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At the southern most end of San Luis Obispo County is a beach trail that goes over a lake called Oso Flaco Lake. It has a deck trail that is a mile long, easy to walk on and very scenic.

There isn't an exact address you can find to get here but if you Google: "Oso Flake Lake Trail", it will take you there to a parking lot where you can park for free and start your hike. It's about a mile long from beginning to the end where you end up with a beautiful view of the beach and ocean. It's about a healthy 2 miles total when you walk there and back.

When we hiked there, the beach was closed off to the public but you can still get a wonderful close view. Along the way, we saw bunnies, birds and the beautiful lake.

Above is the view of Oso Flaco Lake that I took while standing on a deck trail bridge. It was a really cloudy day and even sprinkled that morning and the reflection of the clouds in the lake was really gorgeous. As we were walking, we saw many helpful boards along the trail about the animals and plants we'd find along the way. There were benches scattered here and there along the way to sit and enjoy a packed snack or just take a break.

It was such a nice and relaxing walk and I look forward to coming back here on a sunny day. The gloomy day did not take away from the beauty of Oso Flaco Lake and the trail. I suggest wearing hiking or walking shoes and bring a bottle of water, just in case. There were portable restroom pods that you can use at the parking lot of Oso Flaco Lake Trail.

Reading Suggestions:

• See pictures that I've taken at our local beaches in San Luis Obispo County, including: Pismo Beach, Oceano, Grover Beach, Avila Beach, Morro Bay, San Simeon and more.

Ever since we've moved to San Luis Obispo County and my kids started elementary school, I've been able to go hiking every week to clear my mind. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Going hiking or on a beach is a great way to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise.

Avila Beach is a very beautiful beach town in San Luis Obispo County with nice restaurants, shops and wine tasting places! As a local, we've visited the handful of wine tasing rooms and places that offer flights right there at Avila Beach. You can easily walk from the sand to any of these places for a wine break.

Even though they are all so close to each other. Please do not attempt to do a wine tasting flight at all five of these places on the list in one day! Some of these wines have really high alcohol content. I recommend just sticking to just one place a day or if you have high tolerance, max could be two places. Make sure you eat in between tasting places, if they don't serve food. There are plenty of restaurants nearby. 

Here's the list of Avila Beach Wine Tasting Options that I've Personally Visited:

• Alapay Cellars Tasting Room
  
  Alapay has probably the most spacious tasting room among this list in Avila Beach. You weirdly step down to get to the tasting room but once inside, you'll enjoy pretty murals and a roomy atmosphere. The service is really nice and personable. Address: 415 1st St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• Sinor-LaVallee
  
  Sinor-LaVallee will probably be the first wine tasting room that you see if you're coming from the main road! It's a small tasting room but they offer fresh oysters where you can shuck them yourself. The tasting room has big windows and when we visited, there was only one attendant. We didn't make a reservation but I recommend making one ahead of time. Address: 550 1st St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• Peloton Cellars
  
  Peloton Cellars has a unique theme with cycling decor all over the tasting room. I love their high ceiling. It's also a small tasting room like Sinor-LaVallee (listing above) but it's located a tad bit closer to the beach. Address: 470 Front St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• PierFront Wine & Brew
  
  PierFront Wine & Brew is beachfront and has a lot of comfortable places to sit. It's a great place to come if you're planning on picking up local craft beer as well. They have a large selection of wine and beer. Address: 480 Front Street, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• Blue Moon Over Avila
  
  Blue Moon Over Avila is a French restaurant in Avila Beach and beachfront. Their food is excellent! It's pricey and best of all, they offer two different wine flights and one of them is Rhone varietals! The tasting price was very fair for the offer. You may be surprise to read this but it's my favorite wine tasting place in all of Avila Beach. We chose to sit at the bar inside and no one else sat there. All of the other patrons sat outside so it felt so nice and intimate. We ordered food with our wine and enjoyed our lunch there. We're locals and live in San Luis Obispo County but I always feel like a tourist when I dine here. Address: 460 Front St, Avila Beach, CA 93424
• Avila Wine & Roasting Co.
  Avila Wine & Roasting Co has a pretty entrance in the front but when I stepped inside, I felt like I was going to a wine storage room. The place has a lot of different wines for sale. They also have wine tasting flights that you can enjoy. There are a couple of tables inside but there are more tables outside, which a better option to enjoy the fresh air and corner view of the ocean. I would not come here to taste for ambiance. If you'd like to find a nicer dedicated wine tasting room, I recommend the first three (Sinor-LaValle, Peloton Cellars or Alapay Cellars Tasting room) on this list at the top. However, if you're looking for a very specific bottle of California wine, it's definitely the right place for it. Address: 53 San Miguel St, Avila Beach, CA 93424

