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One of the more popular things to do in San Luis Obispo County is visit the Monarch butterflies at Monarch Butterfly Grove in Pismo Beach. It's free to visit and free to park.

It also leads to a walking trail that is parallel to the ocean. You could go towards the Grover Beach side and see amazing views of Grover Beach and Pismo Beach by going on the Meadow Trail or go North and walk near the RV's and continue along that route until it leads you to the boardwalk and Pismo Beach Pier. Either direction will lead you to the beach. 

If you only want to stick to the Monarch Butterfly Grove main area only, you can also enjoy a picnic there because there are many picnic tables and benches. 

There's usually a porto potty there for visitors to use. During the busier seasons, there are usually quite a few.

The Monarch butterflies usually come here during the fall and then leave when winter ends. However, you are welcome to visit the Monarch Butterfly Grove year-round! It's always open as it's a public state park. Parking can be really hard during the busy tourist season. You park in the dirt in front of the grove or you can parallel park on the other side of the road. Many can just walk here if they don't mind walking from their hotel if it's within a reasonable distance.

Here are the pictures of the Meadow Trail that connects from the Monarch Butterfly Grove to Grover Beach. The views going this direction are phenomenal. 

I've taken my son on the Meadow Trail using a jogger stroller. I would not recommend bringing a side-by-side double stroller as it can be narrow and people do come from both directions.

This is the view of Grover Beach walking on the Meadow Trail. Grover Beach is a smaller beach in comparison to Pismo Beach but Grover Beach is the beach that connects you to the famous dunes. It's the starting point from this end. 

This is the entrance sign you can find as you enter the Meadow Trail from the Grover Beach side instead of the Monarch Butterfly Grove side. You can also park in Grover Beach for free right by the Fin's Restaurant on Grand Ave.

If you were to turn around and head back to the Monarch Butterfly Grove on the Meadow Trail, this is the Pismo Beach view you would see. It's breathtaking and I enjoy this walk every time I come here. 

In the middle of the Meadow Trail is an uphill path to go to the shady trees. Past these trees is the ocean and it's a great picture taking spot and a good stopping point to rest your knees too. The Meadow Trail is free and open year round.

All photos were taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com.
See other beach pictures in San Luis Obispo County taken by SanLuisObispoMom.com.

Don't forget to bring some water in a reusable water bottle as you can get winded on a hot day. However, the walking trail at Monarch Butterfly Grove is very easy to walk through for the most part. Sunscreen and a hat are also very helpful to have for sun protection.

To see pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

Read about my staycation at the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo.

We visited Talley Vineyards in Arroyo Grande today. Arroyo Grande (AG) is part of San Luis Obispo county on the Central Coast of California. Talley Vineyards is one of the more popular vineyards in AG. It's located in the middle of a lot of farms and wineries so you won't find a lot of restaurants or other types of businesses nearby. 

This vineyard hosts a lot of events throughout the year with some that are family-friendly. Their wine member lounge is not, however. Although their wine member lounge is adults only, their tasting room is kid-friendly so there are toys in the back corner for them to play to keep them occupied while you do a taste. Inside of the tasting room, a lot of the decor is brown wood so there is a rustic feel to this, compared to the other wineries in Edna Valley that are only 5 minutes away. Do visit Edna Valley if you are in Arroyo Grande because it is very close by and has dozens of wineries for you to try! See other wineries that I've visited over the years. 


Their patio area is very inviting and although they can't have wedding receptions at this winery, baby showers and bridal showers have taken place here. You would need to arrange a special party date with Talley Vineyards ahead of time to figure out the right set-up. 

The cost of the tasting that my husband and I shared was $20 (probably costs more over time) and it included 5 tastings. Here is the list we were presented with when we came in (see image below). Although Talley Vineyards is not my top 10 favorites wine tasting rooms, it's still fun to be on their farm because they are known for growing a different variety of produce!

