Best Things to Do in Pismo Beach and Morro Bay

Visiting Pismo Beach has been a regular vacation spot for my family; we especially love to camp in both Pismo and Morro Bay. These popular beach towns are about 3.5 hours away from San Francisco and 3 hours away from Los Angeles.  They are also perfect places to stop for a few days if you have the time to break up your long drive from Northern California to Southern California!  

From Pismo Beach camping to Morro Bay beaches, there is plenty to see, eat and do! Here’s a list of the best things to do in both Morro Bay and Pismo Beach, because they are only about 25 miles (30 mins) apart!

Old West Cinnamon Rolls

You have not LIVED until you’ve tried one of their famous cinnamon rolls.  The line is usually out the door, even on weekends.  Don’t worry, the line goes quickly.  They have a few options you can choose from (original, with almonds, pecans, walnuts, etc.) but the best is the cinnamon roll with cream cheese frosting!

They have a few tables and chairs indoors and outdoors, but you can also order them to-go if you’d like.  And if you want to try recreating the cinnamon rolls at home, they sell their “Old West” cinnamon and their cinnamon roll mix in the store.  You can also get their cinnamon rolls or the cinnamon roll mix shipped to your home when you order on their website…they have truly thought of everything! If you are looking to have the best cinnamon rolls shipped to your door, check out their website.

Camp

If you’re looking for the best camping near San Luis Obispo, look no further than Pismo Beach and Morro Bay! We love camping in these beach towns because the weather is nice and there is always so much to do.  Here are our favorite campsites:

Oceano Campground: The area outside of the Oceano Campground has quite a few beach bums walking around, but the campsite is a very short walk to Oceano beach (also known as Oceano Dunes).  You can walk through sand dunes or along the sidewalk, both of which only take about 5 minutes!  We love that there are water and electric hookups for our RV.

Morro Strand: The campsites at the Morro Strand RV Park are small and close together, but you have a beautiful view of the ocean!  Morro Strand State Beach is a short walk away. We also love that there are water, electric and sewer hookups.

Morro Bay State Park: This is another one of our favorite Morro Bay RV Parks. There is a kayak rental building and launch facility in walking distance from the campsites.  There is a small beach-like area a short walk away, but the Morro Strand Beach is a few miles away.  Only some of their campsites have water and electric hookups.

North Beach Campground: Walking distance from the beach and the campsites are spacious, but no RV hookups.

Pismo Coast Village: The Pismo Coast Village RV Resort is walking distance to the beach and has an outdoor pool. The only downsides are that the spaces are small and it doesn’t have as much of a relaxing atmosphere as other campgrounds.

Oceano Dunes: Read below!

Oceano Beach

Any beach in Pismo or Morro Bay is going to be beautiful, but Oceano Beach (also known as Oceano Dunes) is special!  It is a 5.5 mile-long, flat beach that allows vehicles.  You have the ability to drive your car along the sand, and camp right on the beach if you’d like.  This is the only beach in California where you’re allowed to do so!  My personal preference is to stay at a campsite in walking distance to the beach – because I prefer less sand and more shade! – but to many people, camping along the beach is a bucket list item!

There are several companies that rent out ATVs, dune buggies and other vehicles to drive on Oceano Beach.  Dogs are allowed on this beach as long as they are leashed, which I actually like!  We also saw people horseback riding and kite surfing.

This beach can get very busy on weekends due to people being able to camp there, but on the weekdays it is fairly empty.  I definitely recommend checking it out!

Ventana Grill

Ventana Grill is one of my favorite Pismo Beach restaurants. If you’re looking for a restaurant for a special occasion, it’s a great option!  Brian called ahead to get a window seat with an ocean view on my birthday, but just about every seat has a great view!

Our table ordered the clam chowder, sweet chipotle chili wings, southwestern steak salad, and carnitas sopes.  A lot of the items were “appetizers” but were filling as a meal.  Their balcony area is the perfect place for a photo op with the ocean as your background!

Scorpion Bay Coffee

Right in the heart of downtown Pismo is a trendy, new coffee shop named Scorpion Bay Coffee.  I don’t recommend walking around downtown as one of the best Pismo Beach things to do because there are mainly tourist shops and such.  But, I do recommend stopping in downtown for a coffee at Scorpion Bay and a cinnamon roll at Old West just right down the street!

Scorpion Bay Coffee has some indoor seating and outdoor seating, the indoor seating consisting of coffee tables and high tables.  The high tables and barstools each had a power outlet, convenient for anyone coming here to try and get some work done on the laptop!  They also have a good selection of pastries, and merchandise; along with our coffee we purchased a muffin and a t-shirt!

If you enjoy your visit to Scorpion Bay Coffee, you can always purchase their merchandise and coffee on their website. They even have k-cups!

Avila Beach and Pier

Avila Beach is great for an afternoon trip!  The drive from Oceano/Pismo to Avila Beach is beautiful on its own, when you’re off of the highway.

The beach is beautiful and includes a long pier, picnic tables, barbecues, a volleyball net, a slide and swings.  I love that the Avila Pier is right next to a beach that includes several shops and restaurants.  There are also a couple of places to wine taste, a surf school and a bike rental company!  

Dinosaur Caves Park

If you’re looking for a place with a great view, and/or a place to take your kids, I recommend checking out Dinosaur Caves Park.  This ocean-front park is right off of the freeway in Pismo and includes a kids play area, an open grass area, beautiful ocean lookout spots and picnic tables.  Events are often held at the park; when we visited the 15th annual Art in the Park was taking place!

If you find yourself in the Pismo Beach or Morro Bay area I hope you take the time to visit at least a few of these places!  I love this area and look forward to visiting every year.  

Have you visited this area?  What is your favorite thing to do or see?