You can view a quick video of my visits at 5 different places to taste wine in Avila Beach in my Youtube Short Video below:

Reading Suggestions:

• I've visited over 4 dozens wine tasting rooms in all of San Luis Obispo County, as a local. See my top 10 favorite wine tasting rooms in all of San Luis Obispo County.


• See my pictures that I took at Port San Luis Obispo Pier, also known as Harford Pier, in Avila Beach. It is the only pier of the three that exists in Avila Beach that you can currently walk on.


• See pictures of all the beaches in San Luis Obispo County that I took over the years. Avila Beach is part of San Luis Obispo County.

Ever since we've moved to San Luis Obispo County, we've been more active with hiking, wine tasting, walking on the beach and going to the many parks. Even if the sun seems mild, it's good to have sunscreen, a pair of sunglasses and a sun hat to protect your skin. Being active outdoors is a great way to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise.

As a transplant and not having any family around, we've attempted to find a babysitter before for date nights. When the kids were babies and toddlers, we were lucky if we had a date once or twice a year! As they've gotten older, it's been much easier and more fun for our kids to use local organizations for Kids Night Out or Parents Night Out as a chance to have a date night. Here are some options in San Luis Obispo County:

1. Central Coast Gymnastics - Every month, Central Coast Gymnastics in San Luis Obispo has a Kids Night Out for one evening. They have the schedule up on their website: https://www.iflipforccg.com/kno.
   
   You get a discount if the kids are members and are already taking classes there. However, non-members can also participate as well. My kids have gone there for Kids Night Out and they'd have a lot of fun. Pizza is included. They separate the children into little kids and big kids groups. Address: 21 Zaca Lane, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
2. Pacific Flips Gymnastics - Every once in awhile, Pacific Flips Gymnastics in Grover Beach hosts a Pajamanastics for a weekend evening. They get to wear their pajamas and have fun jumping and moving around. It's a pretty good deal and siblings get a discount. You drop them off, they have fun with other kids and pizza is included.
   
   Their location is a couple of miles from restaurants in Grover Beach and Pismo Beach so it's a great place to drop the kids off to dine in the Grover Beach and Pismo Beach areas. They typically announce the next Pajamanastics event date to those who have already signed up for their newsletter or are a member, but you can read more details about Pajamastics on their website: http://www.pacificflips.net/pajamanastics.html Address: 998 Huston St. Suite E, Grover Beach, CA 93433
3. Legacy Training Center in San Luis Obispo has monthly Parents Night Out events that has a schedule for the rest of the year. Members and non-members can sign their kids up for this. The kids have to be between 4 - 17 years old. Here's their schedule: https://www.legacygymnastics-slo.com/parties-special-events/special-events/ Address: 4725 Allene Way, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
4. The SLO YMCA hosts Kids Night Out events throughout the year and offers a member price and non-member price. This is for ages 3 - 11 years old. If they have an event coming up, they will list it here among other YMCA centers nearby that are also hosting a Kids Night Out: https://channel.recliquecore.com/programs/1269/kid-s-night-out
5. Hop's Bounce House in Atascadero hosts a monthly Hop-N-Glow night with a drop off option but it's less than 3 hours so you might want to consider going somewhere else if you're hoping for a longer duration like one of the gymnastics places. They typically just post their next Hop-N-Glow night dates on their Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Hopsbouncehouse. Address: 5805 El Camino Real Suite A Atascadero CA, 93422
6. Local Churches - Local Churches would occasionally have Kids Night Out or Parents Night Out events. Sometimes they don't promote it on social media so you'd have to ask one of the leaders.
7. City of Morro Bay - The City of Morro Bay Recreation Services is active and would plan events and also Kids' Night Out as well. The next one coming up is posted on their City of Morro Bay Recreation Services Facebook page for ages 3 years old through 12 years old. You have to register ahead of time to pay only $20 per child. If you walk in, it would be $30. It includes dinner, craft games and child care.
8. City of Arroyo Grande - In the past, the City of Arroyo Grande would have Parents Night Out for only $25 a kid. However, it seems that they don't have any upcoming dates or may have temporarily put it on hold. If your kids have been to their preschool there at the Elm Street Park building, they would already be used to the room so that is helpful. If they have upcoming dates, you would see it under the Childcare category of the City of Arroyo Grande's Recreation catalog. Address: 1221 Ash St, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420
9. Paso Robles Sports Club - In the past, Paso Robles Sports Club would have Kids Night Out. I'm not sure if it's member's only but if you're already a member there, you could get notifications of their upcoming events. Address: 2975 Union Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446
10. Kennedy Club Fitness - Kennedy Club Fitness has multiple locations in San Luis Obispo County and would often post their upcoming Kids Night Out events on their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/KennedyClubFitness. For December, they had 3 different dates for Kids Night Out!

