Cal Poly

With its red-brick Carnegie Library anchoring a grassy town square, Paso Robles lies just off U.S. Highway 101 at the southernmost tip of the Salinas Valley. This San Luis Obispo County town first became a tourist magnet in the 19th century, thanks to its mineral hot springs—which you can still experience at the Paso Robles Inn—but Paso Robles (pronounced “ROH-buhlz,” or “ROH-blays” to some locals) really found its magical elixir as the local vineyards multiplied.

Here in the heart of Central California’s wine country, more than 250 wineries spread across seven different growing regions, each with its own microclimate and terroir. More than 14 wineries have tasting rooms in Paso Robles’ tidy downtown, but sippers with a taste for exploration can roam vineyard-dotted Highway 46, winding west to the Cambria coast.

Expect to find a lot more than Pinot Noir. Take a walk around the beautiful gardens and massive sculptures at Sculpterra Winery, or catch a concert at Vina Robles’ outdoor amphitheater. At Tin City, check out more than 20 emerging boutique wineries—among them Aaron Wines, ONX, and Field Recordings—packed together in an industrial-chic warehouse district. Savor the Old West ambience at Tobin James Cellars, where a restored stagecoach stop now serves as a guest house, or tour the wine cave at Eberle Winery. If you want to stay overnight among the vines you can do that too—in a vintage Tinker Tin trailer on Alta Colina Wine's property.

Leftover grape juice from the region’s wine production isn’t wasted. It makes up the base alcohol for distilled spirits, which you can sample at various stops along Paso Robles Distillery Trail. Sip Wine Shine’s mango mule, Krobar’s gin and rye whiskey, Manucci Spirits’ grappa and limoncello, and Re:Find Distillery’s vodka. Most distillery tasting rooms are located on vineyard grounds, “just around the back” from the wine-tasting rooms.

Beer drinkers aren’t left out of the fun. Firestone Walker Brewery is the biggest and oldest brewery in Paso Robles, but for atmosphere, it’s hard to beat the al fresco beer garden at Barrelhouse Brewing Company (and if you like sour barrel-aged beers, this is your spot). Microbrew fans will find their happy place at Toro Creek, Silva Brewing, or Earth and Fire Brewing Co.

With so many beverage options, don’t forget to eat. Savor upscale Italian cuisine—truffle risotto and osso bucco—at downtown’s Il Cortile, or score an authentic Mexican meal at Oralé Taqueria or Habaneros. Perennial favorite Hatch serves up craft cocktails and wood-fired rotisserie chicken, while Thomas Hill Organics specializes in local and sustainably grown ingredients. You can even

Nourish your artsy side at Studios on the Park, an open-studio center where working artists ply their creative trades. Chat with a sculptor, take a drawing class, or buy a painting for your living room. Soak until your fingers pucker at River Oaks Hot Springs spa, where 10 private tubs are fed from springs bubbling up at 117 degrees Fahrenheit. Massages, facials, and body wraps are available too. And for those who love steel and chrome, the Woodland Auto Display and Estrella Warbirds Museum share one location, and it’s packed with World War II planes, antique motorcycles, military Jeeps, beautifully restored Indy race cars, and vintage roadsters.

When you’re ready to call it a day, rest your head in luxury in one of 16 tasteful rooms at the equestrian-themed Hotel Cheval, a stroll away from downtown’s restaurants and shops (don’t miss the nightly s’mores service), or the dog-friendly Allegretto Vineyard Resort, with its rambling courtyards and Tuscan-inspired terrazzo patios and fountains. For a close-to-the-land vibe, book a stay at Rêves de Moutons, a sheep and goat dairy farm about a dozen miles outside of downtown Paso Robles; lodging in retro campers or the main farm house is offered, as well as farm tours.

When it comes to beaches along this stretch of the Central Coast, variety is the name of the game. There’s the fun-in-the sun spirit of balmy Avila Beach; stop by Pete’s Pierside Café and Fish Market to check out the local catch. And there are the broad, flat sands at Pismo Beach—one of California’s best strips of coastline for long strolls at sunset—plus there’s Pismo Beach’s signature pier, stretching out some 1,600 feet/488 meters above the waves. There are the rocky coves at Piedras Blancas, home to thousands of enormous elephant seals, making the site an outstanding destination for wildlife watching. Surfing is popular in several locations; check out the scene at Pico Creek near San Simeon.

In springtime, take leisurely hike along the flower-filled coastal terrace of Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, in low-key Cambria, or stroll along the boardwalk at lovely Moonstone Beach. Just north of Cayucos, Estero Bluffs State Park offers wide-open ocean views from trails skirting the bluffs—a great place for whale watching, especially December through March. For an unforgettable experience, wind through the surreal shifting landscapes of Oso Flaco Lake, where a boardwalk leads through a section of one of the world’s largest coastal dune systems.

If you love wine, you’ve come to the right place. The San Luis Obispo region ranks as one of the state’s premiere wine growing regions, dating back to the 18th century and the time of the Spanish padres. But even if you don’t know a Cab from a Chardonnay, the wine country still beckons, with relaxed, cowboy-meets-winemaker towns, and vineyards blanketing coastal hills.

"If you love wine, you’ve come to the right place."

South of town, Edna Valley is home to many top wineries, such as Tolosa, Chamisal, and Balleyana. The average distance of Edna Valley vineyards to the ocean is just five miles, bringing mild days and cool evenings that help Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reach their maximum potential. A complex soil profile adds character and complexity too.

To extend your wine-country travels, continue about 30 miles northeast to the Paso Robles region. Here, more than 200 wineries ranging from family-owned boutiques to well-known labels such as J. Lohr and Estrella River welcome visitors to sip and swirl award-winning vintages. Paso Robles’ warmer inland climate lends itself to Bordeaux, Rhone and Zinfandel grapes, which vintners use in innovative blends, as well as traditional vintages. To achieve your own blend of variety, delight, and safety, consider joining a guided tour (group and private options abound, including Breakaway Tours, Alexis Limousines, and SLO Safe Ride).

From flittering monarch butterflies as light as a feather to elephant seals that tip the scales at more than 5,000 pounds/2,268 kilograms, San Luis Obispo County has an incredible variety of wildlife—and ways to see it. For starters, head to the rugged strip of coastline known as Piedras Blancas (Spanish for “white rocks”), alongside Highway One roughly 7 miles north of San Simeon. Here, some 17,000 elephant seals, once hunted to near extinction, haul up on the rocky sands to breed, have their young, molt, and rest. From observation areas above the sands, watch bellowing bull elephant seals as large as mini-vans battle for territory, while quieter, smaller females nurture their plump, cigar-shape pups. Knowledgeable docents are usually on site.

From late October into February, visit the remarkable monarch butterfly groves at Pismo State Beach to see these orange-and-black beauties as they congregate in great numbers during the winter. Recently, the population has averaged around 25,000 butterflies but more than 100,000 monarchs have gathered during peak seasons.

At Morro Bay, listen for the banging sound of sea otters using little rocks as tools to open shellfish. Scan the skies and waters for herons and egrets (there’s a lively rookery along the shoreline, near the natural history museum at Morro Bay State Park), as well as a huge number of migratory waterfowl and peregrine falcons (a pair often nests on Morro Rock). Join a guided kayak trip to paddle across the bay with a knowledgeable guide to see diving cormorants and basking harbour seals as well as sea otters, and to learn about local oyster farming. Paddle across the bay to climb tall sand dunes, a great place to look for migrating blue, gray, and humpback whales.