The Ultimate San Luis Obispo, CA Bucket List

Located betwixt the lush greenish peaks of mid-California lives San Luis Obispo, oregon SLO for short. Near the seashore and with a vibrant downtown scene, SLO offers the cleanable equilibrium of outdoor and indoor activities for all. Whether you’ve lived successful SLO for years oregon are looking to buy a home oregon rent an apartment here, beneath you’ll find a compilation of the apical San Luis Obispo bucket database items. Ranging from downtown activities to cafes to hikes and bikes to restaurants, this bucket database has it all.

Photo courtesy of Cycle Central Coast

1. Check retired a trendy creation cafe

If you’re similar galore of america and you can’t commencement your time without being decently caffeinated, SLO has an abundance of section java shops to take from. One of the much uber-cool spots is The Bunker which not lone serves java from the Nautical Bean, different section java spot, but besides acts arsenic an creation gallery/event space/artist studio. Even cooler, The Bunker “has a caller creation grounds each period with an ‘all are welcome’ opening connected the archetypal Friday of the period and tons of unrecorded music, workshops and events during the evenings.”

Photo courtesy of The Bunker

2. Support section astatine the farmers market

Located connected 1 of SLO’s much ‘happening’ streets lives the play Downtown Farmers’ Market. The San Luis Obispo Guide boasts of the lively event: “Every Thursday evening, Higuera Street comes live with unrecorded euphony and entertainment, the affable chatter of locals and visitors alike, and the enticing aromas of delicious BBQ, caller section nutrient from implicit 100 vendors, gourmet treats, and artisan goods.”

The Downtown Farmers’ Market is simply a large mode to get progressive with the assemblage and enactment section businesses whether you’re grabbing a wound to eat, produce, oregon a handmade good. Shelby, from the question blog Sedation Vacations, claims “There’s nary amended mode to acquisition the vibe of the metropolis than by going to the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market!…[T]his bustling marketplace spans 5 blocks and features implicit 100 section vendors starting astatine 6 p.m. each Thursday night. Whether you’re looking for caller produce, hand-crafted goods, delectable breadstuff and pastries, oregon conscionable privation to beryllium entertained by unrecorded euphony portion enjoying immoderate celebrated Central Coast BBQ, there’s thing for everyone astatine the Downtown SLO Farmers’ Market!”

Photo Courtesy of the San Luis Obispo Guide

3. Shop ‘till you driblet successful Downtown San Luis Obispo

A SLO indispensable is exploring Downtown SLO and stopping astatine galore – if not each – the cute stores. One of the champion is the SLO General Store which is located wrong the SLO Public Market and is simply a one-stop store for section gifts. Not lone bash they person a assortment of large gifts, but the store was “created with the ngo to supply opportunities for section artisans and makers to link with section consumers, the SLO General Store features implicit 80 section artisans, growers, and makers.” 

4. Take a travel to Morro Bay

If you’re looking for an flight to the water, Morro Bay is the cleanable small travel and is lone a speedy 20-minute thrust from SLO. The Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce recommends 3 main activities: the Lost Isle Adventures circuit to larn astir the past of the bay, Morro Bay Boat Rentals for those wanting to skipper their ain 10’ boat, and Morro Bay Sub Sea Tours which features a harbor cocktail cruise, solid bottommost boat, and whale watching. If you clip it right, you’ll get to oversea (get it?) whales connected the bay arsenic “Morro Bay is connected the migration signifier to 2 antithetic whale species, grey whales and humpback whales.”

Photo Courtesy of the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce

5. Take the scenic route—by bike!

One of the main draws of SLO is its beauteous outdoors and “access to an unthinkable scope of roads and trails” for a quality walk, run, rollerblade, oregon our proposal — a motorcycle ride! If you don’t ain a bike, Cycle Central Coast has respective shops successful SLO wherever you tin rent them. Beaming astir the unthinkable coastal views, instrumentality their “endurance cycling excursion done our Cycle Central Coast Morro Rock Descent route[or] clim[b] the ungraded paths and grit-testing inland hills of the Central Coast” oregon scope of long-distance routes. Despite motorcycle level, there’s definite to beryllium the cleanable scenic way for everyone. 

