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The Central Coast of California is my favorite region of the state and that includes the vibrant and artsy city of San Luis Obispo (aka SLO). This is a guide all about exploring the best things to do in San Luis Obispo!
As a college town, home to Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, SLO has endless options of things to do when visiting. For starters, it has a killer food landscape, hosting a slew of amazing restaurants ranging from budget/affordable eats to swankier spots for a night out.
San Luis Obispo also has a booming beer scene, is in close proximity to Edna Valley wine country, and is just a 20-minute drive from the beach. It’s also a city that prides itself on its art scene, with numerous public art installations planted throughout downtown and beyond!
The Perfect Long Weekend Getaway
SLO makes for a great long-weekend or road trip destination from any of the major areas in California, including the San Francisco Bay Area, Sacramento or Los Angeles. And if you aren’t up for a drive, there’s a regional airport that is super easy to fly into.
Because there are so many amazing spots to experience in SLO, I recommend staying at least three nights here! This will allow you to not only get a feel for the town, but also give you a chance to day trip to some neighboring cities, wine countries, and small towns along the coast.
Let’s go to SLO!
Getting to San Luis Obispo
If you’re located in California, or are already visiting another part of California, driving to San Luis Obispo is an easy option if you don’t mind a little road trip. If you’re coming from out of state, you can fly into the San Luis Obispo airport and rent a car.
San Luis Obispo is also only about 30 minutes away from nearby Paso Robles wine country, making it a good base to explore that area as well. I highly recommend pairing the two destinations together!
Drive Time Estimates
- From Los Angeles: 189 miles (about 3 hours & 15 minutes)
- From San Francisco: 231 miles (about 3 hours & 30 minutes)
- From Sacramento: 293 miles (about 4 hours & 20 minutes)
Where to Stay in San Luis Obispo
If it’s your first time to San Luis Obispo, I highly recommend staying at one of the hotels or inns in the downtown area. SLO has a great walkable downtown with tons of restaurants, shops, and even a farmers market on Thursdays!
Parking can also be somewhat of a challenge right in downtown, so if you’re already parked at your hotel, there’s nothing to worry about. Do note that most downtown hotels charge a daily fee for parking (mostly valet).
Hotel SLO
Hotel SLO is by far my favorite place we’ve stayed in San Luis Obispo! It has a great downtown location, so everything you need is within walking distance. The hotel itself is stylish and super comfortable, has two onsite restaurants (Piadina and the more upscale Ox & Anchor steakhouse) and a rooftop bar, and is located on the historic Chinatown block.
We were fortunate to get a complimentary upgrade to a Morro Suite for our stay, which was bliss. The room was enormous with one and a half bathrooms, a living area, and the most comfortable king-sized bed. If you can swing this in your budget, treat yourselves and book it.
Book a stay at Hotel SLO via Hotels.com, Booking.com, or Direct
Garden Street Inn
We stayed at the Garden Street Inn on our first visit to San Luis Obispo. It’s a cute inn with daily breakfast included! The location is right downtown, just a couple of blocks away from all the action. Our stay was comfortable and quiet, and I loved the quaint and old fashioned décor.
Parking here is not included, but you can easily find free parking a few blocks over in the residential neighborhoods, if you don’t mind getting a few steps in. There’s also the Marsh Street Parking Garage, which I noted some other guests taking advantage of when I read through reviews.
Book the Garden Street Inn via Hotels.com, Booking.com, or Direct
Other great options for downtown hotels are:
- Hotel Cerro (also bookable with Marriott points)
- Granada Hotel and Bistro
If you’ve got Marriott Points or award nights, there is also a Courtyard by Marriott about 10 minutes outside of the downtown area. It’s not my favorite option due to its location, but we have stayed here to burn an award night and the stay was just fine.
Best Things to Do in San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo has a great array of things to do, but I think it’s an especially great destination for wine lovers, beer geeks, and foodies.
Since San Luis Obispo is just 20 minutes from the ocean, there are also some great day trips to be taken to enjoy some seaside activities (and food!). And you can’t sleep on the arts scene – there are some colorful and quirky things to see within the city and surrounding areas!
Here are what I think are some of the best things to do in San Luis Obispo.
Eat All the Things!
San Luis Obispo has a really impressive food scene. There is such a great variety of cuisines to choose from, including a plethora of top notch pizza places; world cuisines like Peruvian, Japanese and Mexican; and BBQ spots highlighting the region’s famous Santa Maria-style BBQ.
Aren’t sure where to start? Book a food tour or visit the San Luis Obispo Public Market where you can hop from spot to spot trying a few different dishes!
Some of my absolute favorite spots in the city include Mistura for Peruvian, Bear & The Wren for amazing Detroit-style pizza, and High Street Deli for some of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had.
To read up on all the foodie spots I recommend, check out my San Luis Obispo food guide.
