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Top 10 San Luis Obispo County Wineries and Reviews | Local Reviews

October 8, 2022
Vineyards in San Luis Obispo County
I'm a local in San Luis Obispo County and this is a list of my top favorite 10 wine tasting rooms that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County (SLO) County, including Edna Valley and Paso Robles. The order and list may change as I continue to explore more wineries. So far, I've explored over 50 tasting rooms in San Luis Obispo County.

  1. Clos Selene

    Clos Selene Wines Review Clos Selene Pictures

    Clos Selene is way up here at number 1 for me because of the smoothness and taste of their wine and immaculate estate! Tastings are private and by reservations only. They are unique because they focus on French wines, has a romantic story and high class service. Upon seating, we were served warm French bread that was freshly baked. We had made a 10AM reservation and it was nippy in the morning of mid-September so they offered us blankets to stay warm until the sun came out. Service is excellent and unique and we loved that our designated host was from France. We were luckily seated in the gray couches on the far right side from the host stand and loved our closer view of the vineyards. You can read a full review of my Clos Selene visit on this dedicated blog post.
    Clos Selene Vineyards Pictures
    The winemaker's home is actually on the property and located right next door to the tasting room. Here's a my short video of my visit at Clos Selene below. It was very romantic.

    Clos Selene Address: 2040 Niderer Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446

  2. DAOU Family Estates (Vineyards)

    With the estate located in Paso Robles, DAOU wines is renowned to wine connoisseurs from all over. DAOU Family Estates sits on top of a mountain with spacious views of the vineyards. They have the most beautiful view among my entire list here! We came right when they opened so it was a chilly fall morning. They offered us blankets and we gladly used them. The estate is so beautiful and I love that they encouraged us to walk around to check out the views and take some pictures. 
    Food from Daou in Paso Robles
    DAOU's tasting room also offers a food menu that pairs well with their current list of flights. We chose the scallops and did not regret it. My husband and I shared it and our attendant gave us an extra pour of a particular wine that paired well with our food since I had forgotten and drank my pour before the food arrived. That was very nice of our attendant and I felt it was high class service. See more pictures and a full review of of my visit at DAOU Family Estates on this blog entry. DAOU Family Estates Address: 2777 Hidden Mountain Rd., Paso Robles, CA 93446

  3. Epoch Estate Wines

    Epoch Tasting Room
    Epoch Estate Wines' tasting room is kind of out in the boonies in Templeton, California (close to Paso Robles) of San Luis Obispo County but their red wines are top notch! I was blown away by their wine quality and taste. The architecture of the tasting room is something out of a modern magazine. It had a high ceiling and the service was very professional and polished.
    Epoch Wines Review
    We made a reservation online before we came there and it was a pleasant experience from beginning to end. We were so impressed with their wines and service that we became wine club members that very day. Our attendant was a super fan of their wines before he started working there and that is saying a lot. Read my full Epoch Estates Wines Tasting Room Review on this dedicated blog entry. Here's a video clip from our visit while we were tasting indoors in their tasting room
    Link of Video of Epoch Estate Wine Tasting Experience
    Epoch Estate Wines Address: 7505 York Mountain Rd, Templeton, CA 93465

  4. Tooth & Nail Wine Company

    Tooth & Nail Wine Company Picture Food Review for Tooth & Nail Paso Robles

    Tooth & Nail Wine Company in Paso Robles is a castle! The place is beautiful. It is the only winery in Paso Robles that is a castle. It also has a moat that you'll pass by as you head towards the entrance. If you have a wheelchair or stroller, you can enter on the left side of the building instead because the center entrance does not have a ramp. While we were there, only adults could sit in their pretty tasting area inside. Patrons with pets or children could only sit in the patio area in the front. They have a food menu that is available every day so you can enjoy a meal while having a tasting here. They host large special events throughout the year here, which makes them stand out from many wineries in the area. See all of the pictures that I took of Tooth & Nail Wine Company's castle winery. Tooth and Nail Winery Address: 3090 Anderson Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446