6. Take a hike

There’s truthful overmuch gorgeous scenery to research successful SLO, and overmuch of it tin beryllium seen connected a hike. Artist Bobby of Bobby Boss Art finds overmuch inspiration from SLO’s gorgeous landscapes and recommends uncovering “a hiking buddy and explor[ing] a way similar the “M Trail” connected Cerro San Luis” for “amazing views of the city, and quintessential quality acquisition for SLO.” In fact, the M Trail is conscionable 1 of the 3 stops of the SLO “Tri Tip Peak Challenge.” This carnal situation includes hiking the M Trail, Bishop’s Peak, and California Polytechnic University’s “P” successful 1 day, and ends astatine section eatery, Firestone Grill, for a tri-tip sandwich reward.

7. Try caller cuisine

If a tri-tip sandwich isn’t your cupful of tea, SLO has respective unthinkable restaurants to take from. If you’re looking to effort a caller cuisine, similar Ethiopian, Ebony SLO is 1 of the best, and is some minority- and women-owned. Created with the extremity of bringing assemblage unneurotic implicit food, Ebony has indoor and outdoor seating which is cleanable for those sunny California days, Ethiopian music, and “[It’s] a indispensable sojourn for the amazing, vegan, integrated and gluten-free nutrient cooked with emotion and care.” according to the spot itself. If you’re looking for unsocial fusion food, different large edifice enactment is Todo Bueno All Good Grill, a wok-seared, California-Mexican joint. This spot has balcony eating with a presumption of the SLO Public Market and a large enactment of draught beers and section wines.

Photo courtesy of Ebony SLO

8. Sample vino with a broadside of adventure

Speaking of wine, if you’re of age, Uncorked Wine Tours offers a unsocial vino circuit that combines a zipline excursion and tastings of section wine. If you’re funny astir the day’s itinerary, they’ve outlined it for you: “[You’ll] statesman your time soaring done the picturesque landscapes connected a zipline excursion implicit lush vineyards astatine Margarita Adventures. Afterwards, immerse yourself successful the region’s affluent viticultural practice with vino tastings and a delectable luncheon astatine a charming winery. Finally, unwind with handcrafted spirits and a sojourn to a section brewery, completing an unforgettable exploration of SLO’s vibrant culture, and earthy beauty.”

9. Soaring done SLO via helicopter 

If you’re successful the temper for adjacent much adventure, adhd flying a chopper to your San Luis Obispo bucket list. Helipro offers an introductory formation wherever you instrumentality the controls (with experienced instructors of course) to acquisition SLO from a caller perspective. Helipro says this acquisition is for each levels: “Whether you’re a budding aviator oregon simply seeking an unforgettable adventure, this is your accidental to elevate your senses and make lasting memories.” This unsocial acquisition provides hands-on acquisition for those wanting to soar done the skies and instrumentality successful the picturesque SLO quality from a bird’s oculus view. 

10. Visit the lavender

Beyond the bay, Downtown, and the respective peaks, SLO is besides adjacent by to beauteous farms. From mid-May to the extremity of June, luscious fields of lavender bloom astatine Hambly Farms. This workplace features 3 shot fields filled with assorted types of lavender, which is cleanable for a precocious spring/early summertime stroll. You tin harvest a caller bouquet, unbend successful the scent and bask the view, battalion a picnic, sojourn the affable workplace animals, and cheque retired “the workplace store loaded with property grown and crafted products similar lavender indispensable lipid and sachets and tons of treats to devour excessively – charcuterie boxes, gelato, and more” arsenic Hambly Farms recommends. 

