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Central Coast Aquarium Review By Local Mom | Avila Beach

January 28, 2019
In Avila Beach, by the kid's playground is a really small aquarium called Central Coast Aquarium. Since it was right by the playground and we were already there, we decided to pay a visit. There is a fee for adults and children. Kids 2 years old and under are free. You can literally go through the aquarium in 15 minutes! It may not be worth it if you are on a tight budget but our little boys still enjoyed it. Here are the pictures we took from our visit. 
Baby Shark Nests
The most fascinating part of the aquarium for me were the shark nests!
Jellyfishes at the Aquarium
See a video of jellyfishes from Central Coast Aquarium
Small Aquarium in Avila Beach

A couple of years after my first visit at Central Coast Aquarium, I had the opportunity to chaperone for a field trip here and we were able to visit the upstairs area with a speaker! That is a benefit for being a chaperone for a field trip at your kids' school is that you get more access to more things at different adventures while being able to enjoy the trip with your child.

Thus far, I've chaperoned for 9 different class field trips. See my tips on being a chaperone for field trips and a list of field trips that I've chaperoned for. The field trip at Central Coast Aquarium was informative and I'm so glad the kids were able to get to do more interactive activities as part of the field trip.
Central Coast Aquarium Review

Seasonally, the Central Coast Aquarium hosts special evens through the year. They often have educational break camps for elementary kids during summer break. Additionally, during certain seasons, they also have a mommy and me type program for parents with kids who are 2 - 5 years old. Read more about this in my Mommy & Me section.

Central Coast Aquarium Address: 50 San Juan St, Avila Beach, CA 93424

To see other things to do in the SLO County area, go to: http://www.sanluisobispomom.com/family-friendly-events.php

Reading Suggestions:

Popular Things To Do with Kids in San Luis Obispo County

Posted by SanLuisObispoMom.com. Posted In : For Kids 

 

Amazing Beach Views in Pismo Beach | SLO County

January 26, 2019
The beautiful ocean, clean sand and peaceful setting of Pismo Beach makes one feel like they are in a dream. This is the epitome of the California dream and we're living in it. My kids and I took a stroll yesterday in PB "Pismo Beach" and here are the pictures I took from my regular Samsung phone, unedited. It is amazing here!


When I was living in San Diego, I would hear the Visit California commercial say "Where the mountains meet the sea" and here, in SLO, in Pismo Beach, they really do meet. It's incredible to finally see this after all of these years. 

The Pismo Beach Pier is very well kept. Strollers are allowed here on the pier and the wooden floors are not too bumpy for the strollers. I have a regular Graco double stroller, not a jogger, and it was a pleasant ride for my 2 toddler boys. 

The boardwalk from Pismo Beach Pier is also a nice stroll for the kids. Although the pier does not allow dogs on it, the boardwalk and beach are dog-friendly. 

See my short video of the Pismo Beach Neon lights and the Christmas lights at the end of the pier in December below:


View my long walk on the Pismo Beach Pier on this video reel on my instagram page.

Even though, people rave about the gigantic PISMO BEACH neon lights by the pier. My favorite neon lights is from the St. Jude Pedestrian Tunnel in Pismo Beach that is located a few blocks uphill from the pier.
All photos were taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com.

Pismo Beach Restaurants

Read my review for the following Pismo Beach restaurants that I've personally visited. To see free things to do in the SLO and the beach areas here, go to: http://www.sanluisobispomom.com/family-friendly-events.php.

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

Posted by SanLuisObispoMom.com. Posted In : Beaches 

 

Arroyo Grande Library Review

January 24, 2019
Our first library adventure in SLO took place at Arroyo Grande Library in Arroyo Grande, CA. They have a children's area with LEGOs, computers for kids, puzzles and a little private area in the back. Here are the photos that we took from our library visit below.

The kids really enjoy the LEGOs, although it seemed too close to the main area where everyone could hear them building. The loud plastic clangs that came naturally from the shuffles of the LEGOs can sound disturbing a bit to maybe some. Nonetheless, the boys loved it! 


