Road trip from LAX to San Luis Obispo

[locodos 5387]

Like the title says,  I'm driving up from LA to SLO taking a few days to enjoy the region.   Looking for recommendations on food, music, hikes, etc... 

[Johnny Chimpo 478]

Brophy Bros in Santa Barbara is a nice stop along the way for some clam chowder and seafood. 
 

Don’t miss the opportunity to pop over to morro bay and see morro rock. Cool little spot. 
 

Montana de oro state park is also real pretty for hiking. 

[mdleast 8295]

Yes, definitely stop off in Santa Barbara along the way and check out Stearns Wharf and the harbor.  Also along the way Solvang is a unique Danish-themed town.  If you like the movie Sideways, it was mainly filmed/set in the Solvang/Buellton/Santa Ynez area.  Depending on when you are traveling there, you should check to see if there will be a rocket launch at Vandenberg Space Force Base.  in and around SLO, I agree you definitely should check out Morro Rock and the area along the bay there (where you can almost always see otters and seals hanging out).  I also like the little micro-town that is Avila Beach (and go check out the Pirate's Cove).  Pismo Beach is also nearby and Dinosaur Cave Park is very pretty and there is Pismo Preserve right by it.  North of Morro Bay, I would highly recommend Hearst Castle and the nearby Elephant Seal rookery (hundreds of seals every time I have been there).  If you are into hiking, look into the Tri-Tip Challenge.

[gmr548 16580]

We were just in Santa Barbara in February and had a great time. Summerland Beach Cafe is a nice, quaint spot right off the highway and there is a beautiful county park overlooking the ocean right across the road.

Cold Springs Tavern up in the Santa Ynez Mountains above SB is iconic and worth checking out, good tri tip sandwich.

Lots of other good restaurants in Santa Barbara. Depending on how slow you're taking it, you may be interested in a day trip to Channel Islands NP, ferries run out of Ventura. They depart at 9/10am and have you back about 4/5pm.

[alphahydro 334]

this is how I would think about it. 

1) I would spend most of my time in Malibu and Santa Barbara.  locals might fight with me, but I think there is a big drop off between these two cities and anywhere else along the route, with the exception of ...

2) If you are into wine, I would definitely spend some time in Santa Ynez/ los olivos.  (cool boutique hotel or airbnb) and...

3) re music and other events - west LA/hollywood might have something you're interested in.  just depends on timing and what kind of music you like.  

other thoughts:

A) I would go on alltrails and find a hike that looks good to you.  I would do my hikes around malibu

B) lower your expectations re food, imo.  no world class food along that route (again, locals may disagree, but in the grand scheme of things, I don't think the food is exceptional.  I would keep low expectations re food and just pick some spots that had good ratings on yelp or google maps. this isn't a region where I would build any part of my trip around food).  

C) the Getty is worth a short detour if you want to add a museum.

D) downtown LA is imo world class when it comes to contemporary art. 

E) west LA has nightlife and shopping, but you didn't mention that. 

great trip though.  have fun. 

[YGIFS 19450]

I don't know if you're a wine drinker.  But my highest recommendation is to stop off of 101 in Los Olivos.  Last time I was there, it was literally a dirt road 'main street.'  There's a wine tasting room (their vineyard is up in the foothills).  Called Saarloos & Sons.  The brother of the TCU baseball coach runs it.  Such a cool building, basically took over an old west saloon and turned it into tasting room while still maintaining the heritage of the building. 

There's a higher-end takeout/convenience store just across the dusty street (it my be paved now).  We got fantastic food from there and went back to Saarloos and ate outside while having unbelievably great wine.  The brother (can't remember his name) was so excited when we said we were from Texas (unlike most Californians).  Kirk, as you may remember played in both Round Rock and for the Astros.  So this brother stayed with him for a portion of that time and fell in love with Central Texas.  Anyway, stop by for a small tasting so you can still drive.  But the guy just loved to shoot the shit about Texas, baseball, and wine.  And we had a wonderful cheese/meat board with salads and dessert.  I had been to a 100 wine tasting rooms and it was probably my favorite experience.  Then we did a hike in some of the foothills afterward to burn off the calories and hooch.  

[Carl Spackler 3483]

Lots of good recs above.  Not sure how much time you're looking to spend in LA proper.  Also, will you be traveling solo or will you have kids with you, etc.?  

Definitely stop in Santa Barbara.  The Funk Zone is fun.  Lark Restaurant.  Topa Topa and Lama Dog breweries.  Hit the pier if the weather is nice.  The Santa Barbara County courthouse is actually a cool place to visit -- go up in the tower to get a great view of the area if the weather is nice.  Brophy Bros. on the water is solid for seafood.  We love Cold Spring Tavern up in the mountains above SB.  It's a nice, twisty mountain drive to get up to it.  

In SB County wine country, I typically avoid Solvang simply because it tends to attract more tourists than other nearby places.  The kitsch factor is strong in Solvang.  However, Solvang might be worth a stop if you have kids with you or want a Danish village vibe, and there are lots of shopping, tasting rooms, candy stores, restaurants, etc.  Instead, the wife and I typically hit Los Olivos (more laid back and a ton of tasting rooms) or Los Alamos farther up the 101.  The wife and I love Los Alamos, but it's definitely a lot sleepier than either Solvang or Los Olivos. 

Los Alamos has some good restaurants -- Bell's (classic French bistro for lunch or dinner); Pico (good for dinner), Bob's Well Bread (breakfast -- tends to get busy), Full of LIfe Flatbread (good wood-fired pizzas for dinner), and Plenty on Bell (breakfast or lunch).  Babi's Beer Emporium has some interesting beers and an outdoor area where you can sit and watch the world go by.  There are some decent wine tasting rooms as well -- Bedford, Lo-Fi, A Tribute to Grace, and Lumen (inside Pico restaurant) are all respectable but not transcendent. 

