Fun things to do in San Luis Obispo

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I would imagine this is more for locals, but if you want to relax with locals in a great city park, try Laguna Lake Park. This park has easy walking trails surrounding the lake. Their is also a picnic and kids playground area. Walking around I seen plenty of Cal Poly students studying on the grass, young professional having lunch at the picnic tables. Barbeques going and families laughing, this really is a lovely place. For some funky reason, it is a bit chilly here compared to town, but not uncomfortable though. From the outside gates, this place does not look like much, but keep on driving inside, you will be glad you did.

If you're looking for good deals and fun places to go around town, check out www.slohappyhours.com. I use this site on a regular basis - the information is up-to-date, and I'm always surprised at what great deals are in town!!

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California Polytechnic State University is one of America's top universities with superb programs in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Aerospace Engineering, and Civil Engineering that rank among the best in the nation. This beautiful campus at the north edge of San Luis Obispo has about 20,000 students. Cal Poly's Mustangs football team plays in Division 1-AA (now the football championship subdivision) and has a monument at the edge of the stadium in memory of 18 team members who died in a plane crash in 1960. Notable Cal Poly grads include NFL Hall of Famer John Madden, MLB Hall of Famer Ozzie Smith, and former astronauts Frederick Sturckow and Robert Gibson.

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Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa was the fifth of 21 California missions, and was founded by Father Junipero Serra in 1772. The oldest existing buildings were completed in 1794. The mission marks the mid point between the most southerly mission in San Diego and the northernmost mission in Sonoma. Like the other California Missions, this one was secularized after Mexican independence, and it fell into ruin by the 1850s.

From 1769 to 1823 Spain constructed 21 missions along the California Coast between San Diego and Sonoma. El Camino Real--the King's Highway--is a series of roads from San Diego to San Francisco which connected Spain's missions, 3 pueblos (or towns located in LA, San Jose, & Santa Cruz plus a 4th established by Mexico in Sonoma), & 4 presidios (at San Diego, Santa Barbara, Monterey, and San Francisco) along the California coast. The first outpost on this trail--San Diego--was established in 1769 while the final mission at Sonoma was completed in 1823.

The missions were religious centers, run by a priest, for the purpose of converting the native population to Christianity. The presidios' main function was a strategic military fortification and barracks, primarily to prevent competing colonial claims from Britain or Russia along the California Coast. The pueblos were designed as towns to provide food & other support to the military presidios. The last piece of the intricate colonial structure of the Spanish was the ranchos which consisted of some 800 private plots of land land used for farming.

After Mexico took over the Spanish region of California in the 1830s the government secularized the missions and sold off their lands. The next 50 years saw many of the missions fall into ruin. In the late 1800s, the US government returned the mission buildings to the Catholic Church, and most have been rebuilt and restored. I have visited all 12 of the missions from San Luis Obispo north to Sonoma, and each is open and welcoming to the public, most with museums and beautiful gardens. While most of the missions offer free admission, some charge just for the museum and a handful charge visitors to view any part of the interior, even the church.

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One of the first Chinese to settle in San Luis Obispo was a Cantonese man named On Wong, better known as Ah Louis. He arrived in SLO in 1870 after an unsuccessful attempt at gold mining. He opened his shop at 800 Palm Street to serve the growing Chinese community, and the building still stands at this site today. He later organized labor parties to construct key roads and railroad tunnels in the area.

SLO's Chinatown sprang up around Ah Louis' store. Chinese residents called the area "Tong Yun Fow," or Chinese People’s City. The area grew to less than 400 Chinese by 1890, making up some 10 percent of SLO's total population.

Today, besides the Ah Louis building, a chop suey shop called Mee Heng Low, Chong's Candy Store, and a Chinese theater are the only remnants of this community. When the parking garage next to Ah Louis was constructed, students from Cal Poly did an archeology dig at the site, and on display on the back of the first floor are photos, stories, pottery, and foundations of one of the old buildings.

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Shell Beach is the "locals" beach on the Central Coast. You will find a lot of students and young people here, and there is no pier, and it's a bit of a hike from the parking areas down to the beach, but this really just helps keep tourists away. Many people bring their dogs down to the beach here, and there are no lifeguards, and police presence is rare, so it is much easier to drink and have a good time down at Shell Beach without being harassed. Some people try to surf here too, but there are much better spots around the Central Coast to catch some good waves. If it's a really hot day in San Luis Obispo, the weather should be perfect down at the beach. Tip: if it's foggy at Shell Beach (especially during the summertime), try going up the coast a couple of miles to Avila Beach, where they have many more days of sunshine than Pismo Beach or Shell Beach.

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Hearst Castle was constructed from 1919 to 1947 by newspaper baron and former congressman William Randolph Hearst. The main structure, called Casa Grande, has over 60,000 square feet and features a huge medieval dining room, a pool designed after Roman baths, and a main sitting room full of European artwork. Guests were welcome at all times, and they could stay at one of the three guest houses, or they could take advantage of the Casa Grande's 56 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, and 19 sitting rooms, but there was no room service... all guests were expected to take dinner with Mr Hearst and the other guests in the main dining room. While staying at the house, visitors were welcome to use the Neptune Pool, a huge swimming pool overlooking the Pacific Ocean and framed with actual Greek ruins that Hearst imported from Europe, or they could enjoy the huge collection of animals at the world's largest private zoo. The buildings at Hearst Castle were designed by architect Julia Morgan.

Five tours of Hearst Castle are available: the experience tour for an overview, tour two for the upper floors, tour three for the north wing and Casa Del Monte, tour four for the gardens, and the evening tour. Guided tours are $20 to $30 per adult depending on the tour you choose and the season. Though some people recommend skipping the experience tour and moving on to tours two or three for a more in-depth look at the castle, we decided to try this basic tour to get a good background and overview of the facilities. We started at the Neptune Pool, went through Casa Del Mar, then entered Casa Grande to visit the main sitting room, the dining room, some guest rooms, the theater, and the Roman Pool. After the one hour and 45 minute tour, you may watch the National Geographic film on the building of the castle back at the visitors center. I thought this was a great tour for our first visit, especially as we weren't overly familiar with the background of the castle.

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There are many wonderful things to do Downtown. Gallerys, Pubs, Bookstores, Restaurants and so forth. Very laid back, friendly and fun. A walking downtown, easy to get around. The main streets are Monterey and Higauri.