Read more about the SLO food & drink scene (with my recs on what to order): A Foodie’s Guide to SLO
Go Brewery Hopping
Beer lovers will be in heaven when visiting San Luis Obispo, and I would expect nothing less from a university town. Dedicate some time to brewery visits and grab an Uber or a Lyft for safe hopping. There are several brewery clusters throughout the city, making it easy to reach a few on foot after grabbing a rideshare to your first spot of choice.
Here are some of my favorite SLO breweries:
- Liquid Gravity – One of the best breweries in SLO for IPA lovers! Give the Miami Heist a try.
- There Does Not Exist – A funky outer space-themed brewery with a lovely industrial space!
- Central Coast Brewing – With two locations in SLO, it’s easy to make a stop here. I recommend The HUB location that shares a space with KROBAR Distillery.
- Antigua Brewing – They have a great taproom downtown and make the best chips and salsa!
Hunt for Painted Cows
Hunting for painted cows throughout SLO is one of my favorite unique things this area! Back in late 2016 to early 2017, San Luis Obispo hosted a Painted Cow Parade showcasing 101 life-sized painted cows to raise money for local charities. Some of the cows remain in the city and in surrounding areas!
Here are the painted cows that we’ve found so far:
- In-Cow-Able Hulk at the entrance to The Creamery in SLO
- Cowch Cow also at The Creamery towards the back left, around the corner from the beer bar
- Udderly Exposed at the corner of Long Street & Cross Street off of Tank Farm Road (across the street from Oak & Otter Brewing) in SLO
- Lady Moo-donna at The Madonna Inn in SLO
- Marilyn Moonroe at the SLO Little Theater
- Gladys the Harmony cow in the tiny town of Harmony north of SLO
- Also in the town of Harmony are Daisy’s Dream, Moonipero Serra, and a mystery cow that sits on the roof of one of the dairy buildings
- Clarabelle the Wine Cow at the Paso Robles Inn in Paso Robles
Some other painted cows that I’ve found locations for through research are listed below. I haven’t personally seen these yet, but they are on my bucket list.
- Dia de los Muertos-themed cow at Oso Libre Winery in Paso Robles
- Moo With a View Cow with binoculars at the peak of Islay Hill. You’ve got to hike to get to this one!
- Moonarch Dude at Trilogy at Monarch Dunes golf course in Nipomo
- Airplane Cow at the SLO Airport entrance
If you know of any others or happen upon them by accident, please let me know so I can add them to this list!
Go Wine Tasting in Edna Valley
Edna Valley is a small wine region located just a quick 10 to 15-minute drive south of San Luis Obispo! Being close to the coast, this AVA experiences a moderate climate and is best known for producing some stellar chardonnay and pinot noirs.
My top pick for a visit is Biddle Ranch – a beautiful winery with amazing scenery and delightful rose and chardonnay. Tasting here is $30 per person, but you can get that fee waived with a two bottle purchase.
I also recommend popping by Chamisal. While I haven’t visited the winery, I did get a chance to have a couple glasses of their stainless steel chardonnay with our fabulous pizza at Bear & The Wren and it was so crisp and refreshing!
If you aren’t up for a drive down to Edna Valley, head over to the Region SLO wine bar to get a taste of wines from the area right in downtown SLO.
Visit a Distillery
Don’t like beer or wine, or just need a break for something different? SLO also has a distillery! Located at The HUB, you’ll find KROBAR Craft Distillery sharing space with Central Coast Brewery. Here, you can order one of their specialty cocktails or just get a flight of some of their spirits of vodka, gin, or whiskey to sample (3 for $10 or 6 for $20).
I personally feel that the cocktails here are a little on the sweeter side, so keep that in mind when ordering. Otherwise, I recommend keeping it simple with a whiskey and bourbon flight.
Hunt for Public and Mural Art
SLO is a vibrant art city and you’ll find different sculptures and colorful murals sprinkled throughout the town. There’s also a SLO Cal Mural Trail you can follow that includes stops at all cities within San Luis Obispo County!
Some of my favorites in the city of San Luis Obispo are:
- SLO Irresistible mural at The Creamery
- San Luis Obispo Museum of Art building
- Marmalade Mural Co. building on Broad Street showcasing popular SLO landscape features (we saw this one while driving down to Edna Valley but did not stop for a picture unfortunately)
- Ask Enduring Questions at the corner of Higuera and Santa Rosa
- Bee Bee Works His Magic sculpture at the Repertory Theater
Some others to be on the lookout for:
- SloDoCo Donut shop mural by Marmalade Mural Co.
- Seven Sisters on the back of the Fremont Theater in downtown
- Marsh Street Parking Garage entrance
- Dog and Cat painted utility box at Higuera and Santa Rosa
- The Tequski Wa Suwa, Qiqsmu, Yach Ka sculpture outside of the mission as a nod to Chumash culture
- And more listed here!