Los Olivos has more tasting rooms than you can shake a stick at plus an outpost of Figueroa Mountain brewery.  Places we like to hit in Los Olivos include:

Panino (curry chicken salad sandwich FTW)

Fig Mountain -- beers

Brewer-Clifton -- great pinots and syrahs (right next to Fig Mountain)

Carhartt -- yes, it's related to the apparel company; yes, the wines are good

Evan's Ranch and Dragonette Cellars -- more wine tasting

Nella -- dinner

Los Olivos Wine Merchant & Cafe -- dinner

 

Other places worth stopping in SB County:

S.Y. Kitchen (Santa Ynez)

Hitching Post 2 (Buellton -- steaks, chops, etc._

Far Western Tavern (Orcutt -- Santa Maria-style BBQ, which is basically grilling over red oak)

El Capitan State Beach (check out the tide pools, get your beach on -- just watch out for the tar)

Easy hike to Nojoqui Falls (should be plenty of water in it with all the rain/snow we've been having)

If you're into wind surfing and a cool, windy small county road drive out to the ocean, head out to Jalama Beach County Park.  If the store is open, the burgers are pretty good.  Lots of wind and waves.  Lots of surfers and kite-surfers.  But it's pretty far off the beaten path. 

  

 

 

Edited April 8 by Carl Spackler

[Carl Spackler 3483]

6 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

I don't know if you're a wine drinker.  But my highest recommendation is to stop off of 101 in Los Olivos.  Last time I was there, it was literally a dirt road 'main street.'  There's a wine tasting room (their vineyard is up in the foothills).  Called Saarloos & Sons.  The brother of the TCU baseball coach runs it.  Such a cool building, basically took over an old west saloon and turned it into tasting room while still maintaining the heritage of the building. 

There's a higher-end takeout/convenience store just across the dusty street (it my be paved now).  We got fantastic food from there and went back to Saarloos and ate outside while having unbelievably great wine.  The brother (can't remember his name) was so excited when we said we were from Texas (unlike most Californians).  Kirk, as you may remember played in both Round Rock and for the Astros.  So this brother stayed with him for a portion of that time and fell in love with Central Texas.  Anyway, stop by for a small tasting so you can still drive.  But the guy just loved to shoot the shit about Texas, baseball, and wine.  And we had a wonderful cheese/meat board with salads and dessert.  I had been to a 100 wine tasting rooms and it was probably my favorite experience.  Then we did a hike in some of the foothills afterward to burn off the calories and hooch.  

Another good rec.

Saarloos is still there, though I haven't stopped in there in a long, long time.  The roads are now paved.  LOL

[gmr548 16580]

38 minutes ago, YGIFS said:

I don't know if you're a wine drinker.  But my highest recommendation is to stop off of 101 in Los Olivos.  Last time I was there, it was literally a dirt road 'main street.'  There's a wine tasting room (their vineyard is up in the foothills).  Called Saarloos & Sons.  The brother of the TCU baseball coach runs it.  Such a cool building, basically took over an old west saloon and turned it into tasting room while still maintaining the heritage of the building. 

There's a higher-end takeout/convenience store just across the dusty street (it my be paved now).  We got fantastic food from there and went back to Saarloos and ate outside while having unbelievably great wine.  The brother (can't remember his name) was so excited when we said we were from Texas (unlike most Californians).  Kirk, as you may remember played in both Round Rock and for the Astros.  So this brother stayed with him for a portion of that time and fell in love with Central Texas.  Anyway, stop by for a small tasting so you can still drive.  But the guy just loved to shoot the shit about Texas, baseball, and wine.  And we had a wonderful cheese/meat board with salads and dessert.  I had been to a 100 wine tasting rooms and it was probably my favorite experience.  Then we did a hike in some of the foothills afterward to burn off the calories and hooch.  

We had lunch in Los Olivos (Nella, Italian, very good). Little more to it now - the road is paved lol - and there are several tasting rooms, distilleries, restaurants, etc. At least one small, upscale hotel. Not overcrowded by any means though. Solvang was a lot and had tourist trap energy on a Sunday afternoon. Bar Le Cote in LO is supposed to be a phenomenal seafood place.

[Hook1997 5367]

Drive a little further and go to Morro Bay and Cambria.  Cool little towns on the water with great restaurants, views and The Hurst Castle is cool to checkout.  

Edited April 8 by Hook1997

[otisdog 365]

The original Hitching Post out in the boonies...Casmalia. Used to be the only decent restaurant back in the day...was a hangout for the NASA boys blasting stuff off out of Vandenberg.

[Gil Bang 25961]

2nd the SB courthouse.   It's really great. 

[closetohumping 17442]

One of the ugliest and most boring drives in the country.  Nothing compared to my biweekly Waco to Brownsville drive.

[ClubWhatever 12144]

8 hours ago, closetohumping said:

One of the ugliest and most boring drives in the country.  Nothing compared to my biweekly Waco to Brownsville drive.

The part around Oxnard is pretty gross and the traffic can be bad.  Getting out of LAX is also hellish and takes place in a hellscape.  Try not to check a bag.

[Hefeweizen 5324]

On 4/10/2024 at 9:21 PM, closetohumping said:

One of the ugliest and most boring drives in the country.  Nothing compared to my biweekly Waco to Brownsville drive.

Basically follows Sideways.  Just stay away from dudes chasing your car with their junk hanging out.