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My husband surprised me with an anniversary SLO staycation in Downtown San Luis Obispo!

He had presented me the reservation date and details on our actual anniversary day in an envelope as a gift but I had to wait a few weeks to experience it, when my mother-in-law was able to come to visit and watch our precious kids for us! It was a gift with big anticipation and he executed it well! Our staycation was extra unique as it was on a Monday night in December. It had rained earlier in the day but luckily, it didn't rain anymore by the time we started our celebration. 

Here is an itinerary of where we went and stayed for our date night and Downtown SLO staycation.

Checking In at Granada Hotel & Bistro

Before we started painting the town, my husband took us to the Granada Hotel to check into our staycation. The Granada Hotel is located in a very centralized area in Downtown San Luis Obispo. They also have their own parking lot on the property through a very narrow alley. Parking in this alley as a hotel guest was free. You just have to put a permit on your dashboard that the hotel provides for you upon check-in. After we parked at their complimentary parking lot, we entered around to the front to find the lobby.

While we were checking in, the front desk personnel asked if we would like a glass of wine. We said "yes". To our surprise, this welcome complimentary drink was offered and it started our evening wonderfully. After we finished our drink, the front desk personnel walked us to our room! It was amazing service. There is no magnetic card key as they used regular keys for all of their rooms, and I especially loved this as it's a reminder that the property is a hundred years old. We just had to remember to lock our door before we left as it does not automatically lock once we close the door like the newer hotels.

Once we entered our room, I was instantly wowed. There's a nice fireplace and a little balcony to watch the town, which I find out later that not all rooms have this. My husband also added a surprise array of chocolate, flowers and a bottle of wine that was already waiting in our room!

I was gushing like a teenager. It was all so fancy and romantic. We started to enjoy the chocolates and wine almost immediately and opened the balcony door to look at the view. See my video reel on instagram to get a better look at the chocolates that I enjoyed at our stay at Granada Hotel. 

It's a quieter work week this evening and it had rained earlier so we were able to see a slower downtown with some Christmas lights further along the street. It was so peaceful. I felt like a VIP.

After hanging out in the room for a little while, we were ready to head down for our dinner reservations that my husband had made through OpenTable for the Bistro at the Granada Hotel. All we had to do was walk downstairs from our room and then we were there. We were 15 minutes early but they were able to accommodate us.

Upon sitting down, the server handed us the menus and then minutes after, surprised us with two complimentary glasses of champagne and said, "Happy Anniversary"! My husband was very surprised as well because he had made the reservation through OpenTable and did not mention that it was our anniversary celebration. Granada Hotel had went above and beyond and must have crossmatched our stay reservation with the bistro reservation list. I was so impressed at this point and it had only been an hour since we've arrived on this property. I ordered the soba noodles and ate everything. It was delicious! (First picture at the top of this post was the picture of my food from Granada Hotel & Bistro.)

Granada Hotel & Bistro Address: 1126 Morro St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

Nightcap at Granada Hotel & Bistro
Some months later, we returned to Granada Hotel & Bistro to have a cocktail at Nightcap, an intimate lounge located on the Granada Hotel & Bistro property. It reminded me so much of the bars that I had went to in the Gaslamp Quarter in San Diego and it made me felt so wonderful to sit here and remember my hometown, but also really enjoyed sitting in the present in Downtown San Luis Obispo.

I ordered the Zen Garden as my drink. You can view a short instagram reel of my Nightcap experience on my instagram.

S.Low Bar and High Bar at Hotel San Luis Obispo

Inside Hotel San Luis Obispo, we enjoyed looking at all the Christmas decorations in Downtown San Luis Obispo. It felt like such a celebratory holiday stroll. See my instagram video reel of our walk by the Holiday Plaza in Downtown during this date night. As mentioned, it had rained earlier in the day so the air is still cold but it had stopped raining by the time we started our night so the peace and calm carried on throughout the night with our walks. We were thankful that it did not rain anymore.