Address of Talley Vineyards: 3031 Lopez Dr, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420

Reading Suggestions

• Read about other wineries that I've visited in Edna Valley and Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County.


• See my top 10 favorite local wineries in Edna Valley and Paso Robles, as a local.


• See this IG reel of different wine tasting rooms that I've personally visited.

Located about a 5 minute drive from the famous Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo is a very family-friendly, pet-friendly and picnic-friendly park called Meadow Park. There are a few benches spread throughout the park which makes Meadow Park a really great option for kids' birthday parties.

With a lot of green grass and playground, you'll find a lot of activities happening here. With trails all around the park, you can take an easy stroll or exercise. Read about a few Moms Exercise Groups for San Luis Obispo county.

It's also dog-friendly and many come here to walk their dogs. Parking may be difficult when there is a large party happening. Address of Meadow Park: 2333 Meadow St., San Luis Obispo, CA 93401


Too see other parks with playgrounds in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Family-Friendly Activities page.

Every year, the City of San Luis Obispo hosts an Easter egg hunt here at Meadow Park for the public. See a list of Easter egg hunts throughout San Luis Obispo County.

See pictures of all the playgrounds in San Luis Obispo County that I've personally taken and visited.

(Update: Flagship closed indefinitely in 2022 and is a new restaurant named Vista. Review below is for Flagship but the beach views are the same! Enjoy the views!)
(view of Pismo Beach pier from inside of Flagship Seafood Restaurant)

(view of Shell Beach from our very same seats)

Flagship is a seafood restaurant located in Pismo Beach, California (part of San Luis Obispo County). It has phenomenal views of the Pismo Beach Pier and the Shell Beach side as well. Check out these views from our seats.

If you get to sit right by the window, this place could be so memorable for a special lunch or dinner. They had a kid's menu that came with many options. They also have a boat in the middle where guests can sit in but our stroller wasn't going to fit up there so we sat at a booth by the window! It was chosen for us because of our big double side-by-side stroller and our kids were going to continue to sit in it during our lunch.

My husband chose the ahi tuna while I went big and went for the Dungeness crab pot boil!
(Ahi Tuna dish had a good portion)
(my crab boil was 1 lb of Dungeness crab with potatoes and corn in Cajun sauce)

The food was fresh and fantastic! I had four choices for sauce for the crab boil and I picked the original Cajun. It was delicious and I had no regrets!


Flagship has a unique atmosphere and service too. Their operations are efficient and the servers are prompt and friendly. When you are ready to order your food, you put this pirate flag up! That idea entertained the kids.

They also have a bar area and serve specialty cocktails, beer and wine. There were also local options too.

Flagship address: 1601 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

(Note: This restaurant review and many others are anonymous reviews by SanLuisObispoMom.com. They did not know I was coming and planning on writing a review. I was just a patron coming in to enjoy a nice lunch with my family.)

To see other pictures of restaurants that I've visited in San Luis Obispo County, go to the Restaurants Page.

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Vista Steak and Seafood

My family and I have visited Vista Steak and Seafood (formerly Flagship) for a few times now and I've to say that they are pretty solid. I've ordered their sea bass and my 2 kids typically share a pizza from the kid's menu as they usually bake a whole pizza pie for that. Here is a picture of my sea bass dish below:


You can also view an Instagram reel of my awesome ocean view from my seat while I was enjoying another sea bass from Vista Steak and Seafood. 

Grover Beach is located geographical between Pismo Beach and Oceano Dunes. However, it's not as famous as the two beaches so I can see why it's much harder to find Grover Beach t-shirts in Pismo Beach or Oceano. See all Grover Beach T-Shirts


More popularly, many Central Coast fans would purchase 805 shirt. 805 is the area code for Grover Beach. This area code encompasses Grover Beach, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and pretty much most, if not all, of the Central Coast of California. There's also a local beer company that produces a beer called 805 so you'll see a lot of t-shirts made by them with that area code too.