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Charles Paddock Zoo in Atascadero, California is the only zoo in San Luis Obispo county.

When you walk through the entrance of the zoo, you'll immediately find the pretty pink flamingos to your left!

It's a small zoo but for a small admission, it's really worth it. My favorites are the red pandas!

The kids will be entertained (See Lemurs below from Charles Paddock Zoo). Zoo prices for children are by age group but children who are 2 years old and under are free. If you're planning on taking the kids to the zoo often, it might be in your best interest to pay for an annual membership. They also have a military, student and senior membership discounts for memberships.

For 2024, the Family Membership costs $100 for the entire year! If you don't plan on visiting more than once a year, it may not be worth it and you might just be better off buying the individual tickets once a year. If you're a military family, the family membership is only $90 a year. We're a veteran's family and had been able to take advantage of this discount family membership before. 

The cutest animals to watch were the cute red pandas! They arrived at the Charles Paddock Zoo in 2019 and every time we visited, they look so happy and healthy here.


I think it only took us about an hour to go through the whole park. After you're done, you'll find the playground right outside of Charles Paddock Zoo called the Atascadero Lake Park. You can rent paddle boats here and sometimes they have really big ssonal events for the public. See a reel of the Zoo Boo event that my kids and I went at Charles Paddock Zoo for trick or treating.

Pictures/video below is: Anteater, Meerkate, Malayan Tiger and Tamandua.



Besides for the Zoo Boo event, we also visited the Charles Paddock Zoo during Christmas time when they had Christmas decorations up.

They don't sell food inside so don't plan on buying food at the Charles Paddock Zoo. There are a couple of restaurants within a few blocks from the zoo so you can make a drive out nearby.

Charles Paddock Zoo Address: 9100 Morro Rd, Atascadero, CA 93422

(All photos taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com.) To see all family-friendly things to do in San Luis Obispo county including upcoming events at Charles Paddock Zoo, go to: http://www.sanluisobispomom.com/family-friendly-events.php

I've chaperoned for a field trip at this zoo before and it was a very nice size to navigate around with a group of kids that I was responsible for. I've chaperoned for a total of 8 different class field trips throughout the years. Read about my chaperone tips and see a list of field trips that I've chaperoned for.

See upcoming family-friendly activities for kids.

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

Grover Beach is part of Pismo State Beach (all part of San Luis Obispo county) but a much smaller beach, compared to Pismo Beach. There's only a couple of hotels in Grover Beach so our best suggestion is to stay at a hotel in Pismo Beach and just be a few minutes drive away from it. Walking Entry to Grover Beach is almost like a secret. Grover Beach has a dunes portion where you drive on the beach with your vehicle (for a fee), or you can walk on the non-vehicle side and park (no fee) behind the restaurant where Grand Avenue ends. See more beautiful pictures of Grover Beach.

Grover Beach Hotels

Holiday Inn Express Grover Beach - Pismo Beach

The Holiday Inn Express Grover Beach-Pismo Beach, California is placed perfectly in between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the sunlit central coast. Hotel guests are just two swift miles away from the attractions at Pismo Beach, where they can enjoy beach recreations such as surfing, sailing, fishing, and ATV riding.

See list of hotels in Pismo Beach

Things to do in Grover Beach

Dine at Top Restaurants
Many locals and tourist from all over San Luis Obispo County would come to Grover Beach and dine at some of the best restaurants like Spoon Trade, Sushi 805 and many authentic Mexican taco shops. See some of our beach restaurant picks.

Ride on the Sand Dunes on Pismo State Beach through the Grover Beach Entry

The best point to enter the sand dunes is off of Grand Avenue in Grover Beach. You will see a booth before you enter to pay your vehicle fee and then just park your car on the beach and have some beach fun! This is one of the few places where you can ride on the beach in all of California (if it's not the only one left). The great side to this is you can just climb back in your car when you're done beaching it without having to walk very far and unload many things. Plus, it's so beautiful to see the sand dunes. You'll feel like you're in a desert for just a bit, except you're at the beach. You can ride ATVs here. See beach pictures of Grover Beach.

