A major highlight of this Central Coast region is Morro Bay. And yet people don’t talk about it as much as its neighbors — Pismo, Avila, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, and Hearst Castle. Those places come up in conversation way more often than Morro Bay, leading me to wonder if this was a worthwhile stop. Luckily a quick Google Images search reveals this is definitely a place to see. My friend Jenny and I easily find parking across the street from this view:

Those are otters! Just chilling in the shallow water. We watch them for a good long while.

See that enormous hunk of rock on the horizon? A sandbar stretches out towards it, creating the protected area that is Morro Bay. In a bit we’ll visit the beach next to that rock, which gets a lot of wave action. But the bay here is nice and calm.

Crowds are already lined up at Giovanni’s Fish Market, one of many seafood restaurants along the bay.

So what is there to do in Morro Bay aside from admire the views, coo at the sleepy otters, and eat delicious seafood? Well there are plenty of water activities — the most popular is a boat cruise around the bay, which is offered by a few different companies. It costs around $10 per person for a 50 minute cruise and boats depart every hour. We happen to be there right around lunchtime when the captain gets a break so we opt to skip the bay cruise. If we had planned to dedicate more time to this area, we could have spent all afternoon on the beach and rented kayaks or SUPs (stand-up paddle boards). But we’ve only got about two hours so we walk along the water and soak up these views.

This submarine (a deep submergence rescue vehicle) has retired at the Morro Bay Maritime Museum. It’s currently on display in the parking lot by the water.

It’s sort of a bummer these power plant stacks are so visible along the horizon.

We drive less than a mile to the rock of Morro Bay; there is a parking lot here which allows access to the next beach over (which you’ll see in a moment).

This is the opening where water comes in and out of the bay:

Below, a boat cruises near the otters. Note the sandbar in the background — doesn’t this water look downright tropical? I’d love to spend more time lounging here.

Just to the right of the big rock is a stunning beach. Since it’s not protected by a sandbar, this beach gets the full blast of ocean waves. I love this vantage point and we spend awhile here just taking it all in.

This spot is popular with the surfing crowd. I can see why — the waves are spectacular.

Before leaving Morro Bay, we stop at the Lil Hut, an outdoor seafood stand right next to the Harbor Hut. It’s quick, cheap, fresh, and delicious.

Jenny and I split some clam strips and fries while soaking up this view a little longer.

I’ll include this map one more time to show how accessible the Central Coast area is from Los Angeles, and just how close each of the attractions I visited this weekend are in relation to each other:

I’ve got one final post on our drive back to Los Angeles: we stop briefly at a winery, watch sunset along the coast, and then get dinner at the #1 rated restaurant on Yelp in Santa Barbara — which happens to serve cheap and delicious Mexican food.