18 Fun Things to Do in Avila Beach, California

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There are lots of beautiful places along the central coast of California, but one town that is certainly worth a visit is Avila Beach. This cute coastal town near San Luis Obispo is the perfect place to enjoy a beach vacation, with lots of fun ocean activities, great food, good hikes, and cool local secret spots to explore.

So if you’re visiting and looking for the best things to do in Avila Beach, check out this list to help you see the best this place has to offer! These avila beach activities are great whether you are traveling solo, with friends, or even with family and kids.

People playing on a sandy beach

1. Enjoy Avila Beach

Looking for great things to do at Avila Beach? Well, the obvious best place to start is with enjoying the beach itself! My favorite time to visit this beach is during the week when it’s less busy, but it can be really enjoyable at any time.

This is a great sandy beach to have fun doing all your favorite beachy activities…although the waves are generally smaller here, so if you want to go surfing, body boarding, etc, then another nearby beach like Pismo might be a better option. Here at Avila, though, I love wandering (especially at low tide) and exploring all along this stretch of sand. One of my favorite spots is where it starts to get rocky when you walk all the way to the left on the beach!

Although this is a fun beach for all ages, it does tend to attract a lot of families especially on the weekends. If you have kids, they may also enjoy checking out the pirate-themed Avila Beach park nearby. Plus, kids of all ages (and adults) will love the swings set directly on the beach as well!

People on Avila Beach with Avila Beach Pier in the distance

2. Take a Walk on Avila Beach Pier

When visiting a beach, taking a walk along the piers is a must-do! Avila Beach actually has three piers (only two of which are open to the public…the third is a research pier) so you will definitely want to check them out.

Currently, the Avila Beach Pier is undergoing reconstruction. Part of the pier is still open for walking on, but it’s a bit of an adventure as there are some fairly large gaps between the planks and a few areas roped off as being “structurally unsound.” If you stick to the open parts you’ll be fine, but it can be a little disconcerting walking along a pier and seeing the ocean below you…and you’ll definitely want to have shoes on that won’t slip off and accidentally fall through the cracks! Hopefully soon the reconstruction will be complete and the entire pier will reopen, but for now just be aware that it is open with some restrictions.

The teal building of the Central Coast Aquarium in Avila Beach

3. Visit the Central Coast Aquarium

The Central Coast Aquarium is a really fun stop during your time in Avila Beach, and it is fairly central to the main Avila attractions which makes it easy to visit. Although this aquarium only consists of two rooms, it really packs a punch for its size!

From jelly fish, to flatfish, to an eel and an octopus, to sharks and shark eggs…there’s a lot to love here! I recommend visiting first thing when you arrive and scoping out the day’s programs, as they often have feedings and other cool events happening. You can then get your hand stamped and return later in the day for any events you want to see or participate in!

4. Shop the Avila Beach Farmers Market

If you’re wondering what to do in Avila Beach in the summer, then the Avila Beach Farmers Market is a great event to attend! It takes place from April through September every year on Fridays from 4pm-8pm.

This market is located in the center of Avila, so not only will you be able to purchase great produce but you can also enjoy the local businesses, live music, and more fun! Check out this year’s schedule here.

Purple acai bowl with strawberries, blueberries, bananas, and other toppings

5. Eat Acai from Kravabowl

When I went to college in nearby San Luis Obispo, acai bowls were a fairly new phenomenon that all the college kids were loving…and this trend is still going strong at Avila Beach today.

Kravabowl is located inside Avila Market just along Front Street facing the beach. Although these bowls can be a little expensive, they’re a great treat and are quite filling as well so you can probably eat this instead of a meal (or share with someone if you’re wanting a lighter snack). With delicious acai, granola, fruit, and plenty more toppings, this is a perfect refreshing beachside treat!

Outline of the rock Smugglers Cave with a view of the ocean through it

6. Explore Smugglers Cave

Although Smugglers Cave isn’t technically a cave (it’s really a tunnel), this is still a fun and popular stop while exploring Avila Beach. To get here, you simply take an earlier turn off (before getting to Avila) on the steep Cave Landing Road and then take a short hike. It’s a beautiful spot, although there is quite a bit of graffiti inside the cave and often quite a bit of broken glass on the ground.

But depending on the time of day you’re here and your luck, you may even be treated to the sight of otters or other sea life floating just outside the mouth of the cave! Many people also like to climb on top of the cave/tunnel for even more excellent views of the area.

Rock arch with blue ocean and small sandy cove

7. See the Avila Arch

If you take the path to the right instead of the left at the Cave Landing area, you’ll find yourself along a beautiful stretch of coast with a gorgeous rock arch. This is one of my favorite views in Avila Beach and is well worth checking out if you have a few extra minutes and are already planning to explore the nearby Smugglers Cave. There is quite a bit of brush nearby and the path is not well maintained, though, so I highly recommend wearing good shoes even though the hike is short.

View of the ocean with a small secluded beach to the right

8. Enjoy a Secret Beach

If you looked out to your right while in Smugglers Cave, you may have seen a nice little sandy beach area off to your right. Think it’s inaccessible? Think again! So how to access it? Well, if you make it to the view of the Avila Arch, then you’ll see a few sketchy looking ropes off to your left. The first time I saw these while I was in college I thought for sure they’d been left by someone random and weren’t safe to climb down. I’m still debating about how safe they are to climb down, but have since discovered that they are in fact a pretty permanent fixture.