Ramona Garden Park Sizzlin' Summer Concert Series
During the summer weather from early June to late August, Ramona Garden Park in Grover Beach hosts concert series every Sunday! It's free to hear the entertainment from 3PM - 6PM. Locals bring their low back chairs, sunglasses, sunblock and dancing shoes. Visitors are always welcome! Food, Beer and wine available for purchase. Address: 993 Ramona Ave., Grover Beach, CA 93433. See more summer concert series around San Luis Obispo County or upcoming events.

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

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

Arroyo Grande is a city located in San Luis Obispo County on the Central Coast of California. Only 10 minutes inland from Pismo Beach and Grover Beach, this more suburban city has a a bit of a historic charm with the Village of Arroyo Grande and also known for their many acres of rural farms. Even as you're passing by Arroyo Grande High School, you can see a view of a farm across the street.

Things To Do in Arroyo Grande

Sometimes, Arroyo Grande (also known as "AG" to locals) is a sleepy town. The most exciting thing to do in Arroyo Grande is during the summer time when the Mustang Waterpark is open! Throughout the year, there are seasonal events that you can look out for like free concerts in the summer, Halloween trick or treating in the Village of Arroyo Grande or fall events at the Elm Street Park. However, there are a few notable restaurants that you can visit that are pretty well known to all San Luis Obispo County residents and this brings many people to Arroyo Grande.

Mustang Waterpark

In the summer time, the Mustang Waterpark in Arroyo Grande is open and it's a very fun thing for locals and tourists to do. The waterpark is open between the end of May through the first weekend of September, typically from Memorial Day weakend through Labor Day weekend. See pictures and read my review of the Mustang Waterpark, where I also rented a cabana at before. Mustang Waterpark is interestingly located at the Lopez Lake Recreation Area, which is a large camping ground where you can choose to camp at as well!

Village of Arroyo Grande

Usually throughout the year, we'd come to the Village (short for the Village of Arroyo Grande) for a couple of nice restaurants like Mason Bar & Kitchen for dinner and Sidewalk Cafe for breakfast. The quality of the food at those two restaurants are great! As a fun thing to do after eating a meal in the Village is walk on a swinging bridge right behind a parking lot. See the short video below to see how long this swinging bridge is.

Usually the parking lot next to this swinging bridge is easy to park at, unless there is a festival, in which then, they'd close it off. You can walk to many shops and restaurants around the entire Village of Arroyo Grande. It is only a few blocks big. Walking through their narrow alleys can be fun.

Arroyo Grande Restaurants

There are many different restaurants in Arroyo Grande. The most famous one is called Ember Restaurant, which I highly recommend making reservations for! Read my personal reviews or see my pictures for the following restaurants in Arroyo Grande:

• Klondike Pizza (Village of Arroyo Grande)
• Palo Mesa Wood Fired Pizza (Village of Arroyo Grande)
  
• Mason Bar & Kitchen (Village of Arroyo Grande)
  
• Sidewalk Cafe (Village of Arroyo Grande)
  
• Ember Restaurant
• Blue Seafood & Grill
• Tropical Hawaiian BBQ
• French Fries (has an arcade inside)

Coffee Shops of Arroyo Grande

Surprisingly, Arroyo Grande has the most coffee shops compared to other cities in the South County region of San Luis Obispo County! With a few chain coffee shops, AG also has unique ones that stand out with their beautiful latte art. Here's my rank from most favorite to least favorite among coffee shops in Arroyo Grande:

1. Tribe Coffeehouse
2. Cafe Andreini
3. Greenhouse Coffee Co
4. Banner Coffee
5. Starbucks (there's 2 of them in AG)
6. Dutch Bros
7. Red Dirt Coffee House

Arroyo Grande Hotels

Best Western Casa Grande Inn

The Best Western Casa Grande Inn is in Arroyo Grande but neighbors Pismo Beach, California. Hotel guests are just two miles from the attractions of Pismo Beach and Pismo Beach Pier where they enjoy ocean recreation such as sailing, fishing, scuba and ATV riding.

Hampton Inn & Suites Arroyo Grande/Pismo Beach area

This 103 room interior corridor property offers rooms with a 32 wide screen television and complimentary high-speed internet access fitness center heated pool whirlpool and various sizes of exclusive meeting rooms. They have a complimentary On the House hot breakfast and a fine selection of restaurants nearby.

