About a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Los Angeles and three miles off the 101 Freeway between Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo, lies a little secret most travelers miss. It’s a quaint walkable village and a wide beach with soft white sand. Crystal clear blue waters, gentle waves and the sunniest hours of any Central Coast beach. Avila Beach is located in the port of Port San Luis and has mountains surrounding the town, so the fog clears earlier than other beaches in the area. Avila Beach has an average of 286 days of sunshine per year, even when other beaches are covered in fog.
This has been the norm for some for years. Sarah Elena, who now runs her vacation rental property, Casa San Her Miguelito, in Avila Beach, said her Loaiza, along with her husband, were looking for a cooler place than her home when she was diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency. I went up and down Route 101. She’s in Pasadena so she’s good for her health. They met some surfers in Cayucos and were told to go to Avila Beach, wanting both sunny days and cool sea breezes. Point San Luis also juts out at the western end of Avila Beach, making it safer and popular with surfers and families, as the beach is sheltered from the wind and the waves are calm.
“Avila is like a little secret of the Central Coast, a beach for the locals,” says James Whitaker, owner of Kraken Coffee in downtown Avila Beach. “Pismo has Bakersfield and [Central] The Valley, and Avila, have a completely different atmosphere. “
Avila Beach didn’t always have the relaxed beach town vibe. The Chumash have long foraged and fished along the coast before the area became Avila Beach. The first Spanish expedition landed in California in his 1769, and in the mid-1800s Miguel Avila received a grant from Mexico for his over 14,000 acres of land, including San Luis Obispo Bay and present-day Avila Beach. In the late 1800s, Captain John Harford built the Harford Pier, a commercial shipping pier that still stands today. Around the early 20th century, the area thrived as a shipping port to San Luis Obispo and was well-located for oil discoveries in the nearby Santa Maria Valley. At one time Avila Beach was the world’s largest oil port, with oil tankers lining the cliffs to the west of the beach.
In 1989, the discovery of an oil leak from an underground Unocal pipeline was made public, marking the end of the oil industry here. It took several years for the clean-up efforts to begin, and several more years for the town to become clean. rebuilt. Ultimately, 200,000 tons of contaminated soil had to be removed and residential and commercial buildings, including most of the historic buildings, destroyed. (Only his two commercial buildings, Avila Market and the San Luis Yacht Club, have been relocated and subsequently returned.) But from the ashes, and with the removal of an oil tanker in 1999, Avila Beach is It has created a new identity as a tourist destination.
Avila Beach is now a charming little beach town. With a population of he less than 1,500, you won’t find any chain restaurants or shops. Downtown consists of several blocks with several hotels, local restaurants, and small shops. Free street parking is available right in front of the beach. Note: The car fills up quickly on sunny weekend afternoons. If so, there is $7 all-day parking a block away.
The main beach is about 800 meters long and has most facilities such as bathrooms, showers, playgrounds and shops, but there are two other beaches within walking distance, Old Port Beach and Fisherman’s Beach. With limited parking in town and a limited number of his three separate beaches, the area doesn’t feel as crowded as other beaches, with the exception of summer weekends. trolley It runs from Pismo Premium Outlets to several stops at Avila Beach.
Most of the time, you’ll find sandy beaches, hot springs, hiking trails, wine tasting, and more to spend your vacation relaxing. Here’s what to do and where to eat when you’re done playing on the sand.
