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Staying active and healthy is one of my goals. Over the years, I went to a number of gyms around the South County part of San Luis Obispo County. I even went to a couple that eventually went out of business!

Here is a list of gyms/fitness centers that I've visited and my thoughts about them in chronological order:

• Pismo Beach Athletic Club

  As things were starting to open up and the kids were transitioning to a couple of hours of lessons a day in school during the pandemic, I was able to try out Pismo Beach Athletic Club for one morning! They didn't offer a free trial but allowed non-members to purchase a day pass so that was what I did for one morning. I really wanted to try one of their fitness classes but all of their classes required pre-registration and all of their morning classes were already full by a whole week! So, I just came in and jogged on the treadmill. It sufficed for what I needed for cardio. I felt that the membership fees were too high for me and was not able to easily join a class so I didn't join as a member. However, they have an indoor lap pool so if swimming is your main focus for fitness, Pismo Beach Athletic Club is a good option. They are also located just a block from the ocean so it's such a wonderful location. The staff there are all professional and nice so there is a family feel to it. From my understanding on their website and my single day visit, they do not offer childcare but I suggest double checking with the business in case that has changed recently. Pismo Beach Athletic Club Address: 1751 Price Street, Pismo Beach CA 93449

• Planet Fitness

  
  

  Located in Arroyo Grande and in the same shopping center as a Starbucks, Grocery Outlets and off the 101 highway, Planet Fitness could be a great hub for many needs. Their monthly membership is very affordable! They also have an electric car charging station right in front of Planet Fitness as well! I feel like because of their highway proximity, electric charging station and with the Starbucks right there, this Planet Fitness is full of yuppies, travelers, students and a bunch of smart and efficient people! The cost is such a good deal as well! They don't offer classes though so that is the major con. However, if you don't care for fitness classes, Planet Fitness in AG is a great gym spot. They have a lot of cardio equipment, weight machines and free weights. I like their big locker room with a few showers for women. I'm assuming the men's locker room would be the same size? Furthermore, Planet Fitness is a chain so if you have the black card (a higher membership level), you can work out at any Planet Fitness around the U.S. and bring a guest every day for free! They do not have any childcare services. I've also worked out at the Planet Fitness location in San Luis Obispo. Ready comparison and thoughts between the Planet Fitness in Arroyo Grande and the Planet Fitness in San Luis Obispo. Planet Fitness Address: 1576 W Branch St, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

• CYB Studios

  
  Located in Arroyo Grande off of Grand Ave., CYB Studios is strictly classes only and they focus on cycling, yoga, and barre (hence the acronym for their name)! They were having their anniversary sale so I bought some passes to try it out. Thus far, I've tried their cycling, Barre, YFlow, Y26, and YSculpt classes. All of their yoga classes are heated yoga classes so I'm usually sweating like a pig by the time I finish the class.The staff members there are all very helpful with customer service as their forefront #1 asset. Within their shopping center, you'll find a Starbucks, Rite Aid, CHC Urgent Care, a few restaurants, and an Aldi so you can get almost all of your errands done in this shopping center before or after working out, if you really wanted to! Their classes and instructors are amazing! I usually feel sore for a couple of days after taking a class there so make sure to give yourself a break for a couple of days between classes if you're not used to it. You will definitely get a really good work out! The big con is if you're not into working out in classes with other people and only want to work with machines or equipment on your own, CYB Studios is not for you. They do not have any treadmills or any other cardio machines. Every once in awhile, they offer free classes to the public so that you can try them out or you can always just pay a fee for every visit without a membership or pay a package deal. One fun thing is they often plan really neat social events with fitness. They also have a very nice restroom area with showers. They are also very proactive on their social media. Other things that stood out to me is they do not offer childcare services, but do offer complimentary towel usage for your work outs.  CYB Studios Address: 1231 E Grand Avenue, Suite 105, Arroyo Grande, Ca 93420

• Avila Bay Athletic Club

  
  As we've lived here over the years in San Luis Obispo County, I've gone from going to the least expensive fitness center in Five Cities to the most expensive place! Last on this list is Avila Bay Athletic Club because I had to work myself for 5 years to be able to figure out that this is the right fitness option for my entire family as my kids have been getting older and like hanging out at pools. For over $300 a month, my entire family comes here to enjoy pickle ball, the family pool, fitness classes, lifting weights and a nice resort-like area. I'm even blogging about this piece while sitting at their patio area at this very minute! Except for a few group classes, most of the fitness classes do not require a reservation, which is nice to be able to drop in when I can. Avila Bay Athletic Club Address: 6699 Bay Laurel Place, Avila Beach, CA 93424

Reading Suggestions:

• Find some Mommy and Me fitness options where you can bring your little kids in tow.