  5. Tolosa Winery

    Tolosa Winery Pictures

    Tolosa Winery is the very first winery that we visited in San Luis Obispo County because of the high reviews. We were wowed by it from the very beginning and we like to take our visitors here to wine taste as we know they'll be impressed from the drive through their gate, all the way through the wine tasting experience. We really enjoy the ambiance, excellent guest services and views of the vineyards here at Tolosa. They have an indoor tasting room and a nice large outdoor patio area.
    Tolosa Tasting Room Review
    If you're a wine club member, you have the option to taste in their member-dedicated lounge that is open only on the weekends. They also have a an electric vehicle charging station here in their parking lot.
    Private Tasting Room at Tolosa Winery Electric Charging EV Station at wineries in San Luis Obispo
    Tolosa is open every day except for 2 main holidays. Read more details and see pictures about my multiple visits here at Tolosa Winery on this blog post. Tolosa Winery Address: 4910 Edna Road, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401 (Edna Valley)

  6. Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar

    Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Room Picture Austin Hope Paso Robles Review

    Immediately as we arrived at the host/hostess stand, I was taken back by how big the staff was while we were there! There were many employees buzzing around and setting up, preparing for opening. We had arrived early before they opened for the day. It was fun to see and it got me excited! When it was opening time, we walked up to the stand and were greeted with a welcoming glass of wine. We had made reservations online so they already knew where they were going to seat us. It was in the patio area, with a private look of the vineyards surrounded by bushes to separate us from the next group. That was very nice! It's romantic and made it a more intimate experience for us as a couple. We were celebrating a belated Valentine's Day celebration. As we continued to go down the tasting list, I was very impressed with all of their wines! The taste, quality and selection really made them stand out compared to all the 50+ wine tasting rooms we've explored thus far in San Luis Obispo County. We were so impressed with the ambiance and wine, we joined as wine club members that day. We also saw a woodpecker while we were sitting down, enjoying view. See my instagram reel to see the woodpecker and the view of my seat at Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar in Paso Robles. Austin Hope & Treana Tasting Cellar Address: 1585 Live Oak Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446

  7. Sextant Winery in Edna Valley

    Sextant Winery Food in Edna Valley Sextant Winery Tasting Room Picture

    There are two Sextant Winery tasting rooms in San Luis Obispo County. The one that we've frequented was the Sextant Winery in Edna Valley. The other location is located in Paso Robles. They also have a partner winery at the tasting room called Paris Valley Road Estate Winery that serves their wine, which you can read about on #10 below. We particularly liked this Sextant Winery tasting room in Edna Valley because they also have a gourmet deli that is open every day for lunch. There is no other winery that has a regular food menu like this in all of Edna Valley, at least not yet. They are the only one. Not only that, they have a rustic theme and decor to represent Old Edna. It's a nice local spot and visitor's spot as well. We always enjoy having a tasting with a salad or sandwich there. There are only a couple of indoor seating tables but there are several options for outdoor seating. They sell seasonal goods and gifts inside that I find very tasteful! See my video below from our lunch date at Sextant in Edna Valley in February when they had their Valentine's gifts out on display.
    Sextant Winery Edna Valley Address: 1653 Maxwellton St, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

  8. Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards

    Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards Review Peacocks at Kelsey See Canyon

    Located near Avila Beach, Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards is an isolated vineyard with peacocks! You can see many of these beautiful peacocks roaming around as you're just sitting around, wine tasting there. They make a unique crow that's quite loud and entertaining. Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards also grows apples so you can see all of the apple trees around there as well. All of the seating is outside with many patio seating and umbrellas to pick from. Therefore, watch for the weather before coming here so that you may enjoy the outdoor tasting experience here. In the past, we have brought a picnic with us while doing wine tastings there with friends and there was no minimum bottle purchase requirement. Just make sure to clean after yourselves when you're done. The peacocks really made wine tasting here extra special. Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards Address: 1947 See Canyon Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

