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Have you ever watched the movie Sideways? It's a story about two San Diego State University alumni (like me!) who decided to go to Buellton in Santa Barbara County for some wine-tasting adventure as a bachelor party. It's a wonderful story and very comical.

Lucky for us, Buellton is only an hour south drive from here! It's also on the way to Solvang, the Danish Capital of America. In Buellton, there is a main street where you can hit many wine tasting rooms within the same block called Industrial Way. Once you've parked, you will not have to repark again to get to these wine tasting rooms which makes it such a fun and easy adventure. See the list of wineries in Buellton that we visited below:

Alma Rosa

This place has such an elegant tasting room. I loved the sleek, modern and fresh feel as you sit down and enjoy a tasting. Tastings were refreshing and they did a great job of making sure the wine bottles were chilled before pouring. I would definitely recommend coming here with a loved one to relax and chill. Address: 181 Industrial Way C, Buellton, CA 93427

Imagine Wine

Our double stroller didn't quite fit through the door so we hung out outside in the patio area. It is small and quaint and was the first wine tasting room that we visited in that strip. The rest of the tasting rooms on this list are all literally next to each other. Address: 140 Industrial Way d2, Buellton, CA 93427

Tierra Y Vino

Tierra Y Vino is kid-friendly and dog-friendly and you can bring your own food here to enjoy the wine with. It's definitely the most casual atmosphere of the bunch. Address: 140 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427

Buscador Wine

Don't be surprised if the winemaker himself pours you your tastings! I think this made Buscador more memorable for us. How often do you get to taste wine and ask the winemaker himself about it! Address: 140 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427

Kalyra Wine Tasting Room

Also right in the same strip, Kalyra has a urban feel to the tasting room with an outdoor picnic table and a nice shady outdoor space. Address: 140 Industrial Way, Buellton, CA 93427

If you want, you can also stay at the Sideways Inn in Buellton, where the characters in the movie Sideways stayed at. It was really family-friendly, well-kept and with a very decent rate. Read more about our stay there in this blog entry.

See personal reviews for local wineries in Edna Valley and Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara's neighboring county.

With some of the wineries allow bringing outside picnics, so having a picnic set comes handy because you can store all of your snacks in a nice basket. I also suggest bringing an easy roll up picnic blanket to sit on the grass of their vineyards, if that type of arrangement is allowed.

You're going to discover a hidden secret if you stumble onto this post. If the tides are not too high, you can walk down from Spyglass Park towards the beach and can curve around the bluffs to the right to find a small tiny beach! 
(Photo taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com)
Now all of this is risky and requires good knees. I don't advise you hike down if the wind, weather and tides are not in your favor as well. I've seen a few guys with coolers traveling around those rocky trails down and then disappear around the corner.

The very first time I went to Spyglass Park was to take my kids to the new playground structure that they have just replaced there.

The view is fantastic as I'm watching the kids. It's an amazing backdrop. See my instagram video reel of the Spyglass Park Playground structures. After I brought my husband here for our second visit, I asked him to watch the kids while I try to hike down to get a closer glimpse of the view from down there. It's a very beautiful hike!  

You can also find surfers along here. 


Address: 2549 Spyglass Drive, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

A dear friend from the Bay Area came down and visited me. I wanted to take her to a special place where a successful yuppie like her would appreciate. After some research online, I decided to take her to The Rooftop at Inn at the Pier hotel in Pismo Beach that overlooks the pier and ocean. It was absolutely the right pick!

The entrance to the hotel took a bit of time to figure out because it's on the opposite end of the beach parking lot. However, once we got on the property, I instantly felt relaxed.

In order to use the elevator to get to The Rooftop, a key is required (update: today, a key is not required to get to The Rooftop Restaurant anymore) so I asked the front desk if we could get to The Rooftop (because we're not staying there as a hotel guest) and I'm glad the front desk personnel was so pleasant as she activated a card and handed it to me. She hoped we would enjoy it. I was already excited! This key in hand was special.

As we slid the card into the slot of the elevator and pressed the button to get to the top floor, my friend and I looked at each other with amazement as everything looks so new. As we exited the elevator, it was easy to find the entrance to The Rooftop as the sunshine brightened the room from inside. Like finding an oasis in a desert, we've entered The Rooftop with the sound of the heavens in my head.

To my surprise, there's a small pool up there for hotel guests to use! There were also kids from the hotel enjoying a nice time with their parents. There was the bar at the very end, opposite from the ocean. And then there were many tables with the view of the pier and ocean! 

Seriously, you can not get a more vertical view of the Pismo Beach Pier from anywhere else!

With many lounge seats, patio tables and chairs, you pick a place to sit and a server will come to you to take your order. The place had many patrons there already and we found a table as close as we could towards the ocean.

We ordered drinks and food. My friend ordered the Bloody Mary and I ordered a local beer called Cali-Squeeze. Both were very refreshing and great!

I ordered the clam chowder, while my friend ordered the corn and home made chips. All were delicious and definitely chef-ly made!


We talked and laughed. We shared personal stories. It was the best hang-out place that my best friend and I have ever shared together and we've known each other since I was four years old. I can't wait to come back to The Rooftop again.

All photos were taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com. This review and experience are my own and not sponsored or endorsed in any way.