• SLO Swim Center is another pool in San Luis Obispo County located in San Luis Obispo City where families can go to swim during their recreational hours. The hours for family or recreational swim changes from season to season. I like to bring my kids here in the past during the spring and summer breaks. Read my review about SLO Swim Center under the Spring Break blog entry.


• Read my comparison between Planet Fitness Arroyo Grande and Planet Fitness San Luis Obispo. 


• Read a list of reviews of coffee shops that I've visited and remotely worked from in South County of San Luis Obispo County (Five Cities).


• Read my thoughts on restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County.

Your ideal work out session is very personal. Some people like to be outdoors to exercise, while others like to be alone. For working out at home, you can get a yoga mat, some dumb bells and just select a free exercise video from Prime Video from your TV. Working out options is aplenty. Try to find that motivation and the right exercise equipment that works for you.

Fitness Centers that I used to frequent, but went out of business in the area:
• Fitness 19 (went out of business in August 2024)
• Tantrum Fitness (went out of business around 2021 during the pandemic)

My husband surprised me with an anniversary SLO staycation in Downtown San Luis Obispo!

He had presented me the reservation date and details on our actual anniversary day in an envelope as a gift but I had to wait a few weeks to experience it, when my mother-in-law was able to come to visit and watch our precious kids for us! It was a gift with big anticipation and he executed it well! Our staycation was extra unique as it was on a Monday night in December. It had rained earlier in the day but luckily, it didn't rain anymore by the time we started our celebration. 

Here is an itinerary of where we went and stayed for our date night and Downtown SLO staycation.

Checking In at Granada Hotel & Bistro

Before we started painting the town, my husband took us to the Granada Hotel to check into our staycation. The Granada Hotel is located in a very centralized area in Downtown San Luis Obispo. They also have their own parking lot on the property through a very narrow alley. Parking in this alley as a hotel guest was free. You just have to put a permit on your dashboard that the hotel provides for you upon check-in. After we parked at their complimentary parking lot, we entered around to the front to find the lobby.

While we were checking in, the front desk personnel asked if we would like a glass of wine. We said "yes". To our surprise, this welcome complimentary drink was offered and it started our evening wonderfully. After we finished our drink, the front desk personnel walked us to our room! It was amazing service. There is no magnetic card key as they used regular keys for all of their rooms, and I especially loved this as it's a reminder that the property is a hundred years old. We just had to remember to lock our door before we left as it does not automatically lock once we close the door like the newer hotels.

Once we entered our room, I was instantly wowed. There's a nice fireplace and a little balcony to watch the town, which I find out later that not all rooms have this. My husband also added a surprise array of chocolate, flowers and a bottle of wine that was already waiting in our room!

I was gushing like a teenager. It was all so fancy and romantic. We started to enjoy the chocolates and wine almost immediately and opened the balcony door to look at the view. See my video reel on instagram to get a better look at the chocolates that I enjoyed at our stay at Granada Hotel. 

It's a quieter work week this evening and it had rained earlier so we were able to see a slower downtown with some Christmas lights further along the street. It was so peaceful. I felt like a VIP.

After hanging out in the room for a little while, we were ready to head down for our dinner reservations that my husband had made through OpenTable for the Bistro at the Granada Hotel. All we had to do was walk downstairs from our room and then we were there. We were 15 minutes early but they were able to accommodate us.

Upon sitting down, the server handed us the menus and then minutes after, surprised us with two complimentary glasses of champagne and said, "Happy Anniversary"! My husband was very surprised as well because he had made the reservation through OpenTable and did not mention that it was our anniversary celebration. Granada Hotel had went above and beyond and must have crossmatched our stay reservation with the bistro reservation list. I was so impressed at this point and it had only been an hour since we've arrived on this property. I ordered the soba noodles and ate everything. It was delicious! (First picture at the top of this post was the picture of my food from Granada Hotel & Bistro.) We skipped dessert and left to go to our first bar stop named Highwater SLO.