  9. Paris Valley Road Estate Winery

    Paris Valley Road Estate Winery Picture Wine Tasting Room Inside of Paris Valley Road Estate Paso Robles

    Located in Paso Robles, Paris Valley Road Estate Winery is romantic and reminds me of a new mansion! Their tasting room inside has a modern and a very new luxurious design. They have a paved parking lot and two large buildings that you can see right off the CA-46. There is a lot of indoor space and outdoor space. They partner up with Sextant and since we're Sextant wine club members, we were able to taste here at Paris Valley Road Estate Winery for free. It's a great perk as not very many wine clubs have multiple affiliations like this and we were happy to take advantage of it. All of their wines were really wonderful and if we weren't so stocked from our wine club commitments, we would have bought a bottle during our first tasting there. There is definitely a very fairytale vibe here. Paris Valley Road Estate Winery Address: 5625 East Highway 46, Paso Robles, CA 93446

  10. Eberle Winery

    Eberle Winery Cave

    Eberle Winery definitely is unique from a long list of wineries in Paso Robles because they have an underground cave and offers cave tours everyday to visitors! They are very pet-friendly and I've seen many pets accompany their owners here on the deck. There is a beautiful view on the deck with chairs that you can sit on while you enjoy your tasting. There is a lot of room to roam around too. On a very busy day, parking can get really difficult! Their cave tours are definitely worth coming for and they also offer veteran discounts year-round on bottle purchases! You can reserve a nice spot or area in the cave for a special occasion. Eberle Winery Address: 3810 CA-46, Paso Robles, CA 93446

  11. Edna Valley Winery (not top 10, but so close)

    Edna Valley Winery Review Outdoor Area of Edna Valley Winery

    Edna Valley Winery located in Edna Valley of San Luis Obispo has one of the best views of the vineyards and valley! There's a nice green outdoor area for you to enjoy your wine tastings. However, if we wanted to sit and taste indoors in their tasting room, they said we had to be a wine club member (I've been told by a friend that they have since changed this in 2024, but please double check). You're welcome to stand and wine taste inside or bring it outside and sit. While tasting here, standing up next to my spouse, I couldn't help but think that Tolosa (another winery in Edna Valley that I ranked as #1 at the top) does this so much better as far as offering comfortable service. To compare, Tolosa Winery had a dedicated standing tasting room that's inside and then a large outdoor patio space for both members and non-members to sit and enjoy their wine with attentive service. There was no perplexing confusion. Again, Tolosa Winery got this right when handling non-members and their Tolosa wines just taste better in my opinion. Edna Valley Winery views are so incredible that I have to put them up here, even though they are not my top 10! On a nice clear day, when outdoor wine tasting makes sense, Edna Valley Winery is really a great choice to hang out outside. Edna Valley Winery Address: 2585 Biddle Ranch Rd, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401

  12. JUSTIN Downtown Tasting Room (not top 10, but so close!)

    Justin Downtown Tasting Room in Paso Robles

    I really didn't want to include JUSTIN among my top 10 list here because of their sexual harassment allegations but a couple of their wines are famous and award-winning and I like their wines. This Downtown tasting room is also very posh and beautiful. I feel like it is definitely made for Hollywood stars who are trying to get away from Los Angeles and escape to the slower pace of the wine country of Paso Robles and SLO County; and impressionable dates or parties. This tasting room is also centrally located in Downtown Paso Robles and within walking distance to many wonderful restaurants and other wine tasting rooms. If it doesn't bother you that they've been reported of many management's sexual harassments towards their employees and you have always wanted to visit this award winning place, then be assured that their wines are as great as their wine-making reputation. JUSTIN Downtown Tasting Room Address: 811 12th St., Paso Robles, CA 93445