Once we sat down at S.Low Bar, we had a nice conversation with the bartender and ordered from their specialty list for S.Low Bar.

We read on Yelp that the property also has a second bar called High Bar so after a drink, we went to the elevator and made our way up to the High Bar.

At High Bar, you can see the view of Downtown San Luis Obispo as it is a rooftop and it's all outdoors.

We both ordered the blueberry mojito from their specialty list. Even though, S.Low Bar and High Bar are both located at the same hotel, their specialities are different. It was pretty cold as the night went on for this December night and we brought our mojitos with us and wandered back downstairs again to get some warmth by S.Low Bar's fireplace. S. Low Bar closed at 10PM that night, but I've noticed that they do change their hours seasonally on their website. 

Hotel San Luis Obispo (S.Low Bar & High Bar) Address: 877 Palm Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

End of Date Night

After S.Low Bar closed, my husband and I went to the back door of Granada Hotel with our hotel key to get back to our room. The front desk closes and front door locks at 10PM. We were instructed to enter through the back with our key if we were coming back past 10PM. It felt like we were elites to an elite club as we did this. It was a cold walk and I couldn't wait to get back into our room. We also had some pieces of chocolates to finish in our room so we enjoyed a few more chocolate pieces on our balcony and then, went to sleep.

It was a lot of walking around town and it did not take long to drift to sleep with one of the best sleeps I've had in a really long time. We also walked by the Bubble Gum Alley in Downtown. It was nice to see it without a crowd. The collection has quite grown. See my video reel of my walk by the Bubble Gum Alley in Downtown San Luis Obispo during this date night to see the current culmination. 

I highly recommend all of the places that we went for our anniversary celebration in Downtown San Luis Obispo. Don't forget to bring a thick coat if you're wandering around here in December, and maybe an umbrella too (just in case).


Read about where we went for our date night in Pismo Beach (a famous beach town in San Luis Obispo County).

Read about our movie date night in downtown San Luis Obispo and The Movie Experience review.

My staycations at other hotels around San Luis Obispo County:

• Read about my staycations (I've stayed at two different rooms) at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.
• Read about my staycation at The Carlton in Atascadero.
• Read about my staycation at La Quinta Inn in San Luis Obispo.

Some of my most favorite gifts from my husband are experiences, like a local hotel stay in a nice boutique hotel or a nice stress-free cruise. Read more blog entries to read about my local adventures. Read about my romantic adventures and dining experiences on the Central Coast.

Highwater SLO (now closed)

This place closed down but for those with nostalgia, this photo of Highwater SLO is here to look back. The menus offered to us used record covers as their menu book! Along the walls were black paintings on white (or maybe they were stencils) of famous rockers and singers. They were tastefully decorated.

It was a wonderful place.

Highwater SLO Address: 1127 Broad St., Suite B, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 [Update: Highwater is permanently closed.]

After my pumpkin muffins (see this pumpkin muffin recipe) were a hit at my husband's work, I decided to try a bite-sized pumpkin pie recipe so that I could send another finger-food treat while they're hard at work. I felt that the pumpkin muffins were a hit, partly because they were easy to eat with your hands. So, I thought these bite-sized pumpkin pies would be great for the workplace too.
(picture of my bite-sized pumpkin pies)

My kids got to be my first tasters and enjoyed these bite-sized "baby" pumpkin pies! Here are the recipes that I used to make these below.

I separated the recipes into two: a crust recipe and then the filling recipe.

Crust Recipe

If you plan on buying pre-made pie crust from the store, you can skip this part and scroll down to the Pumpkin Pie Filling Recipe.

