Pismo Beach, located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles, is California’s quintessential beach town. It is a smaller city, with a short main avenue that leads to a pier that juts out into the sea. It’s the kind of place where you can play beach volleyball or fly a kite, then drop into the clam chowder joint for a bite to eat.
Why should you vacation at Pismo Beach?
If you’re planning a vacation to Pismo Beach, it’s perfect for a family getaway or a wild time playing in the sand.
With wide sandy beaches, Pismo has many places to tan, build a sand castle, or hunt for Pismo clams. The sand dunes on the west side of town are a fun place to ride an ATV or take a guided tour in a Hummer vehicle with Pacific Adventure Tours or Xtreme Hummer Adventures. Passenger cars can also drive to the beach, and you can camp on it too.
If you get tired of the beach, the San Luis Obispo wine country is close by.
The best time to take a vacation in Pismo Beach
Californians know that summer isn’t our best beach season, but in case you’re from elsewhere and planning a Pismo Beach vacation, you should know that the California coast is prone to the »June blues«. That happens when the oceanic fog layer offshore reaches inland and hangs over the shoreline throughout the day. It can start as early as “May Gray”, sometimes lingering on “No Sky July”.
That makes it easy to guess that April or August may be the best times of the year to visit. In fact, the best time for a Pismo Beach vacation, weather-wise, is spring or fall, when the skies are clearer and the crowds are smaller.
Things to do on a Pismo Beach vacation
Riding in the dunes is the most popular activity on Pismo Beach, but there is a lot to do besides that.
You can play on the beach, take a biplane ride, visit a picturesque lighthouse or take a walk along the coast.
Events for your Pismo Beach vacation
- Monarch butterflies winter at Pismo State Beach from November through February.
- The Pismo Beach Classic car show brings a lot of great cars to town on the third weekend in June.
- The Pismo Beach Clam Festival takes place in October.
Where to eat on your Pismo Beach vacation
You’ll find plenty of places to eat on your Pismo Beach vacation and some great oceanfront dining spots. You can use your favorite app or website to find a place to eat that best suits your taste, but you can’t beat Splash Cafe at 197 Pomeroy Ave for delicious clam chowder. According to AAA’s Via magazine, Splash Cafe was mentioned among the best places to eat clam chowder on the West Coast. All those satisfied customers can’t be wrong, drinking over 40,000 gallons per year.
Right down the street, Brad’s restaurant serves good clams and chips (or fish and chips) and they have a sunny outdoor patio.
Where to stay on your Pismo Beach vacation
You’ll find many hotel options for your Pismo Beach vacation. Some of them are located on the cliffs above the ocean, with fantastic views. You can use Tripadvisor to compare prices and check visitor reviews.
Many people also spend their Pismo Beach vacations in an RV. Some of the area’s campgrounds include companies that will rent you an RV and deliver it to your campground, even if you don’t own one.
Excursions and nearby towns
Just a few miles north of Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest cities, with an old Spanish mission to explore and a lively downtown shopping area.
Avila Beach is just north of Pismo, on the north side of the shallow bay. It is a smaller place, with a charming fishing port and some places to eat. Tours to visit the picturesque Point San Luis lighthouse also depart from Avila.