  13. Bianchi Winery & Tasting Room (not top 10, but so close!)

    Koi Fish at Bianchi in Paso Robles Bianchi Winery Picture in Paso Robles

    As you step outside to Bianchi's patio, the large koi fish pond here will take your breath away. It is beautiful and memorable. It sets them apart from the hundreds of wineries in Paso Robles and the views of the vineyards are romantic and perfect for impressing a special someone. It has the most perfect backdrop for parties as well. It was the ambiance more than anything that inclined me to include this on my top 10 list. Many tourists come here to enjoy their wine tasting adventure. If I were a tourist and could only visit a limited amount of wineries, this would be one to consider but it definitely does not rank higher than the ones on top for me. It would be a nice and intimate place for a rehearsal dinner or wedding. Bianchi Winery & Tasting Room Address: 3380 Branch Road, Paso Robles, CA 93446

Background on Our Wine Tasting Experiences

After moving to San Luis Obispo (SLO) County, my husband and I started learning more about wine tasting as our county has many wineries and tasting rooms that are renowned for the Central Coast. As we were exploring (and still are) our area, wine tasting is usually one of the top suggested things to do in printed travel guides and websites about SLO for the 21 year old and older visitors because there hundreds of different wineries throughout San Luis Obispo County! I wanted to personally experience some of the best wine tasting rooms first hand.

At first, we tried the most popular one in Edna Valley named Tolosa Winery and then started going to a few tasting rooms in Paso Robles (northern part of SLO County) like Justin's Tasting Room. We've discovered that trying to catch the distinct tastes and notes of each different wine was really fun so we joined a couple of tasting rooms and continued to go adventuring and discovering tasting rooms at other wineries in our leisure time.

Even after living in SLO County for over 5 years, we've only been able to hit just over 50 different wineries/tasting rooms. You can find over 300 wineries, vineyards and tasting rooms in just Paso Robles area and 2 dozen tasting rooms in the Edna Valley region (San Luis Obispo City proper). For us to even tackle a hundred would probably take us a decade as a local, at our pace. 

I've also written dedicated blog posts on certain wineries. You can read them here under the Wineries category.

Reading Suggestions

We get visitors coming to visit us at least once a year and we'd take them wine tasting in our county and if there is a bottle that we all really like, we'd buy one to save for later at the house. It's really elevated our home parties, especially if we've all visited that very winery together. I've gotten really good at opening a bottle of wine with a regular wine cork opener but if you feel like being fancy, you can check out some wine cork bottle openers that doesn't require pulling strength.

 

SeaVenture Restaurant Dinner Review - Pismo Beach

October 1, 2022

Last month, we dined at SeaVenture Restaurant inside of SeaVenture Beach Hotel in Pismo Beach for a nice dinner with the view of the ocean. This property is oceanfront and is one of the oldest resorts in the area. It's a popular choice to stay for tourists and also a great place to dine for locals.

To get to SeaVenture Restaurant, you'd have to enter the lobby on the ground floor of the teal-roofed hotel to find the elevator or stairs up to the top floor, the third floor. We took the elevator and you can see a clear glass of the ocean as you're going up. As you step out of the elevator and onto the third floor, you'll see the restaurant sign right ahead and the aquarium to the left; once you're a foot inside of the restaurant.
SeaVenture Restaurant Review
The aquarium was a great mood setter and it doesn't take you long to see the panoramic ocean view! This property is definitely located at a prime location. We didn't have a reservation but we were able to get seated right away around 5:30PM. The place was very busy! It's quite a large restaurant with patrons in the patio and inside the restaurant. You can tell there were regulars who would come here often. I loved the vibe. People were happy all around, staff and guests!

The hostess sat us down in an indoor seat by the sliding doors so we could still see the panoramic view. We didn't make reservations, as mentioned earlier, so we were very happy with this table. The server was efficient and knowledgeable. I looked at the cocktail menu and ordered the Upside Down Pineapple Cocktail.
Cocktails at SeaVenture Restaurant
It was sweet, refreshing and mean. I enjoyed it. For my entree, I ordered The Sea Venture. If a dish is named after the resort, you bet I'm going to try it. It's a seafood dish over a bed of seasoned rice. The seafood was fresh and the food was piping hot.