Granada Hotel & Bistro Address: 1126 Morro St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Highwater SLO (now closed)

Lucky for us, Highwater SLO was highly rated and is open on Mondays! Many restaurants and bars close on Mondays in SLO County so we were grateful. Upon stepping into the bar, we knew that we were in for a really unique experience. We sat right at the bar. Menus offered to us used record covers as their menu book! Along the walls were black paintings on white (or maybe they were stencils) of famous rockers and singers. They were tastefully decorated.

Just the ambiance itself was enough to get me to come back. Fortunately, the drinks are art of a professional. I have confidence that whatever I decide to order here in the future will be excellent. They also serve food but because we already had dinner at Granada Bistro, we wanted to just stop in for a drink and maximize our date night experience to explore another place that we had never been to before.

Highwater SLO Address: 1127 Broad St., Suite B, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 [Update: Highwater is currently closed.]

S.Low Bar and High Bar at Hotel San Luis Obispo

As we were walking from Highwater SLO to S.Low Bar that's located inside Hotel San Luis Obispo, we enjoyed looking at all the Christmas decorations in Downtown San Luis Obispo. It felt like such a celebratory holiday stroll. See my instagram video reel of our walk by the Holiday Plaza in Downtown during this date night. As mentioned, it had rained earlier in the day so the air is still cold but it had stopped raining by the time we started our night so the peace and calm carried on throughout the night with our walks. We were thankful that it did not rain anymore.

Once we sat down at S.Low Bar, we had a nice conversation with the bartender and ordered from their specialty list for S.Low Bar.

We read on Yelp that the property also has a second bar called High Bar so after a drink, we went to the elevator and made our way up to the High Bar.

At High Bar, you can see the view of Downtown San Luis Obispo as it is a rooftop and it's all outdoors.

We both ordered the blueberry mojito from their specialty list. Even though, S.Low Bar and High Bar are both located at the same hotel, their specialities are different. It was pretty cold as the night went on for this December night and we brought our mojitos with us and wandered back downstairs again to get some warmth by S.Low Bar's fireplace. S. Low Bar closes at 10PM. 

Hotel San Luis Obispo (S.Low Bar & High Bar) Address: 877 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

End of Date Night

After S.Low Bar closed, my husband and I went to the back door of Granada Hotel with our hotel key to get back to our room. The front desk closes and front door locks at 10PM. We were instructed to enter through the back with our key if we were coming back past 10PM. It felt like we were elites to an elite club as we did this. It was a cold walk and I couldn't wait to get back into our room. We also had some pieces of chocolates to finish in our room so we enjoyed a few more chocolate pieces on our balcony and then, went to sleep.

It was a lot of walking around town and it did not take long to drift to sleep with one of the best sleeps I've had in a really long time. We also walked by the Bubble Gum Alley in Downtown. It was nice to see it without a crowd. The collection has quite grown. See my video reel of my walk by the Bubble Gum Alley in Downtown San Luis Obispo during this date night to see the current culmination. 

I highly recommend all of the places that we went for our anniversary celebration in Downtown San Luis Obispo. Don't forget to bring a thick coat if you're wandering around here in December, and maybe an umbrella too (just in case).


Read about where we went for our date night in Pismo Beach (a famous beach town in San Luis Obispo County).
Read about our movie date night in downtown San Luis Obispo and The Movie Experience review.

My staycations at other hotels around San Luis Obispo County:

• Read about my staycations (I've stayed at two different rooms) at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.
• Read about my staycation at The Carlton in Atascadero.
• Read about my staycation at La Quinta Inn in San Luis Obispo.

Some of my most favorite gifts from my husband are experiences, like a local hotel stay in a nice boutique hotel or a nice stress-free cruise. Read more blog entries to read about my local adventures. Read about my romantic adventures and dining experiences on the Central Coast.

After my pumpkin muffins (see this pumpkin muffin recipe) were a hit at my husband's work, I decided to try a bite-sized pumpkin pie recipe so that I could send another finger-food treat while they're hard at work. I felt that the pumpkin muffins were a hit, partly because they were easy to eat with your hands. So, I thought these bite-sized pumpkin pies would be great for the workplace too.
(picture of my bite-sized pumpkin pies)

My kids got to be my first tasters and enjoyed these bite-sized "baby" pumpkin pies! Here are the recipes that I used to make these below.