The Agrarian Hotel, BW Signature Collection

The Agrarian Hotel, BW Signature Collection is established in the heart of the historic village of Arroyo Grande surrounded by the beauty of the central coast along with the vineyards of the countryside. This hotel is an iconic landmark within itself in the village of Arroyo Grande, California. Situated around exclusive antique shops, acclaimed elegant eateries, and blissful wineries. This hotel is a Cal-Green certified building and we have utilized environmental-friendly materials ensuring our LEED certification. We are committed towards being eco-friendly and having a low carbon footprint. Our energy is complimented by solar panels and we recycle the waste water back into the environment. They also partnered with Low Energy Program and have electric vehicle charging station on premises. This is the newest hotel in Arroyo Grande. See rates for Agrarian Hotel, BW Signature Collection.

Reading Suggestions:

See free events throughout San Luis Obispo County.

See my top 10 favorite wineries to visit in Edna Valley and Paso Robles (San Luis Obispo County).

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

See a list of hotels in the Pismo Beach area.

Avila Beach is located in San Luis Obispo County on the Central Coast of California. It's a small beach town with a 3 different piers (click here to see pictures of the piers), which is a lot for a small beach town. With less than a handful hotels in the area, this makes it a quieter traveling spot but still very beautiful. The locals like to keep it a secret but nowadays, a lot of tourists have discovered it and it can get very hard to find parking during the summer weekends!

Things To Do in Avila Beach

There are many cool things to do in the Avila Beach area that makes it unique. Besides for going to the beach, shopping and dining at many of the restaurants at their beachfront and hanging out in the sun, here are a few things you can also do.

Avila Valley Barn

Avila Valley Barn is a barn in Avila Beach that is free to visit and see the animals! You can get market and bakery goods like pies while you're here and you can feed the goats by buying a bag of lettuce. We've taken sat on their hay ride (extra fee), had our toddler partake on a pony ride (also extra fee) and ate some delicious food when they have food available for sale right outside. Parking is free on their dirt parking area. Read more about Avila Valley Barn.

Avila Beach Piers

The main Avila Pier among the three is closed off so you can't walk on it. A couple of years ago, we were able to walk on it halfway. The pier is old with large cracks but the views from standing on it were wonderful. The other two piers are also unique: one is exclusive to Cal Poly (our local university) personnel and the farthest one is a pier that you can fish and walk on called Port San Luis Obispo Pier, also known as Harford Pier. See my Instagram video reel of Port San Luis Pier; it is like heaven on Earth. You has a marina right by it and sometimes you can find sea lions as you walk on this pier.

Avila Farmers Market on Fridays

During the summer months, Avila Farmers Market takes place near the pier. It's free to come and hear the entertainment. Many locals would bring their low back chairs and hang out. There are fresh produce, drinks and food for purchase. You can take the free Avila Beach Trolley on the weekends during the summer months from different points of Pismo Beach and Shell Beach to get here. 

Central Coast Aquarium

Within walking distance from the beach at Avila Beach is a small aquarium called Central Coast Aquarium. You can probably see the whole thing within 30 minutes. It is free entry for kids 2 and under and they provide a discount if you have an EBT card. My kindergartener also came here for a class field trip, which I volunteered for, so it's a local aquarium and a treasure for us here. Read more about our Central Coast Aquarium visits and see more pictures of Central Coast Aquarium in Avila Beach.

See more pictures of the main Avila Beach Piers.

Avila Beach Hotels

Avila Lighthouse Suites

Avila Lighthouse Suites is right on the beach, close to the pier and in the center of all the summer Avila Beach farmers market action on Fridays! Experience ocean front luxury just steps from the sand in Avila Beach at the Avila Lighthouse Suites. An all suite beach front resort featuring non-smoking spacious two room suites with microwave oven, refrigerator, coffee maker and private balcony.

San Luis Bay Inn

High on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, San Luis Bay Inn has one of the most breath taking views on the Central Coast of California. The San Luis Bay Inn is located high above the Pacific shore, wrapped in the Santa Lucia Mountains with the lapping ocean at your doorsteps. You awake to misty mornings, bright sunny afternoons, and the invigorating aroma of the ocean.

See all hotels in San Luis Obispo County.