See Video Link of My Visit at SeaVenture Restaurant And What I Ate There.

The next time we come back, we'll plan to make a reservation online and request to sit in the patio if the weather is nice. If you go on their website, you can reserve a table ahead of time for the restaurant.

Address of SeaVenture Beach Hotel & Restaurant: 100 Ocean View Ave, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

After we had dinner, we walk around a few blocks in Pismo Beach and caught a glimpse of the iconic Pismo sign on the roof.
Pismo Beach Iconic Sign
Suggested PB Activity:
Pismo Beach is famous for a few of their pretty neon lights at night. See my Instagram video reel of my walk on the Pismo Beach Pier with a glimpse of the larger than life Pismo Beach sign on the Promenade.

See Pictures of Other Restaurants That I've Visited in Pismo Beach:

 

A Date Night in Pismo Beach and Where We Went

September 19, 2022

I had a very memorable date night with my husband earlier this month in Pismo Beach. We went to three different places on Price St, which is 2 blocks parallel from the Pismo Beach Pier. [ If you're looking for a date night suggestion for Downtown San Luis Obispo, read about our Date Night in Downtown SLO. ] 

First Date Stop in Pismo Beach: Tastes of the Valleys Review

Tastes of the Valleys Pismo Beach

There is a quaint wine bar in Pismo Beach on Price St. named Tastes of the Valleys. It stays open until 7PM on Saturdays so we decided to visit this place first around 5:30PM. They offer tastings every day and my husband had tried to get a reservation ahead of time but they don't take reservations and you just walk-in only. When we got there, there was only one other party that was doing a tasting. We sat at the bar and looked at the walls and interesting signs about wines and winemaking and felt right at home. It's a very casual tasting room and I felt comfortable right away. Lined up at the bar are bottles of what the tastings were included for that night. It was about a handful of tastings from different wineries for $20. There was only one staff member there and she was very knowledgeable and we watched her walk back and forth to serve us and the other party. She was a rockstar. We didn't want to buy any of the bottles and just came in for the tasting so we left after our tastings and walked across the street to check out Sans Liege Wines on a whim. Tastes of the Valleys address: 911 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Update on Tastes of the Valleys: On a more recent visit at Tastes of the Valleys, there were two staff members there. It was quite busy so it was definitely helpful to have more than one employee there. However, there was also a non-staff lady sitting at the bar, who was not drinking any wine and was very talkative so if you're looking to have an intimate or quieter conversation with your lover there, you might not be able to, depending on who is also there at the tasting room. My impression is she is there quite often as the DD.

Second Stop: Sans Liege Wines Review

Sans Liege Pismo Beach Sans Liege Outdoor Space Picture

Sans Liege Wines is the only winery-owned tasting room in Pismo Beach. It was just down the street from La Bodega Tapas, where we were planning on having dinner so it was so convenient that we decided to stop in around 6PM and shared one tasting. Sans Liege is a small tasting room with a sleek and posh design. The outdoor entrance is painted in black and the inside has a large bar with seats along the window and a larger seating area in the back. There is also a back patio. I thought to myself that this would be a great place to bring friends as it's just steps to many wonderful restaurants that Pismo Beach has to offer. On Saturdays, Sans Liege Wines Tasting Room here in Pismo Beach doesn't close until 8PM. See a list of wineries and tasting rooms that we've visited in San Luis Obispo (SLO) County. Sans Liege Wines address: 870 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Last Stop: La Bodega Tapas Review (Now Closed!)