I separated the recipes into two: a crust recipe and then the filling recipe.

Crust Recipe

If you plan on buying pre-made pie crust from the store, you can skip this part and scroll down to the Pumpkin Pie Filling Recipe.

I created my pumpkin pie crust from scratch using this recipe that I found online: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/all-butter-pie-crust-1229264 but in case that website is ever down, here is the recipe for the crust: 

• 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 - 5 tablespoons of water (depending on how many it takes to form the right texture)

Steps:

1. Unlike the recipe link, I don't have a food processor so I just mixed the flour with the salt with a whisk in a bowl. 
2. Then, I cut the unsalted butter into half inch pieces and incorporated the butter into the flour mix with a fork. 
3. After the butter has been incorporated well, I added a few tablespoons of water until it was just moist enough to hold the dough together. When I did this, it took 4 tablespoons of water for me that day. You may need less than that. I divided the dough in half and formed discs for both halves. I put 1 in the fridge to save for later and only used the other half because that was all I needed to fill 24 muffin cups. I have two muffin pans that have 12 muffin cups in each pan.

Pumpkin Pie Filling Recipe

(forming the crust before the filling)

Before starting the filling, I had to do the most time-consuming part: shape each little pumpkin pie crusts for each muffin cup. I used a rolling pin to roll the dough out and used the top of a plastic kid's cup (about 2.5 inches in diameter) to cut out small circles. The dough was as thin as I could get it without breaking as I find that if it's too thick, the filling and crust ratio would be unbalanced for a nice pumpkin pie bite. After my crusts have been formed and were all inside of both of my muffin pans, I put them in the fridge to chill. Now, I can start putting the filling ingredients together.

See filling recipe list below:

• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cups of evaporated milk
• 1 egg

Yesterday, I baked pumpkin muffins using a pumpkin that I bought last month as a porch decoration for Halloween month. My pumpkin was a medium size and from experience, I knew that when I roasted it, it was going to yield several desserts for us as a family of four. [Skip this story and jump straight to the Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients and Recipe Steps.]

Cutting, Roasting, Dividing, and Freezing the Cooked Pumpkin

Immediately after I roasted (1 hour) and cooled this medium sized pumpkin, I removed the skin of the pumpkin and then broke the pumpkin flesh into many pieces. I only needed to puree about 2 cups of it at the time for a recipe and froze the rest in freezer bags. I divided them into 4 different bags that had about 2 cups of pumpkin each so that I could easily just pull 1 out for a dessert recipe when I needed to make a pumpkin dessert.
  
Thus far, I've baked a pumpkin pie and about 14 pumpkin muffins from this roasted pumpkin and I still have over half of the pumpkin left frozen in the freezer! 

It did feel like a lot of work to remove the insides of the pumpkin, roast, peel the skin, break them into pieces and puree it when I could just go buy a can of pureed pumpkin from the grocery store for about $3 for a 15 oz can. However, it just felt so rewarding to bake Thanksgiving or fall desserts from scratch. It is an art that takes hours of love and care. Since it has been getting colder now, using the oven to make these desserts warmed up the house with a comfort feeling that spread the wonderful cinnamon smell throughout our home.

My desserts are not perfectly shaped like the ones at the stores but I feel like my non-cookie cutter desserts easily convey and show that they are original, and not store-bought.

My husband brought these to his work to share and they were gone within minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients

The recipe that I used was from: https://joyfoodsunshine.com/pumpkin-muffins/ but in case that website is ever down, here are the ingredients that I used below. I want to note that instead of using sea salt, I just used regular salt.

