HIT THE BEACH 2

Central Coast-California’s Best Beach Cities

PISMO BEACH

Lounge in style on the white beaches of the California coast. Pismo Beach offers premium ocean views, an amazing pier perfect for fishing, surfing and a great beach perfect for bumming around and having a cool beach day.  Check out the shops on the boardwalk or at the Pismo Beach Premium Outlets if you are in the shopping mood. Golfers will find plenty of desirable courses, and nature lovers will enjoy horseback riding or riding an ATV through the scenic sand dunes.

This classic beach town is located on California's famous central coast. It is half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles along Pacific Coast Highway and Highway 101. Pismo Beach offers long white beaches for taking a pleasant stroll or for just enjoying the spectacular views of the Pismo Beach sunset. Enjoy Pismo Beach's great weather and fabulous area wineries. You may also want to take advantage of the great Central Coast Golfing, riding the dunes on a four-wheel ATV, horseback riding, surfing, body boarding, or fishing from our 1200-foot pier. These are the many activities that you will find available to you as part of a Pismo Beach vacation. You may also want to take a leisurely walk on our award-winning boardwalk adjacent to the Pismo Beach pier. Shop at the Pismo Beach Premium Outlets, and be sure to visit the California Welcome Center while you are there.

SANTA CRUZ

Main Beach and Cowell Beach are like bookends for the Santa Cruz Municipal Pier, near the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. They are awesome during the summer and an enjoyable place to rest, play and take a break from the amusement park rides. There is a very easy way to tell which beach is which. If you're facing the pier and the ocean, Cowell Beach is on the right and Main Beach on the left. Many people combine a visit to Main Beach with a trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement park. Besides having fun on the boardwalk, you can play volleyball at the nets on Main Beach or just chill out with friends. Some people go fishing from the pier while others prefer to just people watch. Others go surfing at Cowell Beach, which is reputed to be one of the best places to learn how to surf. You can also rent kayaks and boats on the nearby pier. Lifeguard service is provided from Cowell Beach to the San Lorenzo River. Lifeguards are on duty during spring break, on spring weekends, daily in the summer and fall weekends, In the summer, the Boardwalk often sponsors free concerts on Main Beach, which is definitely a crowd favorite. There's plenty of food available, on the pier and along the main street nearby. You can find plenty of good food at the Boardwalk, including the frozen pineapple concoction called a Dole Whip, which is well known by people who frequently visit.