La Bodega Tapas La Bodega Tapas Picture

After sharing a tasting at Sans Liege Wines, we walked down the street to our final destination around 6:30PM for dinner: La Bodega Tapas. We had always driven by La Bodega Tapas but had never tried their food. It sounded fancy and expensive and it was! We shared an order of empanadas, paella and cioppino. They all tasted fantastic and we didn't have any room for dessert after our meal. I wish we did! I loved the high ceilings of the place, the excellent service and the proximity to many cool places close to La Bodega Tapas. It was definitely a romantic date night and as we walked outside, it started to sprinkle. It rarely rains in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo County so it was a nice refreshing close to our night. (2024 Update: La Bodega closed their doors for good and their last day was October 25, 2024) La Bodega Tapas address: 790 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

More About Pismo Beach:

The 3 places we've visited above during our date night are 2 blocks from the ocean and Pismo Beach Pier. If you'd like to see reviews of Pismo State Beach Restaurants that I've blogged about that are less than 2 blocks from the ocean, read reviews for the following places: I've taken many pictures of the beaches in San Luis Obispo County, including our famous Pismo Beach on my blog. Click here to see all of my pictures of the beaches here.

I've also posted my pictures and videos of the beaches of Pismo State Beach, which encompasses: Pismo Beach, Grover Beach and Oceano via instagram. See my instagram for pictures and videos of Pismo Beach.
Reading Suggestions:
Read about my movie date experience in downtown San Luis Obispo

Read about places that we went for our Date Night and Staycation in Downtown SLO.

See other restaurants that I highly recommend in Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo County by visiting the Restaurants Page of my blog.

Find places in San Luis Obispo County where you can drop off your kids for a fun Kids Night Out or Parents Night Out evening.

Suggested Free Thing To Do: Walk through the neon-lit St. Jude's Pedestrian Tunnel at night. See my IG Video reel of my walk though this tunnel in Pismo Beach

Featured Date Night Post: About 40 minutes south of Pismo Beach, is a Michelin starred ⭐️ restaurant in Los Alamos called Bell's. For a date night, my husband and I tried Bell's 5 course prix fixe dinner! It's expensive but it's definitely the place you take someone to celebrate something very special. The service was top notch and the food was farm-to-table and tremendously delicious. Read my blog post about my review of Bell's in Los Alamos (also on the Central Coast) or view the instagram reel of my Bell's date night experience.

 

Pono Pacific Kitchen Review - West End Grover Beach

September 2, 2022
Pono Pacific Kitchen
We dined at Pono Pacific Kitchen in Grover Beach, California right at 4PM today to try out the new Hawaiian restaurant in the West End of Grover Beach named Pono Pacific Kitchen.

It's a higher end restaurant with a one-page food menu and excellent service. They currently only serve dinner and have no lunch time hours. They have a couple of kid's options off the menu, which I appreciate very much! 
Pono Food Pictures in Grover Beach Pono Grover Beach Food Review Seafood at Pono Kitchen GB Kid's Menu at Pono Grover Beach
At the center of the restaurant is a bar, fully stocked with an inviting vibe. The doors are all open in the front of the house to let the fresh air come in with a main entrance that you should enter through where you'll be greeted by a smiling hostess.

I ordered the Pan Seared Scallops while my husband ordered the Braised Short Rib as our entrees and shared the Blue Crab Cakes. While the Blue Crab Cakes only came with two, the entrees size were very nice! We left there full and happy.

See my instagram video reel of my first dining experience at Pono Pacific Kitchen.

I highly recommending going on their website and using Open Table to make reservations as there have been many times where I drove by and it looked busy! They are open in the evenings at 4PM for dinner. They change their closed days by season so check with their social media or website to find the latest changes on their operating hours.

Pono Restaurant Grover Beach Review


Just for Happy Hour Experience

Pau Hana at Pono Pacific Kitchen

We came back to Pono Pacific Kitchen 9 months later for their Pau Hana (means 'happy hour') and sat at one of their high tops by the bar on the different side of the room as our first visit. Vibe is totally different and I totally dig it! Facing the door, I love seeing the hustle and bustle of the host stand and happy people coming in for some delicious food. We ordered food their Pau Hana menu that's available only from 4PM - 6PM. We shared 4 dishes: Shishito Peppers, Grilled Shrimp Skewers, Spicy Tuna Nachos, Chargrilled Oysters. I ordered the Ruby Soho Saketini and it was so refreshing. The dishes were all great! I want to note that even though the chargrilled oysters are chargrilled to melt the cheese on top, the oysters are still raw at the bottom, which I'm totally okay with but wanted to mention it for those who can't eat raw seafood. See my pictures from my pau hana below.