Avila Beach is only one of many beaches in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County. See all of the pictures that I took of all the beaches in San Luis Obispo County.

Solvang is about an hour drive from San Luis Obispo and known as a wine country and wonderful Danish town in Santa Barbara County. As the biggest Danish town in California, you're going to feel like you just got dropped right in the middle of Europe! Here's a list of a handful of kid-friendly wineries/tasting rooms that we've personally went to with kids in tow.


Lucas & Lewellen
With a sign in front saying it is kid-friendly, my husband and I went inside of Lucas & Lewellen and shared 5 tastings for $15 (Note: Prices may be more now since our last visit). They had a kids table in the back. The staff was friendly and understanding of families with kids. We told them that we're glad they had a kid-friendly sign in front because that encouraged us to try our very first wine tasting experience in Solvang. With that information, they shared that their sister tasting room a couple blocks over, Toccata, is also kid-friendly. To see a picture we took from a past visit at Lucas & Lewellen, click here.  Address: 1645 Copenhagen Dr., Solvang, California 93463

Toccata
After a recommendation from Lucas & Lewellen to try Toccata wines, my husband and I shared 5 tastings here too for $15 (Note: Prices may be more now since our last visit). They also had a kids table with blocks, books and other toys for the little ones to play. This one was a bit busier than the Lucas & Lewellen when we came. However, they were very efficient and fast with their service. Ask them if they have any wine bottle specials. We found a bottle on sale while we were there and then headed home. To see a picture we took from a past visit at Toccata, click here. Address: 1665 Copenhagen Dr., Solvang, California 93463

Carivintâs
A couple of months after our first trip to Solvang, we came back to town and stumbled across the Carivintas Tasting Room. This one is smaller than the others but it offers a very intimate ambiance. They don't have a kid's table or a sign that says it's kid-friendly but once we got there, the nice staff member pulled out a box of legos and let the kids play. The kids really enjoyed it. We also discovered an incredible passport program while we were at this tasting room. You could go to 14 different wineries (5 tastings at each location) in Santa Ynez area with a summer passport program running from May 15 - August 15 for only $55 (Note: Prices may be more now since our last visit or discontinued since the pandemic).

It's great for those who can space apart their visits around here during their summer because going to 14 different wineries in a day would be a bad idea. Address: 476 First St., Solvang, California 93463

Casa Cassara

The location of Casa Cassara is very central since it's located across from the public park that has public restrooms so many people gather around this area. I love how this place also has a couch area, which makes this place stand out from the others. Even the bar area has stools. Many tasting rooms around here don't have that. They have a box of blocks and toys near the couch area for kids to play. My husband and I used our Summer passport for 5 tastings here. We always share one tasting set. They are usualy open every day, Monday through Sunday. Address: 1607 Mission Dr., Solvang, California 93463

Lincourt Vineyards


Lincourt Vineyards is not in downtown like the others but it is very kid-friendly and dog-friendly. About 5 - 10 minutes drive from downtown Solvang, there is a lot of green grass space for the kids and the dogs to roam around. Best of all, both their white and red tastings were excellent. I didn't see toys set out for kids but maybe if I came on a less busy day, it would be different. This place had a lot of people inside and out and it's a casual place. Address: 1711 Alamo Pintado Rd., Solvang, California 93463

Kid-friendly Restaurants in Solvang

Solvang family-friendly restaurants that we've visited so far include:

The Belgian Cafe

Solvang Cafe

Red Viking Restaurant

You can expect to find Danish aberskivers, sugared round donuts, in almost all of the brunch restaurants in Solvang like we did here at Red Viking Restaurant.

Reading Suggestions:

• More Recent! Read about my overnight stay in Solvang at the Hotel Corque hotel in July.


• Read about my overnight stay in Buellton at the at Sideways Inn, same motel as where cult movie Sideways took place! Buellton, California is the next wine town over from Solvang and is also located in Santa Barbara County.


• Read about my most recent adventure from SanLuisObispoMom.com.


• Read about my staycations in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County.


• Read my top 10 favorites wine tasting rooms San Luis Obispo County, the neighboring county next to Santa Barbara County.

If a winery or vineyard allows customers to bring outside picnics, having a picnic set comes handy because you can store all of your snacks in one 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.