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Arroyo Grande is a city located in San Luis Obispo County on the Central Coast of California. Only 10 minutes inland from Pismo Beach and Grover Beach, this more suburban city has a a bit of a historic charm with the Village of Arroyo Grande and also known for their many acres of rural farms. Even as you're passing by Arroyo Grande High School, you can see a view of a farm across the street.

Things To Do in Arroyo Grande

Sometimes, Arroyo Grande (also known as "AG" to locals) is a sleepy town. The most exciting thing to do in Arroyo Grande is during the summer time when the Mustang Waterpark is open! Throughout the year, there are seasonal events that you can look out for like free concerts in the summer, Halloween trick or treating in the Village of Arroyo Grande or fall events at the Elm Street Park. However, there are a few notable restaurants that you can visit that are pretty well known to all San Luis Obispo County residents and this brings many people to Arroyo Grande.

Mustang Waterpark

In the summer time, the Mustang Waterpark in Arroyo Grande is open and it's a very fun thing for locals and tourists to do. The waterpark is open between the end of May through the first weekend of September, typically from Memorial Day weakend through Labor Day weekend. See pictures and read my review of the Mustang Waterpark, where I also rented a cabana at before. Mustang Waterpark is interestingly located at the Lopez Lake Recreation Area, which is a large camping ground where you can choose to camp at as well!

Village of Arroyo Grande

Usually throughout the year, we'd come to the Village (short for the Village of Arroyo Grande) for a couple of nice restaurants like Mason Bar & Kitchen for dinner and Sidewalk Cafe for breakfast. The quality of the food at those two restaurants are great! As a fun thing to do after eating a meal in the Village is walk on a swinging bridge right behind a parking lot. See the short video below to see how long this swinging bridge is.

Usually the parking lot next to this swinging bridge is easy to park at, unless there is a festival, in which then, they'd close it off. You can walk to many shops and restaurants around the entire Village of Arroyo Grande. It is only a few blocks big. Walking through their narrow alleys can be fun.

Arroyo Grande Restaurants

There are many different restaurants in Arroyo Grande. The most famous one is called Ember Restaurant, which I highly recommend making reservations for! Read my personal reviews or see my pictures for the following restaurants in Arroyo Grande:

• Klondike Pizza (Village of Arroyo Grande)
• Palo Mesa Wood Fired Pizza (Village of Arroyo Grande)
  
• Mason Bar & Kitchen (Village of Arroyo Grande)
  
• Sidewalk Cafe (Village of Arroyo Grande)
  
• Ember Restaurant
• Blue Seafood & Grill
• Tropical Hawaiian BBQ
• French Fries (has an arcade inside)

Coffee Shops of Arroyo Grande

Surprisingly, Arroyo Grande has the most coffee shops compared to other cities in the South County region of San Luis Obispo County! With a few chain coffee shops, AG also has unique ones that stand out with their beautiful latte art. Here's my rank from most favorite to least favorite among coffee shops in Arroyo Grande:

1. Tribe Coffeehouse
2. Cafe Andreini
3. Greenhouse Coffee Co
4. Banner Coffee
5. Starbucks (there's 2 of them in AG)
6. Dutch Bros
7. Red Dirt Coffee House

Arroyo Grande Hotels

Best Western Casa Grande Inn

The Best Western Casa Grande Inn is in Arroyo Grande but neighbors Pismo Beach, California. Hotel guests are just two miles from the attractions of Pismo Beach and Pismo Beach Pier where they enjoy ocean recreation such as sailing, fishing, scuba and ATV riding.

Hampton Inn & Suites Arroyo Grande/Pismo Beach area

This 103 room interior corridor property offers rooms with a 32 wide screen television and complimentary high-speed internet access fitness center heated pool whirlpool and various sizes of exclusive meeting rooms. They have a complimentary On the House hot breakfast and a fine selection of restaurants nearby.

The Agrarian Hotel, BW Signature Collection

The Agrarian Hotel, BW Signature Collection is established in the heart of the historic village of Arroyo Grande surrounded by the beauty of the central coast along with the vineyards of the countryside. This hotel is an iconic landmark within itself in the village of Arroyo Grande, California. Situated around exclusive antique shops, acclaimed elegant eateries, and blissful wineries. This hotel is a Cal-Green certified building and we have utilized environmental-friendly materials ensuring our LEED certification. We are committed towards being eco-friendly and having a low carbon footprint. Our energy is complimented by solar panels and we recycle the waste water back into the environment. They also partnered with Low Energy Program and have electric vehicle charging station on premises. This is the newest hotel in Arroyo Grande. See rates for Agrarian Hotel, BW Signature Collection.

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