• 2 cups of pumpkin puree (thawed mine from frozen roasted pumpkin pieces and then squeezed the excess liquid from them before I pureed it all in the blender)
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (melted)
• 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of granulated white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour (I used unbleached)
• 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1.5. teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• 2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe Steps

1. Preheat the oven to bake at 375 degrees F.
2. First, I mixed the first 2 ingredients (pumpkin puree and melted butter) in one bowl and then mixed the last 5 ingredients (all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon powder, baking power, and salt) in another bowl because you'll need to separate the wet and dry at the beginning. 
3. After the first 2 ingredients have been mixed with a whisk, I added the dark brown and white sugar to this "wet" bowl. I mixed until I was sure there were no more sugar lumps. Then, after that, I mixed the eggs and vanilla extract to this "wet" bowl. 
4. After I've mixed the ingredients in the "wet" bowl throughly, I poured the contents from the "dry" bowl into the "wet" bowl and whisked gently until it's all combined. 
5. By the time, I've finished mixing, my oven was at 375 degrees F. I took my muffin pans out and placed muffin paper cups into them. I used a small ladle to scoop my mix to each paper cup. I tried to level the tops and then placed the muffin baking pans in the middle rack of the oven and baked for 21 minutes. Make sure there is a space between the pans on the rack.
6. When the timer went off after 21 minutes, I took the pans out of the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for about 6 minutes. Then, I gently removed each muffin from the pan and started eating one! Yum! I felt like I may over baked them by a hair in my oven so next time, I will decrease the time to just 19 minutes. That's just a personal preference as they were at hit for my husband's work!

While I was in college at San Diego State University (SDSU), I worked at a seafood buffet and worked on Thanksgiving Day. [You can skip my college story and just scroll down or jump straight to the list of 24 restaurants in San Luis Obispo County that will be open on Thanksgiving Day and serving a turkey dinner for 2024.] It was by choice as I got better tips and only had to work for 5 hours and could still go home and spend time with my parents and sibling. I'm a native San Diegan but I live here in San Luis Obispo County now. I worked at that buffet named Todai San Diego (now closed) for 3 years and worked on many holidays. I think back at those years there fondly as this job had helped me pay my college tuition at SDSU and food.

There was one particular guest who I still remember and think about as Thanksgiving Day gets nearer every year. She came in alone and was the only one who did on that Thanksgiving Day at our restaurant. She was all smiles when she stepped up to the podium to tell the hostess, whom I stood nearby, the number of people in her party. The guest lifted one pointer finger and said, "Just one."

Though I may have felt a little sorry for her, I felt admiration more than anything for her courage and independence as she was not afraid to dine alone on a holiday that many expects one to be with others. She deserved a wonderful dinner and instead of ordering take out somewhere, she came in and enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast and seafood. She was kind and seemed really smart. Although I didn't pry, she looked like she was in town for business or was sticking around the area for personal reasons.

So, I dedicate this post to this memory and to all of you who needs to have a warm Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving Day cooked by an establishment because life can get too busy to be able to cook at home for yourself and/or for others. Enjoy a feast without the mess and why not, the many wonderful restaurants around here are here to serve you.

[ 2024 List of Thanksgiving Dinners in San Luis Obispo County Will Be Continually Updated Weeks Before the Holiday, When Restaurants Announced Them. Come Back Regularly to See the Growing List. ]

List of Restaurants That Will Be Open on Thanksgiving Day (Thurs., Nov 28, 2024) and Serving a Turkey Dinner that I Found by Going on Each Website Individually and Sorting by Alphabetical Order:

