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Avila Beach is a special beach city for us because my husband works in Avila Beach. Although a beautiful place, local residential housing options are very limited there. Right in the middle of a lot of businesses, is an entrance to the old public Avila Beach Pier, which is solely made out of wood and when we walked on it (currently still closed) with my 5 year old and 2 year old sons, they stumbled a few times. It's not as smooth as the Pismo Beach Pier but it's worth trying to walk on, if you are able. The views, not surprisingly, are phenomenal.


On one side, you see the pretty homes on the hills right above the water and on the other side, you see another pier but that one's private by Cal Poly. If you have excellent vision, you'll also see that there is a third pier in Avila Beach called Port San Luis Pier. Scroll down to see the link for the photos of the third pier. The third pier is open to the public and my most favorite pier of the 3 piers in Avila Beach! See videos of Port San Luis Pier, also known as Harford Pier, that I've taken.


We took advantage of the free beach trolley from Pismo Beach Outlets to get to Avila Beach! It was such a fun ride for the kids. They offer the free trolley on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays during the spring, summer and fall season. It's a great way to venture out without having to worry about finding parking. This is a great transportation system for tourists and locals!


If you happen to be coming to Avila Beach on a Friday during mid-spring through the summer, you can enjoy their farmers market that also has free music entertainment! Many locals bring their lawn chairs to enjoy the show. There are tents selling food and fresh produce and conveniently all located next to the Avila Beach Pier.

Even on a normal day without any events going on, hanging out at the beach in Avila Beach is very enjoyable with many restaurants to pick from nearby.


To see other free things to do with kids in SLO, go to the Family-friendly things to do page.

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

As mentioned earlier in this post, Avila Beach has a total of three piers. One of those piers is not open to the public and is owned by Cal Poly (our local university). However, the Avila Beach Pier (closest to the restaurants) and the far end fishing pier called Port San Luis Pier are both open to the public. See my blog post and pictures of Port San Luis Pier in Avila Beach.

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

As a Central Coast local, we like having campfires at the beach in Oceano at Pismo State Beach. We do this every so often and sometimes newbies come up to us to ask for advice. Click on this collage image, to quickly add all of these campfire essentials to your list.

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2025 Update: The boa constrictor at CD's Pet Emporium has passed away. However, there are still many animals there to view.

A new favorite thing for us to do is visit the boa constrictor at CD's Pet Emporium in Arroyo Grande. It's so rare to find a boa constrictor in a pet shop so this is an amazing and unique attribute that this pet shop currently has. They have a large reptile area in the back that is dimly lit. All of the animals looks healthy and happy!

They also have 2 large parrots and other small birds towards the front of the shop! Right when you walk into the door of CD's Pet Emporium, you'll be firstly greeted by the guinea pigs and mice. You'll also see a line of fishes along the wall. 

So if you're shopping for a new pet for the kids, I suggest to make a visit to this local pet shop as well. It's located in the Smart & Final shopping center, which also has the Slice Pizza and Games so this shopping center has a lot of offer! 

Address of CD's Pet Emporium: 1402 E Grand Ave, Arroyo Grande, CA 93420. Arroyo Grande is a city located in San Luis Obispo County and right next to Grover Beach.

To see other free things to do in SLO and the nearby beaches, go to the Family-friendly event page.

The best part about Avila Valley Barn is that it's free to visit the farm animals here! There are dozens and dozens of goats! There are also chickens, ponies, cows, sheep and other animals! You can buy some lettuce to feed at their store to feed the the goats and this made it a very wonderful experience for the kids. 

We also took advantage of their pony ride, extra fee, for the kids. It's a short ride but my 2 year old thoroughly enjoyed every second of it! 

If you're hungry, you can also buy some bbq like a tri-tip sandwich, hot dog, etc. I was curious after I have bought my tri-tip sandwich if the chips and drink were supposed to come with it, because I didn't grab them. It wasn't clearly stated on the menu so double check if you're wondering as well. They also have an ice cream shop on property. 

There are also a lot of baked goods and fresh produce inside of the market. The line to buy can get really long unexpectedly and it could be 30 minutes later that there's no one in line at all. It's like they come in waves.

During the fall season, they'll have pumpkins and a fun fall backdrop for a nice photo opportunity with your family! See pictures that I took during my visit at Avila Valley Barn in October below or go to my instagram reel to see a video of my pumpkin patch visit at Avila Valley Barn.

See a list of 10 Pumpkin Patches all over San Luis Obispo County.

Avila Valley Barn is so kid-friendly and fun! We can't wait to come back again. Address of Avila Valley Barn: 560 Avila Beach Dr, San Luis Obispo, CA 93405

To see other family-friendly things to do in San Luis Obispo county, go to: http://www.sanluisobispomom.com/family-friendly-events.php.

Popular Things To Do with Kids in San Luis Obispo County

• Central Coast Zoo (Formerly Charles Paddock Zoo) -- Read my blog review
• Hearst Castle -- Read my blog review
• The Ravine Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• Mustang Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• San Luis Obispo Children's Museum -- Read  my blog review
• Central Coast Aquarium -- Read my blog review
• San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum -- Learn more
• Paso Robles Children's Museum -- Read my blog review
• Exploration Discovery Center -- Read my blog review
• Museum of Natural History -- Learn more
• Avila Valley Barn -- Read my blog review

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Re-love that old office chair by putting on a new seat cover for the desk chair.

@pismobeach I got grandfathered in this old chair with brown spots so I got a washing chair cover to cover the flaws. It works like a charm. 

Paso Robles Children's Museum

Paso Robles Children's Museum was having a free day for everyone so we took advantage of this opportunity to also explore Paso Robles a bit. Many locals who live in Paso Robles with little ones come here quite often.