Updated Visited for Memorial Day Weekend 2023

On a date night, we wanted to have a higher view of the Pismo Beach Pier one evening during the busy Memorial Day weekend so on a whim, we decided to go to The Rooftop again at Inn at the Pier. This time, we didn't need a key from the front desk anymore! I like that they do this now as it's one less step to get up there. So, we pressed the 3 button in the elevator to go to the top and turned right out of the elevator to step up to their Rooftop restaurant. It was a Saturday evening and there were only a few other parties besides for us. I was kind of surprised. However, I appreciated the speedy service and a great seat to see the Pismo Beach Pier. Here was our view. It was a nice clear evening around 6:15PM!

We also saw smoke coming out of a classic car while we were dining up there. See my video short below for a nice view of the ocean from different angles and unexpected glimpse of a smoking car.

For this visit, we ordered wings and the seabass. The lobster roll was not on their menu this time, which I was bummed about but that gave me a chance to try something else (wings). I wasn't very hungry because we had just had a few appetizers for Pau Hana at Pono Pacific Kitchen in Grover Beach a half hour before. To my surprise, the seabass at The Rooftop is a full sized sea bass (head omitted).

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

Read about my visits at other romantic restaurants that I've visited for dinner in San Luis Obispo County, including Pismo Beach:

• Oyster Loft
• Pono Pacific Kitchen
• Ventana Grill
• IG Video Reel of Our Date at Ember

As local, I have the luxury to come to Madonna Inn and dine at their restaurants and attend their events. I've even ordered whole cakes from them before and have tried almost all of their signature flavors. See a list of Madonna Inn cakes and the flavors that I've personally tried below. These are all my personal pictures.

Desserts we've tried from Madonna Inn:

Raspberry Delight

Lemon Coconut Cake

Read a blog entry about my cake pick up experience for Madonna Inn's Lemon Coconut Cake and what to expect.

Pink Champagne Cake

Toffee Crunch Cake

Black Forest Cake

Appie Spice Cake

 
You can also pre-order a whole cake for special occasions online and include a personalized message on the cake, like "Happy Birthday", etc. You can still call and come in person to make an order but last minute orders are not guaranteed because of how busy they get.

Events we've attended:

I've attended many events at Madonna Inn! They host many events throughout the year and I've also been invited to attend a banquet dinner for a company. It's the most perfect place to celebrate special parties. Here's a list of events that I've attended:
Circus Vargus at the Madonna Inn


Valentine's Day Dinner at the Madonna Inn


SLO Brew Fest at Alex Madonna Expo Center


More Reads About Madonna Inn:
I've stayed at Madonna Inn in two different rooms. Read about our staycations at the Madonna Inn. 

View a video reel below of my walk around Madonna Inn at night after a rainy day.

Read About All of Our Travel Adventures and Reviews:

• Birthday Weekend at LEGOLAND Castle Hotel Review and LEGOLAND California Amusement Park Review


• Birthday Celebration at Great Wolf Lodge in Southern California


• Universal Studios Hollywood Family Trip During Spring Break


• Ensenada Cruise on Carnival Cruise for 3 Days


• Ensenada and Catalina Island Cruise on Royal Caribbean for 4 Days


• Alaska Cruise on Princess Cruise for 11 Days


• Moon Palace The Grand Family Summer Vacation in Cancun for 5 Days


• Cabin Trip in Monterey


• Staycations at the Iconic Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo on the Central Coast of California: Madonna Inn’s San Francisco Room Review OR Madonna Inn’s Antique Room Review


• Staycation at the Granada Hotel & Bistro in Downtown San Luis Obispo


• Staycation at La Quinta Inn in Downtown San Luis Obispo


• Staycation in Atascadero at The Carlton Review

 (Photo taken at Ventana Grill by SanLuisObispoMom.com)

Before my family and I moved to the San Luis Obispo County area, my husband was raving about the dinner spot that his company took him after his final interview. They had flown him from the East Coast, where we had lived, to come to Avila Beach, part of San Luis Obispo County, for this new job opportunity. It didn't take him long after that to make his decision. He wanted to move here and be able to see this panoramic view with me. 

Within a week of moving our whole family here, my husband took me to Ventana Grill, where his company had taken him, and I got to see the view he couldn't wait to show me. It is out of this world! 

This view and the location of this restaurant took some bravery. It is right above the bluffs. I can't imagine the special planning it took to build this right here. Anyone is welcome to walk around the balcony and take wonderful pictures for memories. I often look back on the photos I've taken here. 

(Photo taken by SanLuisObispoMom on the balcony of Ventana Grill)

Ventana Grill is a really special place to us and when we have visitors, we try to take them here for dinner. The ambiance is perfect, service is excellent and food is high quality. They do take reservations but it's not required. We've dined here without reservations but you're not guaranteed a window seat. Even without sitting by the window, you can still see the ocean and cliff views and at anytime, you can walk outside on the balcony and see this wonderful panoramic view of Pismo Beach and Shell Beach. The food is a hit or miss but it has never stopped us from coming back! When there is an issue, it is often because something is overcooked.

To see other restaurants in San Luis Obispo county, including the beach areas under this county, go to: Family-Friendly Restaurants.

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

Read about my visits at other romantic restaurants that I've visited for dinner in San Luis Obispo County, including Pismo Beach:

• Oyster Loft
• Pono Pacific Kitchen
• SeaVenture Restaurant inside of SeaVenture Beach Hotel
• The Rooftop at Inn at the Pier
• IG Video Reel of Our Date at Ember