I created my pumpkin pie crust from scratch using this recipe that I found online: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/all-butter-pie-crust-1229264 but in case that website is ever down, here is the recipe for the crust: 

• 1 1/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 10 tablespoons of unsalted butter
• 2 - 5 tablespoons of water (depending on how many it takes to form the right texture)

Steps:

1. Unlike the recipe link, I don't have a food processor so I just mixed the flour with the salt with a whisk in a bowl. 
2. Then, I cut the unsalted butter into half inch pieces and incorporated the butter into the flour mix with a fork. 
3. After the butter has been incorporated well, I added a few tablespoons of water until it was just moist enough to hold the dough together. When I did this, it took 4 tablespoons of water for me that day. You may need less than that. I divided the dough in half and formed discs for both halves. I put 1 in the fridge to save for later and only used the other half because that was all I needed to fill 24 muffin cups. I have two muffin pans that have 12 muffin cups in each pan.

Pumpkin Pie Filling Recipe

(forming the crust before the filling)

Before starting the filling, I had to do the most time-consuming part: shape each little pumpkin pie crusts for each muffin cup. I used a rolling pin to roll the dough out and used the top of a plastic kid's cup (about 2.5 inches in diameter) to cut out small circles. The dough was as thin as I could get it without breaking as I find that if it's too thick, the filling and crust ratio would be unbalanced for a nice pumpkin pie bite. After my crusts have been formed and were all inside of both of my muffin pans, I put them in the fridge to chill. Now, I can start putting the filling ingredients together.

See filling recipe list below:

• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1.5 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of pumpkin puree
• 3/4 cups of evaporated milk
• 1 egg

Yesterday, I baked pumpkin muffins using a pumpkin that I bought last month as a porch decoration for Halloween month. My pumpkin was a medium size and from experience, I knew that when I roasted it, it was going to yield several desserts for us as a family of four. [Skip this story and jump straight to the Pumpkin Muffin Ingredients and Recipe Steps.]

Cutting, Roasting, Dividing, and Freezing the Cooked Pumpkin

Immediately after I roasted (1 hour) and cooled this medium sized pumpkin, I removed the skin of the pumpkin and then broke the pumpkin flesh into many pieces. I only needed to puree about 2 cups of it at the time for a recipe and froze the rest in freezer bags. I divided them into 4 different bags that had about 2 cups of pumpkin each so that I could easily just pull 1 out for a dessert recipe when I needed to make a pumpkin dessert.
  
Thus far, I've baked a pumpkin pie and about 14 pumpkin muffins from this roasted pumpkin and I still have over half of the pumpkin left frozen in the freezer! 

It did feel like a lot of work to remove the insides of the pumpkin, roast, peel the skin, break them into pieces and puree it when I could just go buy a can of pureed pumpkin from the grocery store for about $3 for a 15 oz can. However, it just felt so rewarding to bake Thanksgiving or fall desserts from scratch. It is an art that takes hours of love and care. Since it has been getting colder now, using the oven to make these desserts warmed up the house with a comfort feeling that spread the wonderful cinnamon smell throughout our home.

My desserts are not perfectly shaped like the ones at the stores but I feel like my non-cookie cutter desserts easily convey and show that they are original, and not store-bought.

My husband brought these to his work to share and they were gone within minutes.

Pumpkin Muffins Ingredients

The recipe that I used was from: https://joyfoodsunshine.com/pumpkin-muffins/ but in case that website is ever down, here are the ingredients that I used below. I want to note that instead of using sea salt, I just used regular salt.

• 2 cups of pumpkin puree (thawed mine from frozen roasted pumpkin pieces and then squeezed the excess liquid from them before I pureed it all in the blender)
• 1/2 cup of unsalted butter (melted)
• 3/4 cup of dark brown sugar
• 3/4 cup of granulated white sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups of all purpose flour (I used unbleached)
• 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice
• 1.5. teaspoon of cinnamon powder
• 2 teaspoon of baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt

Pumpkin Muffin Recipe Steps

1. Preheat the oven to bake at 375 degrees F.
2. First, I mixed the first 2 ingredients (pumpkin puree and melted butter) in one bowl and then mixed the last 5 ingredients (all purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon powder, baking power, and salt) in another bowl because you'll need to separate the wet and dry at the beginning. 
3. After the first 2 ingredients have been mixed with a whisk, I added the dark brown and white sugar to this "wet" bowl. I mixed until I was sure there were no more sugar lumps. Then, after that, I mixed the eggs and vanilla extract to this "wet" bowl. 
4. After I've mixed the ingredients in the "wet" bowl throughly, I poured the contents from the "dry" bowl into the "wet" bowl and whisked gently until it's all combined. 
5. By the time, I've finished mixing, my oven was at 375 degrees F. I took my muffin pans out and placed muffin paper cups into them. I used a small ladle to scoop my mix to each paper cup. I tried to level the tops and then placed the muffin baking pans in the middle rack of the oven and baked for 21 minutes. Make sure there is a space between the pans on the rack.
6. When the timer went off after 21 minutes, I took the pans out of the oven and let the muffins cool in the pan for about 6 minutes. Then, I gently removed each muffin from the pan and started eating one! Yum! I felt like I may overbaked them by a hair in my oven so next time, I will decrease the time to just 19 minutes. That's just a personal preference as they were a hit for my husband's work!

While I was in college at San Diego State University (SDSU), I worked at a seafood buffet and worked on Thanksgiving Day. [You can skip my college story and just scroll down or jump straight to the list of 24 restaurants in San Luis Obispo County that will be open on Thanksgiving Day and serving a turkey dinner for 2025.] It was by choice as I got better tips and only had to work for 5 hours and could still go home and spend time with my parents and sibling. I'm a native San Diegan but I live here in San Luis Obispo County now. I worked at that buffet named Todai San Diego (now closed) for 3 years and worked on many holidays. I think back at those years there fondly as this job had helped me pay my college tuition at SDSU and food.

There was one particular guest who I still remember and think about as Thanksgiving Day gets nearer every year. She came in alone and was the only one who did on that Thanksgiving Day at our restaurant. She was all smiles when she stepped up to the podium to tell the hostess, whom I stood nearby, the number of people in her party. The guest lifted one pointer finger and said, "Just one."

Though I may have felt a little sorry for her, I felt admiration more than anything for her courage and independence as she was not afraid to dine alone on a holiday that many expects one to be with others. She deserved a wonderful dinner and instead of ordering take out somewhere, she came in and enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast and seafood. She was kind and seemed really smart. Although I didn't pry, she looked like she was in town for business or was sticking around the area for personal reasons.

So, I dedicate this post to this memory and to all of you who needs to have a warm Thanksgiving meal on Thanksgiving Day cooked by an establishment because life can get too busy to be able to cook at home for yourself and/or for others. Enjoy a feast without the mess and why not, the many wonderful restaurants around here are here to serve you.

List of Restaurants That Open on Thanksgiving Day (Thurs., Nov 27, 2025) and Serving a Turkey Dinner that I Found by Going on Each Website Individually and Sorting by Alphabetical Order:

• 1865 Craft House & Kitchen usually serves a Thanksgiving Buffet. They will be limiting tables to a 2 hour dining period and an automatic 20% gratuity will be added to all bills. I've been to this restaurant before when I was having a staycation at La Quinta Inn, which is located right next to 1865 Craft House & Kitchen. Read my full review of my 18 hour staycation and dining experience here at 1865 Craft House & Kitchen. Address: 1865 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 
• Allegretto Vineyard Resort will offer a Thanksgiving buffet menu from 2PM - 6PM at their elegant Veneto Ballroom. Guests can begin their dining experience with fresh salads and chilled selections, including Cranberry Dressing, Kale Caesar Salad, Endive Salad with Walnuts and Blue Cheese, and Fruit Cups. The hot selections feature comforting classics and elevated holiday favorites such as Celery Root & Apple Soup, Confit Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Pan Gravy, Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Cauliflower, Italian Sausage Stuffing, Butternut Squash Ravioli, and Citrus Roasted Salmon, all served with fresh dinner rolls and butter. At the carving station, savor perfectly prepared Turkey with white and dark meat and pan gravy, alongside Prime Rib with au jus and horseradish crème. Guests will also enjoy the show-stopping Risotto Parmesan Wheel, made with house-crafted risotto in a wheel of 24-month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano. To conclude the meal, guests can delight in an assortment of house-made desserts, including mini pies, cheesecakes, macarons, and tiramisu. Young diners can enjoy their own Kids’ Corner, featuring crispy chicken tenders and mac & cheese. Enhance the experience with Allegretto Spiced Wine, house select wines, and a curated selection of beer, wine, and cocktails available for purchase. Pricing: $85 per adult | $45 for ages 12–20 | $20 for ages 6–12 | Complimentary for children under 5 Reservations are required, and seating is limited. You can view a clip of my visit here at Allegretto Vineyard Resort in my wine tasting collage on instagram. Address: 2700 Buena Vista Drive, Paso Robles, CA 93446
• Apple Farm Restaurant & Inn usually serves a Thanksgiving Buffet with reservations required by the restaurant. Apple Farm Restaurant & Inn address: 2015 Monterey St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Black Cat Bistro usually serves a Thanksgiving Menu. Address: 1602 Main St., Cambria, CA 93428 (2024's menu hasn't been confirmed from their website yet)
• Cafe Roma usually serves a Thanksgiving menu with the Organic Roasted Turkey entree and the Little Pilgrims menu for 12 years old and under priced less than regular price. Cafe Roma address: 1020 Railroad Ave., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Cambria Pines Lodge usually serves an all-you-can-eat buffet with Thanksgiving favorites from 12:30PM - 7:30PM on Thanksgiving Day. Reservations are required. Children 5 and under are free. Read about my buffet experience here on Mother's Day on the Cambria page. They also own a large gift shop and nursery. See my instagram video reel of my visit through Cambria Pines Lodge's beautiful gift shop. Cambria Pines Lodge address: 2905 Burton Dr., Cambria, CA 93428
• Cypress Beach House in Pismo Beach usually serves a Thanksgiving buffet. Address: 601 Cypress St., Pismo Beach, 93449
• Gardens at Avila Restaurant at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort and Spa usually usually serves a Thanksgiving Course Menu. Gardens of Avila Restaurant address: 1215 Avila Beach Drive, California, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 - Read my review about The Gardens at Avila Restaurant when we dined there for Valentine's Day or you can view this instagram post that's a 1 minute video reel to see our mineral springs hot tub experience and the views of the sycamore trees at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort & Spa. (2024's menu hasn't been confirmed from their website yet)
  

  Related Videos:
  See my video tour of the restaurant located on the Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort property.
  See my video of my hot tub at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort.

• Granada Hotel & Bistro is usually has a Prix Fixe Dinner. We had a staycation here at Granada Hotel & Bistro in November and had a wonderful stay and dining experience at their bistro. Read my full review for my staycation at Granada Hotel & Bistro. Granada Hotel & Bistro Address: 1126 Morro St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Lido Restaurant & Lounge at Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa usually serves a specially prepared Prix Fixe menu. Lido Restaurant & Lounge at Dolphin Bay Resort & Spa Address: 2727 Shell Beach Road, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 
• Luna Red usually serves a Thanksgiving Buffet. Luna Red address: 1023 Chorro Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Lunada Garden Bistro in Cayucos usually has a Thanksgiving Menu. They don't post their Thanksgiving Menu on their website and only on their instagram. It's a 3 course dinner. Lunada Garden Bistro Address: 78 North Ocean Ave.,Cayucos, CA 93430
• Madonna Inn usually offers a Thanksgiving entree. I always enjoy walking around their property and shops before and after our meal. Madonna Inn address: 100 Madonna Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405 - Read about my multiple visits at Madonna Inn.
  