Paso Robles Children's Museum is 2 stories full of kid's activities and an outdoor area with more play as well! There are a lot things to build with and climb on. They also have a ball pit!

The museum offers military discounts so do mention that if your family is military! During the festive seasons, this museum host special events for the family.

Address of Paso Robles Children's Museum: 623 13th St, Paso Robles, CA 93446;

Justin's Winery Tasting Room

Since the Paso Robles Children's Museum is located in downtown Paso Robles, we decided to meet a friend afterwards at the Justin's Winery Tasting Room that is also conveniently located right across from the city park in Downtown Paso Robles.

At Justin's Downtown Tasting Room, you will immediately be wowed as you enter. Whoever designed this tasting room deserves an award. It is modern, sleek and what I like to call it, posh!

I immediately felt like we didn't belong because we had two kids in their double strollers. Well, the staff made sure we didn't feel out of place and luckily, our friend is a member so as his guests, we were able to try the tastings for free. Seating were also reserved for members only. Address of Justin's Downtown Tasting Room: 811 12th St., Paso Robles, California 93446

Read about another tasting room in Downtown Paso Robles that I tried called Alpha Omega Collective.

Bianchi Winery

After having a small taste of fine wine, we decided to continue on and find a place where the kids can roam around more freely.

Having heard that the Bianchi Winery has boats that the kids can use remote controllers to run, we decided to check the place out. Although they no longer have boats with remote controllers or any boats at all, the koi fishes in the pond were enough to entertain the kids.

They offered fish food for free to feed! The kois are very well taken care of. They're beautiful and large. I'd say there were at least 50 of them. If that's not enough to entice you, wait until you see the views from where you're standing! It's breathtaking as you take in all the vineyards on the hills and it's nice to feel disconnected from the hustle and bustle of city life for just a moment.

I am not at all surprised to learn that many people get married here. The architecture of the tasting room, the views, koi fishes and spacious outdoor areas are all romantic and elegant. I totally think it's worth a visit.


Address of Bianchi Winery: 3380 Branch Rd, Paso Robles, CA 93446

Justin Winery and Bianchi Winery were just two wine tasting rooms that I visited on this particular day for this blog entry. Over the years, I've visited over 50 local wine tasting rooms. See my personal reviews for my top 10 favorite local wineries in Edna Valley and Paso Robles (both wine countries are part of San Luis Obispo County).

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 on a Carnival Cruise, Royal Caribbean or Princess Cruise. Read more of my blog entries to read about my local and travel adventures.

Reading Suggestions:

• Read my review for San Luis Obispo Children's Museum located in Downtown San Luis Obispo.
• Read my review for the Exploration Discovery Center located in Grover Beach.

Popular Things To Do with Kids in San Luis Obispo County:

• Central Coast Zoo (Formerly Charles Paddock Zoo) in Atascadero -- Read my blog review
• Hearst Castle -- Read my blog review
• The Ravine Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• Mustang Waterpark -- Read my blog review (only open for Summer)
• San Luis Obispo Children's Museum -- Read  my blog review
• Central Coast Aquarium -- Read my blog review
• San Luis Obispo Railroad Museum -- Learn more
• Paso Robles Children's Museum -- Read my blog review
• Exploration Discovery Center -- Read my blog review
• Museum of Natural History -- Learn more
• Avila Valley Barn -- Read my blog review

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Office Supplies for the Remote Worker

Most of my work is independent work where I'm just hashing out projects from my computer and communicating with my teammates via email and chat so working remotely from coffee shops requires me to continually upkeep my office supplies. Here are the supplies I usually bring with me, when I'm remotely working outside of the home:

• Noise Canceling Headphones with Microphone - I've had web meetings from a coffee shop before. My noise cancelling headset makes such a big difference and really helps keep my work life professional, as well as keep distractions to a minimum since it could get noisy in a coffee shop.
• Extension Cord - I'd also bring my extension cord in case the closest outlet from where I'm sitting at is more than a couple of feet away. Usually a 3 foot extension cord is enough to give me the right reach without the unnecessary clunkiness that a 10 foot extension cord has. This really helps when I am sitting at a coffee shop.
• Notebook Paper and Pens - When needed, the old fashion note taking can be a life saver. Getting a pretty notebook and pen set or themed set really sets a good mood for me when I see them at my desk.

Located in Pismo Beach and Shell Beach is a beautiful public park called Dinosaur Caves Park. It has a large playground for the kids and amazing cliff views. There are many climbing structures.


There are multiple viewing points with benches and it's so easy to take beautiful pictures. I call this place heaven on earth. The kids love the playground here and I'm hesitant to let them go near the cliff so I will only walk over there with them if they are strapped into their stroller. Here are the pictures I took of Dinosaur Caves Park.




Throughout the year, the City of Pismo Beach hosts many free events for the community here. Events that I've attended here included a Halloween event, Easter events and more.


I always enjoy walking around here. The views just gets better and better as you follow along the nice trail going west. This area is also dog-friendly. Address of Dinosaur Caves Park: 2701 Price St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449

Another playground that my kids and I like to go to in Shell Beach is Spyglass Park. It's a smaller park but I can always count on it to have less people so that I could find parking. See my pictures of Spyglass Park.

To see other things to do in Pismo Beach, go to: http://www.sanluisobispomom.com/family-friendly-events.php

Find well-insulated lunch bags to keep your food cool while out and about at parks and outdoor concerts.

As locals, we like having campfires at the beach. Find all the materials to start a campfire at the beach. Click on this collage image, to quickly add all of these campfire essentials to your list.

Go to my instagram to see my most recent beach pictures and videos that I've taken as a local.

@sanluisobispomom