Take a Walk Along SLO Creek
Want to take a little evening stroll before or after dinner? San Luis Obispo Creek runs right through downtown SLO, between the mission and some of the main restaurants. It’s a short but scenic and peaceful little trail!
Stroll Down Gum Alley
Step aside, Seattle gum wall! SLO has the original West Coast gum wall, originating somewhere between the 1950s to 1970s (origins are murky but the wall plaque in the alley states it as mid-1970’s).
Is this kind of gross? Yes, but it’s a weird and quirky thing that attracts people to SLO, so I’m here for it. Add to the gum walls with your own gum wad or simply admire the weird creation from a safe distance.
Learn About Historic Chinatown
Even though it has been reduced to just a small one-block area of downtown SLO, the city has put forth some effort into preserving Chinatown’s history on this part of Palm Street (between Chorro and Morro Streets).
Most of the original buildings no longer exist, but you can still get a glimpse of the past through the few existing structures and memorabilia.
Chinatown Points of Interest:
- Historic Chinatown historical information plaque posted on the parking garage
- The preserved sign of Chong’s Home Made Candies on top of the parking garage (just above the historical info plaque)
- The Palm Theatre
- Ah Louis Store – built by Chinese immigrant and pioneer Wong On (aka Ah Louis) back in the late 1800’s
- Me Heng Low Noodle House (still operating at full speed – I hear the dumplings are tasty here!)
- Chop Suey Shangai Low Restaurant sign on the side of the Hotel SLO, signifying the entrance of the “S. Low” bar of the hotel in honor of the old restaurant.
Best Day Trips from SLO
The City of San Luis Obispo is great and all, but there are some really great day trip spots along the coast that are within an hour or less. The California Coast is one of my favorite places on earth and it’s absolutely worth exploring!
Take a Trip to Morro Bay & Cayucos
If you’re into wildlife, coastal views, and seafood, a day trip out to Morro Bay and Cayucos is a must!
Start your day trip with a coastal hike at Estero Bluffs State Park before heading into Cayucos to grab some Brown Butter Cookie Co. cookies and walk the Cayucos Pier. Then, head into Morro Bay for clam chowder, saltwater taffy, and sea lion and sea otter viewing!
Check out my Morro Bay & Cayucos day trip itinerary for more details.
Visit Harmony (Population: 18)
About 30 minutes north of San Luis Obispo, you’ll find the tiny and historic town of Harmony with a population of just 18! This cute little stop along Hwy 1 is a great place to get some ice cream and spot some of those elusive SLO painted cows. There’s also a pottery store and glass blowing shop to browse for souvenirs.
I highly recommend getting a couple scoops of their ice cream from the ice cream truck! It’s really thick and tastes homemade. And if you’re wondering, salted caramel and butter pecan make the perfect combo.
See Elephant Seals (in the Winter)
If you’re visiting the San Luis Obispo area in the months of December through March, you have to take a drive up to San Simeon to see the elephant seals! This is their birthing season where they pack the beaches giving birth to and caring for their little black, wrinkly pups.
Elephant seals are funny creatures – especially the males! They have giant noses (like elephants) and sound like some sort of ancient dinosaur with their vocals. The babies also have some really unique vocal sounds – I can only describe it as alienlike (truly – scroll through my SLO stories on Instagram and find some audio).
The main viewing sites for the seals have elevated boardwalks along the beaches making it easy to keep your distance while you observe.
Visit Hearst Castle
The opulent home of publishing magnate and billionaire William Randolph Hearst still stands in the hills along the California coast in San Simeon. These days, visitors can take a variety of different tours around the castle depending on your interests (plan to book ahead in peak season, like summer).
Hearst Castle is full of artwork and artifacts with jaw-dropping architecture imported materials. Calling this place “grand” would be an understatement!
It’s about a 45 to 50-minute drive from San Luis Obispo, making it the perfect day trip from the area. In the winter, pair a visit to the castle with a stop in Harmony for some ice cream and the San Simeon beaches to see the elephant seals.
Keep an Eye Out for Zebras!
Along Hwy 1 on your way to or from Hearst Castle, be sure to keep an eye out on the fields for zebras! Yes, real zebras. They remain from Hearst’s private zoo decades ago and they actually co-exist in the “wild” with the cattle on the Hearst property.
I can’t even tell you how excited I was to actually be able to see these guys. Truly unexpected and worth the drive north.
This colorful Central Coast city has quickly become one of my favorite spots in California and I can’t wait to return time and time again to explore more! Hopefully this guide on the best things to do in San Luis Obispo can steer you in the right direction for your own trip planning.
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You should try Antigua Brewing in downtown SLO when you’re back in town! They are near the Fremont Theater on Monterey & they have a local hop farm, too!
Thanks for the suggestion Libby! I’ve added them to my list and I’ll be there again soon. Do you know if you can visit the hop farm?