Page 92 - 2019 Travel Guide to California

PISMO BEACH
Central California’s classic beach town
»BEACHCOMB,
EXPLORE, PLAY,
WINE & DINE!
Pismo Beach
Conference &
Visitors Bureau
classiccalifornia.com
MIDWAY BETWEEN San Francisco and
Los Angeles on California’s Central Coast,
Pismo Beach is so beloved that residents of
both Northern and Southern California
claim it. Does your ideal California beach
town come complete with a sandy strand
and wooden pier? That’s just what you get
with Pismo Beach.
THE PIER in Pismo Beach, above;
wine tasting at Pismo Beach, below.
Link to the Coast
The optimal beginning to a visit to this Cal-
ifornia beach town is to stroll on the Pismo
Beach Pier, allowing a peek at the ocean and
the beach below. When the current pier was
built in 1924, it looked a little different than
today, having adopted its four-diamond
layout after storm damage in 1983. At 1,200
feet long, it’s the 18th longest pier in Cali-
fornia. It had been closed since early 2017
for an $8.7-million renovation project, but
recently reopened with new sections, yet
the same old beauty and romance of the Cal-
ifornia coastline. You can spend nearly
every moment of the day here and be happy,
but be sure to come around for sunset.
New Places to Stay and Eat
One of the benefits of its Central California
location are Pismo Beach’s hotels and
restaurants that can take advantage of the
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B Y J I L L K. R O B I N S O N
beauty and bounty of land and sea. Old
favorites always win, but special new spots
give visitors a wealth of choices.
Craftsman-style Inn at the Pier is a new
104-room oceanfront hotel, just steps from
the pier and boardwalk, where you can
study the moods of the ocean and play on
the beach. Willow Kitchen & Cocktails
serves American classics like burgers and
fresh fish tacos, but the local wines and
craft beers add great tastes to the menu.
Start the day with a jolt from Scorpion Bay
Coffee Co., where the coffee and pastries
wake you up and keep you going for hours.
Pismo’s Great Outdoors
Beaches serve as Pismo Beach’s front yard.
It doesn’t matter whether you’re an intrepid
adventurer or a lover of leisure—the sandy
shores along the Pacific Coast are available
for nearly any level of adrenaline or relax-
ation. The annual Pismo Beach Open is on
the Men’s and Women’s World Surf League
schedule in the fall, when you can watch
great surfers while kicking back in the sand.
With breathtaking views of the Pacific, the
beautiful Chapman Estate is now open to
the public, and it’s also available for private
events and weddings so all can enjoy its
serene spaces.
PISMO BEACH CVB