I've been on 6 different cruises on 6 different cruise ships so far. Three of them were on Royal Caribbean Cruises, 1 was a Disney Cruise, 1 was on a Prince Cruise, and 1 was a Carnival Cruise. Two of the more popular ones to the general public are Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises. Now that I've been on both of them, I can do a comparison between the two of them. There are definitely notable differences between the two and some similarities as well! I've created two Pro and Cons tables that mentions the positives and the negatives for each. Scroll down to see them.

Pros and Cons for Royal Caribbean Cruises

Royal Caribbean Pros

Royal Caribbean's Dinner Service in the the main dining room follows a more traditional placement for utensils so you'll find like 3 different spoons and 3 different forks upon seating. Royal Caribbean's full service at the dining room has always been personable and super classy. The variety of complimentary meat and seafood selection on their buffet and main fine dining room's daily menu is impressive. I know everything can't be complimentary so the higher quality meats and more expensive options are understandably, an extra charge. The clubs and bars are so much nicer at Royal Caribbean than Carnival Cruises from my experiences. Some of their areas are more secluded and quieter, depending on what time of day so it's nice to have a place to getaway and have a drink in peace. They place a fun towel art in your room after they've cleaned it. Both Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruises do this well. If you dine at their main dining room, you can tell your server that you're celebrating a birthday, and they'll have a team sing to your birthday person around dessert time. Carnival Cruises does this as well.  You can play mini-golf or as East Coasters would call "putt-putt" on Royal Caribbean. You can usually easily find this on the ship. They have a captain's night where you dress up and have your pictures taken by their photographers around the ship. Just like the Carnival Cruises, you only pay if you want to buy their prints or digital copies after viewing them.

Royal Caribbean Cons

Royal Caribbean's Customer Service on the phone before arrival can be difficult to reach. We always had to be put on long holds. One time I heard a couple asked a server a question at the buffet when our ship has just docked at a port and I thought the server's answer was really rude. The couple saw another ship docked nearby our ship and asked the server what the name of that ship was. Instead of just disclosing the answer promptly, he said, "That cruise ship is not for you. It's for younger people". I was appalled. I'm sure it was a one off thing but that was pretty terrible. They have a free kid's club on the ship, just like Carnival Cruises does but I find that my kids don't like it as much as they do at Carnival Cruises. Age may have played a factor but I find the facility more cold and less fun for my kids. For all of the cruises, we've taken our kids with us. You can scroll down to the Pros and Cons table for Carnival Cruises to read more and/or see the kids' club pictures that I took. We had a big issue when the stateroom that we booked for was not what we got when we boarded. Not only did my family not get the room we asked for, they split us into two smaller staterooms! It was not better to have 2 smaller rooms versus one room that can fit all of us, because they weren't even connecting rooms and my kids are still little kids who need both their mommy and daddy! You can read more about this mishap/experience in my full Royal Caribbean Cruise review blog entry.

