When a friend asks you if you’d like to stay at their house in Cambria for a week you don’t say no. The beach town has amazing restaurants, gently curving stretches of beach, and hiking trails with beautiful views of dramatic bluffs. What’s not to love in this Central Coast spot built for family fun?
Cambria is right in the middle of a road trip between its more international scene-stealing cousins San Francisco and Los Angeles. It calls to mind words like “charming” or “historic village.” This doesn’t immediately align with a family of four including tweener and teen in tow. But you’d be missing out if you dismissed this idyllic town that hugs the coast as less than a destination. This town isn’t just about art galleries and historic walking tours. It’s a nature lover’s paradise and an active family has endless possibilities for fun.
Table of Contents
Travel Facts
Getting there – Driving from San Francisco 232 miles or from L.A. 236 miles. The nearest airport, San Luis Obispo Regional County Airport, has direct flights from Denver, Dallas, Phoenix, Seattle, and San Diego just to name a few.
Best Time to Go – this is the coast of California people. You’ll catch a win no matter when you come. Whether you’re looking for an encounter with marine life, wildlife or spring wildflowers consider the following dates. The peak Elephant Seals population at Piedras Blancas Rookery is from Feb to early Spring. Gray Whales are enjoying their southern migration from Dec to Feb and return March – April. Bird watching at Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. Catch a view of a herd of zebra at Hearst Castle anytime! These are the descendants of William Randolph Hearst’s original zebra that populated his zoo. Flowers are in full bloom in spring. The velvety green hills carpeted with wildflowers on the way to Cambria are not to be missed. Pulling over on Hwy 46 on a fog-free day could reward you with a shot of rolling green hills or The Rock of Morro Bay jutting out of the Pacific.
Transportation – if you are not already driving then a car rental is a must.
While the primary economy is tourism, the weekdays are relatively quiet. For a family enjoying a week away at the end of summer, it presented numerous opportunities. We could take our pick of hiking, swimming, boogie boarding, or smores at the backyard fire pit. There was even time for a quick trip over to San Luis Obispo for dessert and a drive-in movie. Our top five things to do were all enjoyed without the crowds found in larger coastal cities.
Go Boogie Boarding
The boys loved getting their board in the water and catching the gentle swells back to shore. They went out on two occasions, once just blocks away from our beach house. We entered the south end of Moonstone Beach from Shamel Park. Another great spot is at the beach found to the right of the San Simeon Pier. While California’s coastal waters are not quite as balmy as Hawaii, Joaquin and Diego had a blast.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
Go Hiking
We did a different hike almost every day. Norman and I appreciate the exercise and the boys love to explore. Fiscalini Ranch Preserve, San Simeon Point Trail, and Harmony Headlands Trail were our favorites. Each of these trails is free of charge and an opportunity to see not only breathtaking coastline but also wildlife and marine life throughout the year. And just think, the more you hike the more you can eat! Tip – Harmony Headlands Trail has no shade. Plan to go early or wait for later in the day when you can catch a sunset. You’ll find more specific information about each of our hikes by clicking here.
Where to Eat
Speaking of eating you should be sure to check out The Spot for a fantastic breakfast. They have a selection of sweet and savory crepes, breakfast toasts, and sandwiches, as well as lunch items. I had The Spot breakfast, bacon, eggs, and a smaller version of one of their fruit crepes. It was fantastic!
If you have a rental with a kitchen or just don’t want to eat out all the time, there is a grocery store right across the street from The Spot where you can stock up on supplies and food items. I bring this up because the store has barely any signage and you could miss it if you didn’t know to look for it.
For dinner try the Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill. Their margaritas are pretty darn good and the clam chowder is wonderful! It’s all topped off with an ocean view. Not a bad way to enjoy a meal. They do not take reservations but you are welcome to put your name on the list and have a drink at the bar while you wait. Remember to order at the bar as there is no table service in this part of the restaurant.
Our friends have also highly recommended the Sea Chest Oyster Bar but we haven’t made it over there yet. Their website states they are a cash-only establishment but they do have an ATM on site. They also do not take reservations but you can come at 5:30 when they open to put your name on the list.
Take a Day Trip
In order to keep our trip budget-friendly, we prioritized eating at our rental for at least two meals a day. We took a day trip to Moro Bay and planned for lunch at the House of JuJu. Their gourmet burgers come highly recommended! Another day we saved room for dessert and went to San Luis Obispo after dinner. You can make a pit stop at Madonna Inn for a sugar-coma-inducing slice of toffee cake. Follow that with a trip to the drive-in. Tip – if you are as committed to the toffee cake as I am, be sure to call ahead to confirm they are not sold out.
Get Your Travel Goals Newsletter & BONUS Workbook
Stewardship
You can bring a little social responsibility to your getaway through the local Chamber of Commerce. They provide a free beach clean-up kit that comes with gloves, a collection bag, and a checklist they ask you to return as they are tracking trends in refuse to inform their own clean-up efforts. Not only can you improve the aesthetics of the environment, but walk away happy knowing that you contributed to the safety of the local wildlife. Tip – if you know you’re going to do this and have a high school-aged kiddo as we do, check in with your child’s school. See if they can get pre-approved for an hour or two of community service while having a day at the beach!
Moonstone Beach
Finding parking along Moonstone Beach Drive we walked down onto the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk, an easy and heavily trafficked hike between the beach and Moonstone Beach Drive. The road runs parallel to many of the quaintest lodging options (such as Cambria Beach Lodge and Moonstone Landing) and high-quality restaurants (the cash-only Sea Chest and popular Moonstone Beach Bar & Grill). You have views of the hopping Cambria scene as well as the zen-inducing sounds of crashing ocean waves. This gently curving beach peppered with driftwood gives you great sunsets to complement restaurants offering patio drinks and dining.
Step down from the boardwalk trail and join the moonstone hunters at low tide. Deposited by the higher tides, look for moonstones that are transparent and will glow when held up to the sunlight. And while I have read that the moonstone here at Moonstone Beach is different than the official moonstone gem, it still has that glowing quality when hit with sunlight.
Our one week in Cambria was perfect and as the weekenders arrived we were packing up to return home. Diego is our family’s biggest beach bum. He gets the most joy out of being in the water no matter what temperature it is and could spend an entire vacation with nothing more on his agenda than beach time. But we all agreed we need to go back. We made great memories and took home with us a greater sense of peace that only comes from spending time close to the water. Before you go be sure to check out the Visit Cambria website by clicking here. They also support an app by the same name that I found to be very helpful during our stay!