They have weekly story times here for the little ones. See the free story time schedule here for Arroyo Grande Library and other libraries in San Luis Obispo County.

The address of the Arroyo Grande Library is: 800 W Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. You can come here and then visit the playground just a couple minutes drive away.

Aside from free story times, this public library in Arroyo Grande is very active with planning events year round. We even went to a Pokemon Party here during Spring Break.

My kids were able to meet other Pokemon collectors from all over the county and trade cards. It was so cute to watch how cordial and kind they were to each other. See our Pokemon Party experience at Arroyo Grande under Day 5 of my Spring Break blog entry.

Posted by SanLuisObispoMom.com. Posted In : For Kids 

 

San Luis Obispo Children's Museum Review - Downtown San Luis Obispo

January 23, 2019
San Luis Obispo Children's Museum First Floor
As locals, we like to go to San Luis Obispo Children's Museum's "Moonlight Hours" where anyone could come visit that night from 5pm - 8pm for FREE (Now, they've shortened this to 5PM - 7PM)! Here are the photos that we took from our free San Luis Obispo Children's Museum visits below. They usually have the Moonlight Hours event every month so check out their website to see when their next one is. 

SLO Children's Museum Review

With three floors, my 4 year old and 2 year old sons were so excited and thrilled! We started with the 3rd floor via elevator and worked our way down. The top two floors were great for babies and toddlers and the first floor was very appropriate for bigger kids (like elementary age). They also have an outdoor area as well for some musical fun and other things to build!
Pictures of San Luis Obispo Children's Museum

To see the many structures that's available for the kids to play with, see my instagram video reel of my visit at San Luis Obispo Children's Museum. The architecture of this building is pretty fantastic.
First Floor of San Luis Obispo Children's Museum
When the next free Moonlight Hours are announced, they will be listed here on the Family-Friendly Events list. Address of the San Luis Obispo Children's Museum: 1010 Nipomo St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
Children's Museum in San Luis Obispo
To see other kid-friendly things to do in SLO, go to: http://www.sanluisobispomom.com/family-friendly-events.php.

See my video reel of my visit at San Luis Obispo Children's Museum during Father's Day week on instagram.

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Posted by SanLuisObispoMom.com. Posted In : For Kids 

 

Tiny Tots Enrichment Program Review - Grover Beach

January 17, 2019
While researching on affordable preschool programs for my little boys, I stumbled on a brief information on the Tiny Tots Enrichment Program that's organized at the Grover Beach Community Center.
Tiny Tots in Grover Beach
The Tiny Tots program is run by the Parks & Recreation Department of the City of Grover Beach. I placed my little one in the program in May 2021 when they re-opened from the pandemic and my 4 year old absolutely loved it. It's well structured and they do crafts every day as well as do a lot of learning. They have a small outdoor playground in the back, which you can't see from the entrance or parking lot so it's away from drive by eyes.

We paid $143 a month and my preschooler went twice a week for 3 hours each day (this rate might be higher now). The requirement is the child is at least 3 years old but less than 5 years and 11 months old. The preschool is held at the Grover Beach Community Center and they follow the latest safety guidelines. You can pick the Mon & Tues program or the Wed & Thurs program. You drop your child off and they get to interact with other kids while they learn. You could run errands and then come back to pick them up at their pick-up time.

For more information, please contact the Grover Beach Parks & Recreation Department at (805) 473-4580. Address of Tiny Tots Location: 1230 Trouville Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433. Here is the registration link for Tiny Tots in Grover Beach. 

Other Preschool Reviews
Read my other blog entries about preschools in the SLO County area, including the Kindergarten In Training (KIT) Preschool Program Review in Arroyo Grande. I had placed my older one in the KIT program when he was a preschooler as well.

To see other preschool and childcare options in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Mom Groups & Childcare page.

Posted by SanLuisObispoMom.com. Posted In : Preschool 

 
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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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