Pictures From our Royal Caribbean Cruises (To see my pros and cons table for the Carnival Cruise, continue scrolling for the next table):

Pros and Cons for Carnival Cruises

Carnival Cruise Pros

Carnival's Dinner Service in the the main dining room follows a more modern placement for utensils so you'll find just a set of 1 fork and 1 knife and nothing crazy like 3 different spoons and 3 different forks that Royal Caribbean Cruises does. It depends on your taste for class or modern but sometimes, I don't feel like the extra utensils are necessary, especially if I'm skipping dessert. Carnival Cruises' service at the dining room has always been personable, just like the Royal Caribbean Cruises. Our experience with Carnival Cruises Customer Service Phone Line before we went on the cruise has been much better than Royal Caribbean's. The hold times are less and they are proactive about trying to resolve our issues. They place a fun towel art in our room every time they've cleaned our room. My kids had a lot of fun at the kids clubs at Carnival Cruise, even more fun than the Royal Caribbean's kids club. Age may play a factor into it but I feel that the youth professionals at the Carnival Cruise's kids camp called Camp Ocean were so lively and warm in their approach! Like the kids, even the adult entertainment were so warm and fun! We went to an 80s party while the kids were at the kid's club and had a wonderful memory from it. See pictures below from my Carnival Cruise. Even though Royal Caribbean has a lot of complimentary seafood dishes on their dining room menu for dinner, I find that the Carnival desserts tasted much better. Something about their execution and the quality of the ingredients that just create a better and happier harmony in my mouth. I loved their creme brûlée. As mentioned above in the Pros and Cons table for Royal Caribbean, Carnival Cruises can also sing to your birthday person at the main dining room if you tell them that you're celebrating a birthday. I feel that Carnival Cruises sings with more heart and I felt it. See my birthday dessert that they presented to me after their team sung 'happy birthday' to me below.  You can play mini-golf (also known as "putt putt" to East Coasters) on Carnival Cruises as well. On the ship that I was on, it was on the top level so it's a bit harder to find but you could check out an amazing top view of the ocean! They have a cruise formal on at least one night of your cruise ship (more if it's a longer trip) on the Carnival. You can dress up and have your pictures taken by photographers around the ship. It's always free to have the pictures taken by the photographers. You only pay if you want to buy digital copies or prints.

Carnival Cruise Cons

The water slides that I've experienced on the Carnival are simpler than Royal Caribbean's. This makes it less scary so it's not fun for thrill seekers. However, they are more appropriate for kids who are trying water slides for the first time.  Some of the employees on the Carnival Cruise don't greet you as you walk by. At Royal Caribbean, the employees do this a lot better at any time of the day. There's not as many seafood items on their complimentary buffet and dining room menu list on the Carnival Cruise that I went to, compared to Royal Caribbean's cruise ships. If you're a big seafood fan, this may be something you want to consider. However, they have seafood and sushi areas that you can pay extra for! We tried their sushi on the last night of our Carnival Cruise and I enjoyed it. It was very good and reasonably priced! You can read more about my wonderful sushi dining experience on the Carnival Cruise in my full review of my 3 Day Baja California Cruise on Carnival Radiance.

Pictures From My Carnival Cruise Vacation on Cardinal Radiance Cruise Ship:

Related Vacation Posts:

• Read my full experience about my most recent Royal Caribbean Cruise that my family and I went on during the pandemic.
  
• Read my full experience and review about my most recent Carnival Cruise vacation that we went on after the pandemic has officially ended. They do dub it as the 'party cruise' for a valid reason.
  Link to Video of our 80s Party on Carnival Cruise Ship
• Read about our 5 Night Stay at Moon Palace The Grand in Cancun, Mexico. We flew there from California and just stayed on land for our vacation. It reminded me of being on a cruise because everything was all inclusive, except I didn't have to be on a ship.
  
• Read about our 11 Day Alaska Cruise Vacation on Princess Cruises that stopped at 5 different places. Alaska is my favorites place to visit by cruise thus far!
  