• 1865 Craft House & Kitchen usually serves a Thanksgiving Buffet. For 2024, the Thanksgiving Menu will be served from 12PM - 8PM. They will be limiting tables to a 2 hour dining period and an automatic 20% gratuity will be added to all bills. You can see details of their menu and prices for Thanksgiving Day on 1865 Craft House & Kitchen's Facebook page. I've been to this restaurant before when I was having a staycation at La Quinta Inn, which is located right next to 1865 Craft House & Kitchen. Read my full review of my 18 hour staycation and dining experience here at 1865 Craft House & Kitchen. Address: 1865 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 
• Apple Farm Restaurant & Inn will serve a Thanksgiving Buffet from 12PM - 5PM with reservations required by the restaurant. Price is $49 for adults and $25 for kids who are 12 years old and under. See more information about their Thanksgiving Menu. Apple Farm Restaurant & Inn address: 2015 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Black Cat Bistro usually serves a Thanksgiving Menu from 12PM - 7PM. Address: 1602 Main St., Cambria, CA 93428 (2024's menu hasn't been confirmed from their website yet)
• Cafe Roma usually serves a Thanksgiving menu from 12PM - 7PM with the Organic Roasted Turkey entree and the Little Pilgrims menu for 12 years old and under priced less than regular price. Read Cafe Roma's 2024 Thanksgiving Day Menu. Cafe Roma address: 1020 Railroad Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Cambria Pines Lodge will be serving an all-you-can-eat buffet with Thanksgiving favorites from 12:30PM - 7:30PM on Thanksgiving Day. It is $69.95 per adult and $34.95 for children who are 12 years old and under. Reservations are required. Children 5 and under are free. Read about my buffet experience here on Mother's Day on the Cambria page. They also own a large gift shop and nursery. See my instagram video reel of my visit through Cambria Pines Lodge's beautiful gift shop. Cambria Pines Lodge address: 2905 Burton Dr., Cambria, CA 93428
• Cello Ristorante & Bar at Allegretto Vineyard Resort by Ayres will be serving a 3 course Thanksgiving Dinner menu for 2024. Read my review of Cello Ristorante under my Paso Robles Restaurant Reviews. Cello Ristorante & Bar address: 2700 Buena Vista Dr., Paso Robles, CA 93446
• Cypress Beach House in Pismo Beach will be serving a Thanksgiving Buffet with two different seatings. First seating is 1PM - 3:30PM and the second seating is 4PM - 6:30PM. The cost is $85 for adults and Kids who are 10 years old are under are $45 a person (inclusive of tax + 18 gratuity). Address: 601 Cypress St., Pismo Beach, 93449
• F. McLintock's usually served a Thanksgiving Day Menu on Thanksgiving Day in the past but as of 2024, they have sadly gone out of business. 
• Gardens at Avila Restaurant at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort and Spa usually will serve a Thanksgiving Course Menu for 2024 from 4PM - 9PM. The meal is $80 per person and it's a 3 course dinner. See 3 course Thanksgiving Dinner from Gardens of Avila Restaurant. Gardens of Avila Restaurant address: 1215 Avila Beach Drive, California, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 - Read my review about The Gardens at Avila Restaurant when we dined there for Valentine's Day or you can view this instagram post that's a 1 minute video reel to see our mineral springs hot tub experience and the views of the sycamore trees at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa. (2024's menu hasn't been confirmed from their website yet)
  

  Related Videos:
  See my video tour of the restaurant located on the Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort property.
  See my video of my hot tub at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort.

• Granada Hotel & Bistro is having a Prix Fixe Dinner for Thanksgiving Dinner from 4PM - 9PM. It's $75 per person. We had a staycation here at Granada Hotel & Bistro in November and had a wonderful stay and dining experience at their bistro. Read my full review for my staycation at Granada Hotel & Bistro. Granada Hotel & Bistro Address: 1126 Morro St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Lido Restaurant & Lounge at Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa will be serving a specially prepared 2024 Prix Fixe Menu from 1PM - 8PM for $95 per person. Lido Restaurant & Lounge at Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa Address: 2727 Shell Beach Road, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 
• Luna Red is serving a Thanksgiving Buffet that is $68 for adults, $35 for ages 8 - 12 year olds and $24 for ages 3 to 7 years old. See Luna Red's 2024 Thanksgiving Buffet Menu. Luna Red address: 1023 Chorro Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Lunada Garden Bistro in Cayucos is has a Thanksgiving Menu from 1PM - 7PM. They don't post their Thanksgiving Menu on their website and only on their instagram. It's a 3 course dinner. Lunada Garden Bistro Address: 78 North Ocean Ave.,Cayucos, CA 93430
• Madonna Inn will be serving a Thanksgiving entree. See Madonna Inn's 2024 menu. I always enjoy walking around their property and shops before and after our meal. Madonna Inn address: 100 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 - Read about my multiple visits at Madonna Inn.
  
