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Home > Featured Vacation Rental Destinations > Pismo Beach |
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Pismo Beach, California |
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A Featured Vacation Rental Destination |
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Pismo Vacation Rental Info |
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Pismo Beach vacation rentals are a perfect home base to explore one of California's longest and most picturesque stretches of sand and surf on the West Coast. Along this 23 miles coastal stretch between Pismo Beach and Shell Beach, you will find an assortment of condos, cottages, townhomes, and large beach front homes. Many of the townhomes overlook the beach or the creek and estuary that leads to the beach. These vacation homes have uninterrupted views of the coastline as well as the city. Condominiums are also available on the beach, as well as within walking distance from the Pismo Pier, the focal point for fishing and recreation. Commonly, vacation rentals in Pismo Beach sleep six to eight people. Large 4 and 5 bedroom Vacation Homes are rare, so book ahead if you need one. |
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Special Consideration for booking in Pismo Beach |
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Most vacation rentals in the Pismo Beach area offer discounts for mid-week stays and for stays during the non-summer season. And almost all vacation properties have a 2 night minimum stay year round and week minimums during the peak summer months. |
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Best Time to Visit Pismo Beach |
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Pismo Beach is a year round destination, with different activities characterizing the summer and winter seasons. The spring and summer months are more popular with visitors, and the busy season starts with Easter and stretches till early September. October till February is a quiet time to visit Pismo and the season for sighting the famous Monarch Butterflies. |
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Time Zone |
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Pacific Standard Time. |
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Weather in Pismo Beach |
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Weather in Pismo Beach tends to be warm and sunny, with a slight breeze. On an average, the temperatures in summer range between 53 degrees at the lowest and 73 degrees at the highest. In winter, the lows are in the 40s and the highs around 65 degrees. Mornings and evenings can be cool, requiring warmer clothing like sweatshirts or light sweaters. Summers are sunny and mostly cloudless but winters do see occasional rainstorms. The best aspect of the weather in Pismo Beach is that the humidity ranges between 60% and 80% the year round despite its location on the coast, adding to the comfort factor. |
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Must See |
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The dunes and beaches at Pismo Beach offer a spectacular and uninterrupted seaside experience. You can have the unique experience of driving through eight miles of a seemingly endless, exclusive coastal dunes at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area. A popular destination for off-highway enthusiasts, the area is also attractive to wildlife and bird enthusiasts.
Another unique attraction at Pismo Beach is the Monarch Butterfly Grove. From October to February, thousands of colorful Monarch |
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butterflies cluster in the Eucalyptus and Monterey pine trees of the area, giving them the nickname "Butterfly Trees". The butterflies travel to the California Coast from across the Sierra Mountains and even Canada to escape the cold. Pismo Pier, originally used as a trading wharf in the late 19th century is now one of the community's main attractions. The 1370-feet long pier with several cantilevered fishing decks is an excellent setting for pier fishing, walking and watching the sunset.
If you are game for a day trip, the Hearst's Castle is an ideal destination, offering an opportunity for a picturesque 55-mile drive. Built by the multi-millionaire publisher William Randolph Hearst, the castle is a 90,000 square-foot masterpiece with flamboyant art, architecture and landscape. |
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Things to Do in Pismo Beach |
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| Pismo Beach offers a wide range of outdoor activities to take complete advantage of the pleasant weather. |
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Fishing
This stretch of beach attracts hundred of fishing enthusiasts every year and offers excellent pier fishing venues on Pismo Pier as well as other piers nearby. Anglers are likely to catch barred surfperch, calico surfperch, skate and occasionally rubberlip sea perch as well as flatfish and bottom fish such as red snapper; lingcod near the piers, and barred as well as silver and walleye surfperch, and kingfish (white croaker) a little farther out. Jacksmelt, Pacific mackerel and jack mackerel, and in some years, barracuda in September and October and halibut and salmon in summer are common. Lopez Lake, a short drive away, is open for fresh water fishing. There is no license needed for pier fishing. However, deep sea or surf fishing does require a license. Gear and charter fishing boats are available on rent.
Hikes
If you are interested in history, it would be a good idea to take one of the guided hikes offered by the State Park Docents and the Natural History Association. The hikes visit ancient Chumash Indian sites in the dunes, some dating back 9000 years. Pismo Beach gets its current name from the Chumash Indian practice of referring to this area as a place to find pismu, or tar.
Sports and outdoor activities
Bicycling and walking on miles of beautiful beaches, playing tennis and exploring the coves, caves and tide pools along the beach are some of the popular activities. For true water lovers, scuba diving, kayaking, surfing and kite surfing on the beach are excellent options. If you are a dune lover and a hardcore outdoor person, plenty of bikes and ATVs are available for rent. |
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| A thrilling ride over the sand dunes in a genuine Humvee is also an option. Several offerings from tour and ride operators can give you unique views of the central coast. You can see the pier and dunes from the air in an airplane ride, from the water in a two-seater ultra-light "flying boat" and even on horseback. |
Winery Tour
Like Napa, this is also wine country. More than a dozen pretty wineries with tasting rooms and gift shops are located a shirt drive away, along Price Canyon Road in the Edna and Arroyo Grande Valleys. Winery tours are available and you can take your pick.
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Pismo Beach Golf info |
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Golfers have some great options at Pismo Beach. It has its own 9-hole oceanfront Pismo State Beach course. The Black Lake Gold Course, the Central Coast's only 27-hole golf resort, and the 18-hole Avila Beach Golf Resort that includes a par 71,6500-yard championship course, are both located within 10 minutes of Pismo Beach. Cypress Ridge, a Peter Jacobsen Signature course and a certified Signature Sanctuary, is also nearby. |
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Pismo Beach Dining and Nightlife |
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Pismo Beach has more than 30 restaurants, offering a range of dining experience. Barbecue and Grills, cafes, delis and burger places are aplenty, as are seafood restaurants and steakhouses. Several restaurants offering international cuisines like Chinese, Japanese, Italian, German, Austrian and Mexican provide a wide choice.
The more expensive inns in Pismo Beach have bars that stay open late. However, Harry's Night Club and Beach Bar is the most
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| popular night destination located one block away from the pier, with dancing, music and karaoke. |
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Pismo Beach Shopping |
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More than 40 retail stores in downtown Pismo Beach offer clothing, surfing goods, sports goods, antiques, collectibles and art, making this an interesting shopping experience for the visitor. |
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Getting to and around the Pismo Beach |
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Maria Airport is a little larger than San Luis Obispo and it is a 35-minute drive from Pismo Beach.
Pismo Beach is a three and a half hour drive from both San Francisco International airport as well as Los Angeles International. If you are landing at San Francisco International, you should take 101 South and continue on it till you reach Pismo Beach 3.5 hours later. From Los Angeles International, you should come via Santa Barbara, which also has an airport where you can land.
The airport closest to Pismo Beach is located in San Luis Obispo town and is only 10-minutes away from Pismo Beach. The Santa |
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Both these airports get limited air traffic and smaller planes. The Regional Transit Authority (RTA) is a county-wide public bus system that connects individual cities within the San Luis Obispo County. The South County Area Transit (SCAT) runs a public bus system that connects Pismo Beach with Shell Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande and Oceano. If you want to have the freedom to explore the area around Pismo Beach, it is always better to rent a car. |
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