Pono Pacific Kitchen MenuPono Pacific Kitchen Pau HanaPono Pacific Kitchen Pictures
Pono Pacific Kitchen GROVER BEACH

Pono Pacific Kitchen Address: 228 W Grand Ave, Grover Beach, CA 93433

Other Suggested Hawaiian Restaurants:

See other restaurants that I recommend in San Luis Obispo County.

 

Sensorio Field of Lights Paso Robles Review by a Central Coast Mom

August 13, 2022
I've walked through Sensorio Field of Lights twice so far and I enjoyed it the second time more than the first time as I was able to walk on the opposite side, which I missed the first time. The Field of Lights is a big loop that you walk through with a couple of in between trails within the loop.
Sensorio Lights
Sensorio is a place you must visit if you're planning on visiting San Luis Obispo or San Luis Obispo County. There is an entrance fee, which you can buy online to save a bit of time. Even though they open at 7PM, you really don't see the lights all that well until it gets dark around 8:30PM during the summer months. 

It's so hot in Paso Robles when we went in the summer that by around 8PM, it was still 90 degrees so no jacket was needed for us. However, if you're visiting during the colder season, definitely bring a jacket or coat for the cold evening. The trail is stroller and wagon friendly so the second time I went, we brought a wagon for my two kids. Their little legs can only walk so far and this helped us go in a faster pace. See the video reel below of my walk through the Sensorio Field of Lights with the wagon sound in the background.

They sell food and drinks at the front part near the entrance so if you're worried about getting hungry or thirsty, you have options there. Also near the entrance are some games that your family can play with. They had corn hole, tic tac toe, Connect 4 and other bean bag games. There was also a band playing while we were there.

Another light art installation you can look at is the Light Towers on the far end of Sensorio's trail. This is a smaller installation area but it represents the wine country culture of Paso Robles, which has meaning especially for SLOcals like us. It's nice to get there early because you can see the transitions from daylight to sunset and then nighttime; and see how the light installations look different as the night progresses. See all of the videos below that I captured from our Sensorio visits.

Link to a Video of the Sensorio Light Towers Before Sunset

Sensorio Light Towers

Press play below to see a video of the Sensorio Light Towers section.

See more video clips of Sensorio and a 30 second video collage of my visit here on my instagram.

Sensorio Address: 4380 Highway 46 East Paso Robles, CA 93446

Tips for Visiting Sensorio:

  • Bring a jacket or coat for the evening if you're visiting during the fall or winter seasons. It's all outdoors so there is really no place to shelter, except for the restrooms.
  • Wear comfortable shoes as the trail is not leveled and will require a lot of walking.
  • If you have little ones, even if they are 7 or 8 years old, consider bringing a wagon cart so they can rest while you pull them when needed. They will probably get tired from walking after an hour and an hour is not enough to see it all.
  • If you want to save money on food and drinks, you can pack some food to eat in the car before you get inside of Sensorio because they don't allow outside food or drinks inside. The only thing they allow is sealed water bottles or an empty reusable water bottle for filling inside. However, if you get hungry inside, they do sell food. The lines to those food places could get long.
  • Some nights do get sold out so if you want to make sure you have tickets on a specific date, I recommend booking the tickets online.

More Local Review Suggestions:

 

Are you planning on relocating to San Luis Obispo County from a different place?

Suggested Supplies for Your Big Move

About Me


San Luis Obispo Mom Originally from San Diego, California, I'm a San Diego State University alumna, veteran's wife and mom of two kids who were born two years apart. After living on the East Coast for 6 years, we now reside in San Luis Obispo County and here, the exploration continues. In between work and momming it, I like to exercise.
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