Traveling is so fun and create such wonderful memories 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. Being outdoors is always one great idea to improve your mood and get a bit of exercise if you feel bummed out for any reason.

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

With the Barbie movie getting a lot of hype and a lot of people are dressing up in their pretty pink, I couldn't help with recollect places that I've visited that reminds me of Barbie.
(I ordered a pink drink at the Silver Bar Cocktail Lounge at Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.)

Here's my list of Suggested Barblie-like Things To Do in San Luis Obispo County:

1. It's a no brainer for my first pick. The pretty pink boutique motel called Madonna Inn is our iconic Barbie place to be in San Luis Obispo. I've blogged about Madonna Inn (here's my list of blog entries about Madonna Inn) in many different entries because as a local, Madonna Inn is a special spot for us. We've dined at their Copper Cafe for special occasions, had two staycations in two different Madonna Inn rooms, hung out at their pool and even ordered whole cakes from them for pick up. Splashed in pink from the floor to other decor, you will be wowed by their restaurants, gift shops and rooms. See personal Pinterest photos below that I took myself. While you're there, don't forget to order the famous pink champagne cake!
   
   
   
   See my pictures of all of the cakes that I've tried from Madonna Inn. I've also attended a few events at Madonna Inn, including one that was inside of one of their banquet rooms. See my Youtube Short video of my walk around the Madonna Inn property before the event.
   
   Madonna Inn Address: 100 Madonna Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405


2. We have over 300 wineries in San Luis Obispo County (this includes our wine countries: Paso Robles and Edna Valley). I've blogged about the many wineries in our county as a local but what I haven't highlighted yet is a pink themed wine tasting room in Pismo Beach, one of our famous beach towns in San Luis Obispo County, called Cali Love Wine. Cali Love Wine's walls are pink, their place has feminine energy and it's right by the beach! See a photo of their karaoke set up below that I took during my visit earlier this year.
   
   If you're planning on an impromptu visit, check their hours because they are not open every day. Even before the Barbie movie came out, I felt like I was missing a pink dress when I entered here. Address: 180 Pomeroy Ave., Pismo Beach, California 93449


3. Aside from the pink champagne cake that you can get from Madonna Inn (read under number 1 pick above), you can get a different type of dessert in a pink box at Crumbl. Crumbl is a chain that sells large cookies in different flavors but they always come in a pink box! Located in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo, both part of San Luis Obispo County, you can get their delicious cookies packaged in a nice pretty pink box. Here's a glimpse of my cookie order that they put in their pink box from my visit below.
   
   Their cookies are fresh and sweet!
   
   Crumbl Pismo Beach Address: 503 5 Cities Dr B, Pismo Beach, CA 93449


4. Made famous by Ted Ngoy starting in the 80s in Southern California, bubblegum pink cardboard boxes that are popularly used by donut shops are iconic and luckily, a number of San Luis Obispo County donut shops adopted this tradition. (Read more about this from this Food & Wine link). Besides for the chains, you can hope to expect that a nearby donut shop will give you a pink box when you order a dozen. Here are two places that I know for sure use pink boxes below. 
   Surfside Donuts in Pismo Beach
   
   Golden Donut in Pismo Beach
   


5. There is a Thai restaurant in Grover Beach called Bunn Thai that has pink walls! When I had dined here for lunch, the pink walls really uplifted my mood and made me feel so romantic. You see them right as you step through their doors.
   
   It was not meant to be a special lunch but it sure felt special. Read my full review of Bunn Thai. Address: 968 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433

Reading Suggestions:

• Read about my movie experience at the movie theaters in Downtown San Luis Obispo called The Movie Experience.
  


• Read my reviews about local wineries in San Luis Obispo County that I've visited.


• Read about my staycation experience and see pictures of all the pink things that I experienced in Room #111 at the Madonna Inn, the most famous San Luis Obispo motel.


• Read about my romantic adventures and dining experiences on the Central Coast.

Even though there are many pretty pink places to have a party or meet up with some friends, creating a barbie themed party at home is very doable with so many pink decoration ideas and supplies available.