California's Central Coast: The Complete Guide SEE FULL GUIDE prev next Food to Try Best Restaurants in Paso Robles Best San Luis Obispo Restaurants Best Monterey Restaurants Best Time to Visit Weather & Climate Driving the Pacific Coast Highway Best Destinations Best Big Sur Hotels Best Monterey Hotels Best Pismo Beach Hotels Bed-and-Breakfasts Along the Coast Where to Camp Things to Do in Big Sur Big Sur Hot Springs Big Sur Beaches Things to Do in Monterey Things to Do in Carmel-by-the-Sea Things to Do in Paso Robles Things to Do in San Luis Obsipo San Luis Obispo County Beaches Hearst Castle Guide What to Do in Pismo Beach California's Central Coast: The Complete Guide close Overview United States California Plan a Vacation in Pismo Beach The ultimate California beach getaway By Betsy Malloy Betsy Malloy Facebook Twitter Betsy has been writing about California for nearly more than two decades as TripSavvy's expert on the state. TripSavvy's editorial guidelines Updated on 08/30/19 Fact checked by Erin Medlicott Fact checked by Erin Medlicott LinkedIn Twitter New York University Rutgers University Erin Medlicott is a fact checker and researcher with a background in lifestyle and finance. Prior to her work at TripSavvy, she did financial research for the American Express Departures Magazine as well as the Wall Street Journal. She earned a TripSavvy's fact-checking Bill Richards/Flickr/CC BY-NC 2.0 Pismo Beach, located halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles is the quintessential California beach town. It's a smaller town, with a short main drag leading to a pier jutting out into the sea. It's the kind of place where you can play beach volleyball or fly a kite, then drop into the local clam chowder joint for a bite to eat. nik wheeler / Getty Images Why Should You Vacation in Pismo Beach? If you're planning a Pismo Beach vacation, it's perfect for a family getaway or a wild time playing on the sand. With wide, sandy beaches, Pismo has plenty of places to work on your tan, build a sand castle or dig for Pismo clams. The sand dunes on the west side of town are a fun place to ride an ATV or take a guided tour in a Hummer vehicle with Pacific Adventure Tours or Xtreme Hummer Adventures. Passenger vehicles can also drive onto the beach - and you can camp on it, too. If you get tired of the beach, the San Luis Obispo wine country is nearby. Moelyn Photos / Getty Images Best Time to Take a Pismo Beach Vacation Californians know that summer isn't our best beach season, but in case you're from somewhere else and planning a Pismo Beach vacation, you need to know that the California coast is prone to "June gloom." That happens when the offshore ocean fog layer comes inland and hovers over the shore all day long. It can start as early as "May Gray", sometimes lingering into "No Sky July". That makes it easy to guess that April or August may be better times of year to visit. In fact, the best time for a Pismo Beach vacation, weather-wise is Spring or Fall when the skies are clearer and crowds smaller. Things to Do on a Pismo Beach Vacation Riding on the dunes is the most popular activity at Pismo Beach, but there's plenty to do besides that. You can play on the beach, go on a biplane ride, go visit a scenic lighthouse or take a drive along the coast. Events for Your Pismo Beach Vacation Monarch butterflies winter at Pismo State Beach from November through February. The Pismo Beach Classic car show brings lots of cool autos to town the third weekend in June. The Pismo Beach Clam Festival happens in October. Courtesy of Brad's Restaurant Where to Eat on Your Pismo Beach Vacation You'll find plenty of places to eat in your Pismo Beach vacation and some nice places for oceanfront dining. You can use your favorite app or website to find a place to eat that will suit your taste best, but you can't beat Splash Cafe at 197 Pomeroy Ave for yummy clam chowder. According to AAA's Via magazine, Splash Cafe was mentioned among the best places to eat clam chowder on the West Coast. All those happy customers can't be wrong, slurping up more than 40,000 gallons of it per year. Just down the street, Brad's restaurant serves good clams and chips (or fish and chips) and they have a sunny outdoor patio. Courtesy of SeaCrest OceanFront Hotel Where to Stay on Your Pismo Beach Vacation You'll find plenty of hotel options for your Pismo Beach vacation. Some of them are situated on the bluffs above the ocean, with fantastic views. You can use Tripadvisor to compare prices and check visitor reviews. Many people also spend their Pismo Beach vacation in a recreational vehicle. Some of the area campgrounds include companies who will rent you an RV and deliver it to your campsite even if you don't own one. Mimi Ditchie Photography/Getty Images Side Trips and Nearby Towns A few miles north of Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo is one of California's oldest towns, with an old Spanish mission to explore and a lively downtown shopping area. Avila Beach is just north of Pismo, on the north side of the shallow bay. It's a smaller place, with a charming fishing harbor and a few places to eat. Tours to visit the scenic Point San Luis Lighthouse also leave from Avila. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Share Pin Email Tell us why! Submit Share Pin Email