Pismo Beach, California

Pismo Beach, California is a fascinating place to visit. You can find all sorts of activities to do in Pismo and Shell Beach which is a small unincorporated town within Pismo.

Pismo takes on the appearance and attitude of a small surfing town and there are surfers and a lots of surf shops but it is much more than just an active surfing town.

The town has a great pier which is unusually wide. The 1200 foot pier is great for fishing or walking out over the sea to watch the surfers and sunsets. The day we visited Pismo we saw a whale spout. The spouts are really cool. They look like a puff of smoke popping up out of the water.

In Pismo you can ride a horse on the beach or rent an ATV to explore the dunes. The dunes are one cool place to camp, surf, windsurf or camp. You can even rent those two wheel motorized bikes and ride on the beach. I wish I had taken a picture of one of those things sliding across the sand but I didn't.

This is really interesting and something I didn't know or ever think about until my wife mentioned it. Pismo is the Clam Capital of the world. I don't really like clams but digging for them would be fun. Get this, you have to have a fishing license to dig for clams. I wonder why?

If you are into RV camping you can find several clean, nice parks in the area. Tent camping and camping on the dunes is available.

Golfing, windsurfing, biking, bowling and many other activities are available in Pismo.

The Monarch Butterfly groves are located in Pismo and it is a must see. There is no charge to see the butterflies and very educational. See the butterfly in the picture to the right. It was one among thousands hanging from the trees. The video below show the butterflies hanging from the trees so be sure to watch the video.

The Dunes!

The dunes are an exciting place to drive your off road vehicles. If you don't own an off road vehicle you can rent one from one of the many vendors in the area.

Wind surfing is a great sport in Pismo. While we were there we spotted numerous surfers riding the waves.

I have never tried windsurfing but it looks like the surfers are having a great time. I would love to try it but... well, I will leave the surfing to the young people.

The winds from the Pacific Ocean blow the sand which in turn create the dunes and make it great for wind surfing and kite flying.

When you visit the Central Coast of California you just have to make Pismo a place you visit.

The Three Most Important things to know about Pismo.

DO - You can knock around the many shops and gift stores in town or visit the home of the Monarch Butterfly. If you are coming to Pismo to ride the dunes on your off road vehicle then you know where to go. There is Shell Beach, Grover Beach and Avila Beach close by. Believe me, you will not have a problem finding something to do in the Pismo Beach area of California. The local chamber of commerce has a complete list of events and things to do Click Here for more information.

STAY - The Town of Pismo and Shell Beach have many wonderful hotels, motels and bed and breakfasts in which to enjoy a great nights sleep. We have supplied several advertisements for companies of which you can book a room in the area.

EAT- Fine dining, casual dining or maybe just a quick hamburger, whatever you are hungry for is located in Pismo. Some of the restaurants will even allow your dog to dine with you. Click on this link for Pismo Beach Dinning.