• Marisol at Cliffs Hotel and Spa usually serves a Thanksgiving 3 course menu. Reservations are required. Marisol at Cliffs Hotels and Spa address: 2757 Shell Beach Rd, Pismo Beach, CA 93449 - See my instagram picture post of the entree that I ordered at Marisol during Restaurant Month. (2024's menu hasn't been confirmed from their website yet)
• McPhee's Grill usually offers a Thanksgiving turkey menu option on Thanksgiving Day. McPhee's Grill address: 416 S Main St., Templeton, CA 93465
• Piadina at Hotel San Luis Obispo Obispo usually serves a Thanksgiving Day buffet menu. This restaurant is located at Hotel SLO and it will be from 11AM - 8PM. Cost is $79 per adult and $39 per child that are 12 years old and under. Address: 877 Palm St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
• Pequin Coastal Cocina Restaurant at Vespera Pismo Beach will have turkey on their menu on Thanksgiving Day. They are located beachfront and in walking distance to the pier. Address: 147 Stimson Avenue, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
• Robin's Restaurant will offer a Thanksgiving turkey option on Thanksgiving Day. Robin's Restaurant address: 4095 Burton Drive, Cambria, CA 93428 - Read a review about my visit at Robin's Restaurant during the pandemic.
• SeaVenture Restaurant inside of SeaVenture Hotel usually offers a Thanksgiving menu. I've been to this restaurant before and it has a classy vibe. Read my full review of SeaVenture Restaurant on this blog entry. Address: 100 Ocean View Ave., Pismo Beach, CA 93449
• The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar usually offers a fixed menu. The Hatch Rotisserie & Bar address: 835 13th Street, Paso Robles, CA 93446
• The Sow's Ear usually offers a turkey option on Thanksgiving Day. Their price is not listed on their menu on their website. The Sow's Ear address: 2248 Main Street, Cambria, CA 93428
• The Steakhouse at The Paso Robles Inn usually serves a Thanksgiving Dinner on Thanksgiving Day and they will require a reservation. Address: 1103 Spring St., Paso Robles, CA 93446
• Ventana Grill will have a Thanksgiving Buffet on Thanksgiving Day. Like all of the restaurants on this list, make a reservation ahead of time. I've been to this restaurant many times for their amazing ocean cliff views. Read my full review of Ventana Grill from this blog entry. Address: 2575 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449
• Windows on the Water usually offers a prix fixe 3 course menu. Reservations with credit card is required. Windows on the Water address: 699 Embarcadero, Ste. 7, Morro Bay, CA 93442 

Thanksgiving Free Meals

• TBD for 2025

[ Come Back Regularly to See the Growing List. ]

This is a growing list!

I highly encourage you to make a reservation as soon as you've decided on a particular restaurant as I've seen reservations get full a week in advance before the actual holiday!

If there is no kid's price listed above for a particular place, it is because the restaurant did not note a kid's price or version on their website when I was doing searches online for Thanksgiving Day offerings at the time; and maybe charging one price for any guest, regardless of age.

As more restaurants announce that they'll be open on Thanksgiving Day and serving Thanksgiving meals, I'll add it to this list.

Gobble, gobble!

See a list of Thanksgiving Day Camps for kids in San Luis Obispo County while school is out.

See my top 10 wine tasting room rank list for San Luis Obispo County as a local. 

Fall baking recipes:

• View my gluten-free vegan pumpkin pie recipe. 
• View my pumpkin muffin recipe (non-vegan).
• View my non-vegan mini pumpkin pie recipe.

Supplies for Celebrating Thanksgiving Day at Home:

• Thanksgiving Dining Table Placemats
• Thanksgiving Napkins
• Thanksgiving Table Center Piece
• Thanksgiving Wreath

Every year, the City of Pismo Beach plans an annual Pismo Beach Clam Festival in October by the Pismo Beach Pier. For 2025, it'll be October 18 and October 19, 2025. It is always a 2-day event.

