Kid-Friendly Things To Do in San Luis Obispo
Every time Chris and I go back to San Luis Obispo, we immediately feel at home. We recently took a 4-day/3-night trip with both kids and had so much fun we found ourselves scrolling through Zillow and dreaming of the day we plan our move up. All jokes aside, whether you live up north or in southern California, I can never recommend a trip to the Central Coast enough. San Luis Obispo is such a great place to travel with kids.
Here are a few of the kid-friendly things we had a blast doing:
The SLO Children’s Museum - It’s an entirely kid-focused activity compared to wine tasting or some other things on this list, but if you’re down for even an hour or two, both my 4 and 2.5 year old had a blast running around this place. They’ve got tons of interactive stations (think magnets, kinetic sand, air tubes), imaginative play areas (space shuttle, diner/kitchen, trains) and an entire outdoor area we didn’t even get the chance to explore! One of the most affordable and well-curated children’s museums that we’ve been to (children 2 and under free).
Avila Beach - There are so many great beaches to visit but this is definitely my favorite for taking the kids. We went pretty early on a Saturday morning to 1) find decent parking, 2) grab some coffee at Kraken, and 3) beat the heat. We lucked out with low tide as well which means the beach was wide open and calm, ideal for seashell hunting and splashing around. There are also plenty of swings on the beach and a nearby playground, not to mention the Avila Beach aquarium (which we didn’t make it to but have heard is a fun spot as well).
Sinsheimer Park - We took Callie here on our last visit to SLO and knew we’d have to come back. There are playgrounds for all ages, some super long slides and a fun zipline to swing on. Pro tip: We like to start each day with a coffee shop stop (shoutout to our forever favorite, Nautical Bean) and a park/kid-activity to give them time to run around and play before moving on to things that we’re more interested in like shopping around downtown, going out to eat, wine tasting, etc.
SLO Ranch - This place was brand new to us and very family friendly! They’ve got an awesome marketplace, food hall, petting zoo and lots of outdoor space to run around and soak up the sun. If you’ve ever visited the River Street Marketplace in San Juan Capistrano, it reminded me of their set up as well.
Other honorable mentions (that we didn’t make it to this time around but would definitely do in future trips) - make it to Thursday night Farmer’s Market!, visit Avila Valley Barn, take them to see the elephant seals in San Simeon (and Hearst Castle when they’re older), walk/hike around the Cal Poly campus, drive out on the Pismo dunes
I hope you get the chance to visit San Luis Obispo sometime, whether on your own or with kids. And if you’ve been, let me know if you have any other recommendations you’d add to this list — we’re already itching to get back up the coast again soon!