Photo courtesy of Hambly Farms

11. Stop by a section bakery for a saccharine small treat

If you’re successful the temper for a dainty aft each those activities, oregon conscionable person a spot of a saccharine tooth, SLO is location to respective tasty section bakeries. An SLO staple is SloDoCo, a donut store featuring respective flavors, seasonal specials (I emotion the worms n’ ungraded donut successful the fall!), and options for antithetic nutrient preferences. Jackie, the gluten-free nutrient blogger of Gluten Free Follow Me, recommends SloDoCo, particularly for gluten-free eaters: “I’m gluten-free truthful I was excited to observe that they marque GF donuts! I’ve tried the GF chocolate, lavender, vanilla, and maple donut flavors, and you can’t spell incorrect with immoderate of them.” 

Another large spot for a treat, particularly connected a warmer time is The Creamery Marketplace, a marketplace located down the intersection of Higuera and Nipomo streets. A best-kept section secret, the open-air marketplace merges the Central Coast’s storied dairy past with a modern acquisition with respective “diverse eateries, artisan handiwork, and a bustling culinary assemblage – each hidden successful plain sight” according to The Creamery.

12. Tour the SLO coast

Besides Morro Bay, SLO has its precise ain bay with arsenic large tours. SLO Tours offers vessel adventures successful the San Luis Obispo Bay to “explore Fossil Point Sea Caves, Otter Town, Pelican Jetty, Sea Lion Rock, Smith Island and views of Point San Luis Lighthouse successful conscionable 1 tour” says proprietor and skipper Micheal Brink. The carnal sightings and beauteous views marque an excursion connected the bay much than worthwhile, on with a large mode to get acquainted with the surrounding nature.

13. Experience the section creation scene

SLO is besides location to a vibrant creation country with a peculiar section contented that occurs connected the archetypal Friday of each period and spans crossed respective neighborhoods successful SLO. Art After Dark is simply a self-guided creation locomotion wherever “the SLO assemblage is invited to bask visual, literary, and performing creation astatine section businesses and galleries” according to SLO County Arts. Not lone is this a unsocial accidental to enactment section artists and businesses and get connected with the community, but what amended mode to get immersed successful SLO civilization than done art? 

Photo courtesy of SLO County Arts

14. Go connected a nutrient tour

SLO has proven to beryllium a hub for large food, but if you’re looking for a peculiar foodie experience, adhd this culinary travel to your list. Taste of SLO – Walking Food Tour offers a one-of-a-kind acquisition that takes users done Downtown SLO streets to illustration foods “from locally sourced artisanal cheeses to mouthwatering farm-to-table dishes” for the eventual sensation of SLO’s thriving nutrient scene. This circuit truly is for everyone whether “you’re a seasoned foodie oregon conscionable discovering your palate, our adept guides volition pb you to hidden gems and iconic eateries that volition permission you craving more” says Taste of SLO. 

15. Hang retired with animals 

SLO is besides adjacent to carnal sanctuaries similar the Greener Pastures Farm Sanctuary successful Arroyo Grande, which is conscionable a abbreviated thrust from Downtown SLO. This is the cleanable enactment for carnal lovers of each ages arsenic the workplace has a assortment of animals to conscionable from miniature donkeys to goats to sheep to geese to sanction a few. Since this is simply a sanctuary, Greener Pastures invites the nationalist to “meet the rescued animals up adjacent and perceive their stories of triumph and forgiveness from docents who enactment with them weekly.” This acquisition is guaranteed to lukewarm your bosom with the cute animals and inspiring betterment stories. 

16. Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa

The eventual SLO bucket database wouldn’t beryllium implicit without a travel to the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa. As the archetypal ngo founded successful the onshore of the Chumash Native Americans, this spot is simply a peculiar portion of SLO history. Michael of MK Library recommends grabbing a java oregon wound to devour downtown and taking a stroll on the San Luis Obispo Creek Trail. “There are plentifulness of spots to beryllium and bask a spot of greenery, with speedy entree to the section and precise unsocial artistically boutique shops. If you clip it right, you tin acquisition the bells from Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa” says Michael. If you privation to perceive the bells ringing up close, we urge visiting the Mission’s plot for an up-close look astatine the beauteous architecture to truly sorb SLO’s historical roots.

The station The Ultimate San Luis Obispo, CA Bucket List appeared archetypal connected Redfin | Real Estate Tips for Home Buying, Selling & More.