These ropes lead you down to a small but delightful little beach that you’ll pretty much always have to yourself (or nearly to yourself)…because getting to the beach requires you to use the sketchy ropes to climb down and then climb back up when you want to return to the top. Although many people love this beach (it is beautiful!), if you plan to try visiting it you’ll want to watch out for the tides as you won’t want to get trapped there. It’s also a good idea to take someone else with you in case something happens to you on the descent or ascent.

Wooden pier with a blueish gray building at the end

9. Walk Along Harford Pier/Port San Luis Pier

Remember how I mentioned that there are three piers in Avila and two of them are open to the public? If you want to explore a pier that isn’t undergoing reconstruction, I definitely recommend checking out the Port San Luis Pier (also known as Harford Pier) just a little bit past central Avila.

There is quite a lot of parking down at the Port San Luis Harbor, although on weekends and in the summer you may still have some difficulty finding a place unless you’re there earlier in the day. Once you park, though, you can enjoy walking along the pier and reading about its history. There are also a few restaurants (like Olde Port Inn) at the end of the pier where you can eat with a fantastic view! And along the route to the end of the pier you will also likely see some cute sea lions sunning themselves.

The red roof and red umbrellas of Fat Cats Cafe

10. Eat at Fat Cats Cafe

If you’re looking for somewhere to eat, Fat Cats Cafe is an excellent choice and one of the best places to eat in Avila Beach. It is located in the Port San Luis Harbor area and has often been called a “can’t miss” eatery across its at least 25-30 years in business. There are great ocean views from here, excellent food, and it’s nearly always packed around lunch/dinner times so you’ll be in good company if you decide to eat here.

11. Bike the Bob Jones Trail

The Bob Jones Bike Trail is a relaxing (and mostly flat) bike ride from just off the 101 freeway until it ends at Avila Beach. It’s also perfect for walking if you so choose, but if you don’t have your own bike and want to take this trail you can also rent from Wally’s Bike Rental in Avila or from Avila Hot Springs near the start of the trail. It’s a gorgeous trail and a perfect activity to do near Avila Beach! You can learn more about the trail here.

12. Relax at Avila Hot Springs

Avila Hot Springs is a fun and relaxing place to spend the day, whether you are staying here or not. If you want to stay here, they have rental cabins you can use…or if you simply want to enjoy the pool and hot springs you can pay a minimal fee for a day pass to use instead. Learn more about visiting Avila Hot Springs here!

Fruits and vegetables at Avila Valley Barn

13. Explore Avila Valley Barn

On the list of things to do near Avila Beach, Avila Valley Barn is right at the top as a delightful stop on your way in or out of Avila. This cute place has a variety of animals to enjoy, from goats, to ponies, to chickens, and even an emu! You can purchase lettuce inside the store to feed the animals if you would like as well.

There are also fun wagon rides, delicious food you can eat, fresh vegetables and fruits to buy, as well as jams, honeys, and plenty of other fun treats to try. This is a perfect place to enjoy lunchtime or simply stop on your way to the beach to enjoy a delightful farm setting!

14. Visit the Point San Luis Lighthouse

The Point San Luis Lighthouse in Avila Beach is the West Coast’s only surviving Prairie Victorian model lighthouse. It’s definitely a great historical place to go while near this beach city! Unfortunately, it’s not open all the time so you’ll have to plan your visit and make sure that you are here on a Wednesday or a Saturday.

The tours are offered at 12pm, 1pm, and 2pm year round on Wednesdays and Saturdays and you must purchase tickets to visit. The property the lighthouse is on actually belongs to the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant, so for security reasons even the road to the lighthouse is closed to the general public outside of tour times.

If you are interested in the tour but also want to hike on the property, you can also sign up for a hike to the lighthouse on Wednesday (20 people total allowed) or Saturday (40 people total allowed). Again, reservations are required for this option as well, but it’s a fun way to explore the lighthouse and the surrounding area!

Sandy beach of Olde Port Beach in Avila

15. Have a Bonfire at Olde Port Beach

Olde Port Beach is the stretch of beach just a little ways past the center of Avila, and it’s a great beach to visit especially if you want to bring your dog or if you want to have a bonfire. There are several bonfire pits along here and you can bring your own wood, food, and of course marshmallow and s’mores supplies to have the perfect day on the beach. Avila Beach bonfires were always one of my favorite activities while I lived in San Luis Obispo, and it’s the perfect place to spend a summer night!

Empty beach of Fisherman's Beach with RV campers in the background

16. Kayak at Fisherman’s Beach

If you’re looking to go kayaking in Avila Beach, Fisherman’s Beach near the Port San Luis Harbor is the perfect place for launching your kayak into the water and exploring. You can bring your own kayaks, or if you need to rent one then you can check out somewhere like Avila Beach Paddlesports. And if you want to go RV camping at Avila Beach, this is also the beach you will be closest to as you park your RV near here.

17. Play Golf at Avila Beach Golf Resort

Although I’m not a golfer, I do have to mention that there’s a pretty nice Golf Resort right near the center of town here in Avila Beach. If you’re looking for somewhere to go golfing, it is definitely worth a look!

18. Go Wine Tasting

Last but not least, there are a lot of wineries nearby and lots of places to go wine tasting even in the town. You can check these out on your own (like Kelsey See Canyon Vineyards or Morovino Winery) or you can book a tour to enjoy different wineries in the area, like this tour that takes you to four different wineries throughout San Luis Obispo County.


Need somewhere to stay in Avila Beach? Check out these great options!


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