museum -- Read my blog review
• Exploration Discovery Center -- Read my blog review
• Museum of Natural History -- Learn more
• Avila Valley Barn -- Read my blog review