My family is taking a weekender from Orange County to San Simeon. My son has a project on a CA Mission, so I thought it would be a good idea to actually visit one. I don't know much about the Central Coast (N of Santa Barbara) and was looking for some "off the beaten path" things to do with 2 grade school boys. Just nothing in Pismo Beach because of the dunes (our family frequently goes out riding and I don't want to get stuck there) ~ I'm trying to make this an educational and relaxing trip. My itinerary so far is:

Saturday
• Breakfast in Solvang
• Drive up the coast on Hwy 101
• Mission San Luis Obispo
• Photo Op at the rock in Morro Bay
• Check in to Best Western Cavalier Oceanfront Resort in San Simeon

Sunday
• Breakfast
• Tour of Hearst Castle (10am tickets to be purchased soon)
• Piedras Blancas to see elephant seals
• Moonstone Beach in Cambria
• Bonfire on bluffs at hotel

Monday, April 6
• Drive home on Hwy 46 through wine country

Sounds like a great trip. I assume your son is in 4th grade? Just a funny anecdote - when my son was in 4th grade, we stopped on the way to the Bay Area from San Francisco at Mission San Antonio de Padua (inside the Fort Hunter Liggett military reservation) to tour and get the information he needed for his report. We walked into the gift shop and there was a card table set up in the entrance with a sign on it that read "Fourth Grade Mission Report Materials $10.00". Inside a ziploc bag was a little plastic statue of Father Junipero Serra, a history of the mission, description of the architecture, postcards, etc. You better believe we bought it -- but we did still take the tour!

oops, "from Palm Springs"

You forgot
* Load up on all the San Luis Sour Dough Bread I can fit in my car

Frank, tell us more. I don't know anything about San Luis sourdough.

sf,
Its the most Sour of all sourdoughs. In a word, fantastic! San Fran sourdough is a distant 2nd IMO. They say its because of the spores in the air combined with the water there. If you try to buy it in LA or OC, its not the same.

San Luis Sourdough Retail Outlet:
3877 Long Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401
(805) 782-8933

Next time I'm passing through!

If you are stopping in Solvang, Mission Santa Ines and La Purissima are nearby. Check them out too.

Of course, you have San Juan Capistrano just down the road from you so going up to San Luis Obispo is just an excuse to get away for the weekend, I presume.

Mission San Luis Obispo de Telosa is very beautiful but going to La Purisima Mission State Historic Park might be the most educational since it would give a more complete look at what a mission looked like back in the 1800's.

Also, the Mission Santa Barbara is one of the most beautiful. It's the only one still owned by the Franciscans.

Sounds very nice, you may want to plan a lunch at the Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill in Cambria, there is a nice outdoor patio area there with pretty views of the ocean. Great fish tacos here! ***kim***

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!

Supercilious ~ Yes, it's just an excuse to getaway for the weekend We've been to Mission SLC many times, and I was a parishoner at Mission SB back in my college days. I do like the idea of going to La Purisima Mission State Historic Park. Thank you for the suggestion!

kimamom ~ we'll definitely be having lunch in Cambria one of the days. And my family loves fish tacos!

Second La Purisma. It's possibly my favorite mission because one can learn so much by visiting it.

Trip Report:

We took our time driving up from OC to Lompoc. When we arrived at La Purisima Mission, we were delighted to find out that it was People Day! There were people dressed up as and interacting with each other as if it was 1822. My boys had such a good time there (I was surprised) and my 4th grader learned so much. So thank you to those that suggested that Mission! We also stopped by Morro Bay for a late lunch before checking into the hotel. The Best Western in San Simeon was perfect. Even though we didn't have an oceanfront room (all double rooms face the parking lot), our room was just steps to the bluffs.

On Sunday, we did Hearst Castle, Piedras Blancas, Moonstone Beach. On our way home on Monday, we stopped by Pismo Beach for lunch. I was afraid that my family would be bored, but it ended up being one of our favorite family getaways. We really had a great time and the weather was perfect.