The Pismo Beach Clam Festival is a fun weekend celebration with a clam tasting competition, free kid's zone and activities for the kids (image of sea creatures present for the kids to touch is below), beer garden and a lot of delicious food for sale. To top it off, they have different bands playing throughout the festival for the weekend.

Thus far, there has never been an entry fee to enter the festival as the City of Pismo Beach takes pride in planning this for the city. It attracts a lot of locals around the San Luis Obispo County and visitors from beyond the county as well. It's located in the Pismo Beach Promenade by the famous Pismo Beach Pier and the parking lot right by the pier gets closed off to allow room for pedestrians to walk to the event freely and safely.

The kids really enjoyed the 7 different bounce houses that were there when we went today for the Pismo Beach Clam Festival.

I'm not sure if they always have this many bounce houses every year for this festival but I counted this time. My kids were so happy and tried to bounced in as many bounce houses as they could. There was one particular bounce house that always had a line so they only bounced in 6 of the 7 bounce houses there. This is free for the kids to enjoy during the Clam Festival. Parents just had to sign their kids up for it with a wristband at the table at the Pismo Beach Clam Festival.

The kids also got to touch several sea creatures at tables near the playground at the Pismo Beach Clam Festival. They were really curious about them and the personnel at the tables were very patient and kind with teaching my kids about every sea creature there. The kids really enjoy sitting at the craft table at the kids' area as well. Besides providing a booklet to color and learn more about the taking better care of the ocean, they also go to create crafts and spin a spinning wheel to win a prize.

If you're not from the area, coming here to hang out at the Clam Festival is worth it because it's close to all of the action and right at the Pismo Beach Pier.

From the Pismo Beach Clam Festival, you can easily walk to the Pismo Beach Pier to take in the beautiful panoramic view of the ocean. See this video reel of me walking on the Pismo Beach Pier on a beautiful clear day on Instagram.

Collecting or Harvesting Clams in Pismo Beach

Unless you have a valid fishing license, you cannot collect or harvest live clams in Pismo Beach. If you do have a fishing license, the clam has to be at least 4.5 inches wide and you're only allowed to collect 20 of those size a day! I have a fishing license and it could take me 1 hour to find just 2 clams within the appropriate size. Processing them is different than processing the little clams. You'd want to remove the dark parts and also watch the alerts regularly for toxins. If they are toxic, don't harvest them at all.

When I harvested my last two clams, I cut off the dark parts and then fried them after battering them to make fried clams.

Suggestions on Things To Do While in Pismo Beach

• Walk to Old West Cinnamon Rolls

  There is a cinnamon roll place in Pismo Beach named Old West Cinnamon Rolls where you can get their famously large and rectangular cinnamons rolls. It's only a block away from the Pismo Beach Clam Festival.
  
  I seriously think one cinnamon roll is enough for 2 people to share from here. I've gotten their standard cinnamon roll and one with candied pecans on the top. They have several options to pick from. Address of Old West Cinnamon Rolls: 861 Dolliver St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

• Visit a High End Restaurant in Pismo Beach for a Romantic Night

  

  We have dined at a handful of restaurants in Pismo Beach that really impressed us. Read about our Pismo Beach date night outing and where we went.

Address to the Pismo Beach Promenade (where the Pismo Beach Clam Festival is usually held): 100 Pomeroy Ave, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

See a list of upcoming free things to do in Pismo Beach and throughout San Luis Obispo County.

Short Video Clips of Pismo Beach

I walk on the sand at Pismo Beach quite often as exercise and to relieve stress. See my Video Shorts of Pismo Beach. Press any play button below.

You can also view my instagram @sanluisobispomom to see more recent pictures and videos of Pismo Beach and other places in San Luis Obispo County.