• Marisol at Cliffs Hotel and Spa usually serves a Thanksgiving 3 course menu from 1PM - 9PM. Reservations are required. Marisol at Cliffs Hotels and Spa address: 2757 Shell Beach Rd, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 - See my instagram picture post of the entree that I ordered at Marisol during Restaurant Month. (2024's menu hasn't been confirmed from their website yet)
• McPhee's Grill will be offering a Thanksgiving turkey menu option for 2024 on Thanksgiving Day for $42 per Thanksgiving Turkey entree and $15 for a kid's turkey entree. See McPhee's 2024 Thanksgiving Day Menu. McPhee's Grill address: 416 S Main St., Templeton, CA 93465
• Mirazur Restaurant in Los Osos will be offering a 3 course menu on Thanksgiving Day for $75 from 1PM - 7PM. Mirazur Their menu can be found on their instagram page. Address: 1365 2nd St., Los Osos, CA 93402
• Piadina at Hotel San Luis Obispo Obispo will be serving a Thanksgiving buffet from 11AM - 8PM on Thanksgiving Day. The price is $75 per adult and $37.50 per child. 
• Pequin Coastal Cocina Restaurant at Vespera Pismo Beach will have turkey on their menu between 2PM - 9:30PM on Thanksgiving Day for 2024. They are located beachfront and in walking distance to the pier. Address: 147 Stimson Avenue, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
• Robin's Restaurant will offer a Thanksgiving turkey option on Thanksgiving Day for 2024 from 12PM - 7PM. See Robin's Restaurant's Thanksgiving Day details. Robin's Restaurant address: 4095 Burton Drive, Cambria, CA 93428 - Read a review about my visit at Robin's Restaurant during the pandemic.
• SeaVenture Restaurant inside of SeaVenture Hotel will be offering a Thanksgiving Day Menu for $75 a person from 1PM - 6:30PM. I've been to this restaurant before and it has a classy vibe. Read my full review of SeaVenture Restaurant on this blog entry. Address: 100 Ocean View Ave., Pismo Beach, CA 93449
• SLO Provisions used to offer a Thanksgiving Dinner Menu that you could pre-order but they have sadly closed down for business as of 2024.
• The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar usually offers a fixed menu from 1:30PM - 6:30PM. The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar address: 835 13th Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446 (2024's menu hasn't been confirmed from their website yet)
• The Sow's Ear is offering a turkey option on Thanksgiving Day. Their price is not listed on their menu on their website, but you can view The Sow's Ear's 2024 Thanksgiving Day Menu Online. The Sow's Ear address: 2248 Main Street, Cambria, CA 93428
• The Steakhouse at The Paso Robles Inn usually serves a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day and they will require a reservation. Address: 1103 Spring St., Paso Robles, CA 93446 (2024's menu hasn't been confirmed from their website yet)
• Ventana Grill will have a Thanksgiving Buffet on Thanksgiving Day. Like all of the restaurants on this list, make a reservation ahead of time. See 2024 Ventana Grill's Thanksgiving Day Menu. I've been to this restaurant many times for their amazing ocean cliff views. Read my full review of Ventana Grill from this blog entry. Address: 2575 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
• Windows on the Water will be offering a prix fixe 3 course menu from 2PM - 7PM for $89 per adult and $35 for children who are 12 years old and under. See the 2024 Thanksgiving Day Menu. Reservations with credit card is required. Windows on the Water address: 699 Embarcadero, Ste. 7, Morro Bay, CA 93442 

Thanksgiving Free Meals

• Saturday, Nov 23, 2024 - Community Thanksgiving Dinner at Santa Margarita Elementary at 5:30PM. There is no charge. All are welcome. Address: 22070 H St., Santa Margarita, CA 93453

This is a growing list!

I highly encourage you to make a reservation as soon as you've decided on a particular restaurant as I've seen reservations get full a week in advance before the actual holiday!

If there is no kid's price listed above for a particular place, it is because the restaurant did not note a kid's price or version on their website when I was doing searches online for Thanksgiving Day offerings at the time; and maybe charging one price for any guest, regardless of age.

As more restaurants announce that they'll be open on Thanksgiving Day and serving Thanksgiving meals, I'll add it to this list.

Gobble, gobble!

See a list of Thanksgiving Day Camps for kids in San Luis Obispo County while school is out.

See my top 10 wine tasting room rank list for San Luis Obispo County as a local. 

Fall baking recipes:

• View my gluten-free vegan pumpkin pie recipe. 
• View my pumpkin muffin recipe (non-vegan).
• View my non-vegan mini pumpkin pie recipe.

Supplies for Celebrating Thanksgiving Day at Home:

• Thanksgiving Dining Table Placemats
• Thanksgiving Napkins
• Thanksgiving Table Center Piece
• Thanksgiving Wreath