Avila Beach is the quintessential California small beach town. Small, quaint, quiet, and simply gorgeous. If you are looking for the best things to do in Avila Beach, put on some comfortable walking shoes, grab your bathing suit, and let’s explore the top local sights, from scenic piers to the harbor.
What are the top attractions to visit in Avila Beach? If you are looking for the absolute best things to do in Avila Beach, let me give you an efficient self-guided Avila Beach itinerary including my favorite spots, organized into an easy self-guided walking and driving route you can follow step-by-step. Also Avila Beach is an idyllic stop on my San Luis Obispo to Santa Barbara PCH drive.
Top Things to Do in Avila Beach California
What are the top attractions to visit in Avila Beach? Or maybe you’re looking for most fun things to do in Avila Beach with kids. Let me give you a short list of my favorite things to do in Avila Beach.
- Avila Beach is a true beach town, so enjoy the beach and the water on a sunny day.
- Dine on Front Street and enjoy lunch or dinner at one of the many restaurants.
- Walk on the Avila Beach pier and enjoy the view of San Luis Obispo Bay.
- Especially if you have kids, visit the Central Coast Aquarium located right off Front Street next to the children’s park. They have lots of large fish tanks and very friendly staff.
- Take a short drive to Port San Luis, just a mile down the street. You can actually drive on the pier and enjoy amazing views of the area and get very close to the many sea lions in the area. This is also a very fun place for kids to explore sea life at Avila Beach.
- Drive up to Smuggler’s Cave to enjoy stunning views of the San Luis Obispo Bay.
Avila Beach Itinerary At a Glance
Follow this efficient route, organized to save time and seamlessly connect all the top local stops. This is the best 1-day Avila Beach route highlighting the best things to do in Avila Beach.
- Park around Front Street and start exploring.
- Enjoy the beach and the scenery
- Walk on the Avila Beach Pier
- Especially if you have kids, walk to the Central Coast Aquarium.
- Drive on the Port San Luis Pier, park and enjoy the scenery and sea life.
- Drive to Smuggler’s Cave and walk to the cave for amazing views.
Map of favorite things to do in Avila Beach
We stayed at the cozy Sandcastle Hotel right on the beach in nearby Pismo Beach. We loved being on the beach in the mornings.
Book a Wildlife Paddle Tour including Lighthouse Tour. This is a unique California experience kayaking along Port San Luis and Avila Beach areas and visit the Port San Luis Lighthouse. You interact with local wildlife and explore the amazing coastline at Avila Beach. It includes all the equipment necessary.
1. The Beach at Avila Beach
Avila Beach main beach and waterfront
See my photos from Avila Beach
What do you do in a small California beach town? Well, you go to the beach. The sand at Avila Beach is very fine and it’s very pleasant to walk on. If you get a sunny day, just sit on the sand and enjoy the sun and the water and take in the natural beauty of San Luis Obispo Bay. It’s just stunning! The beach area tops my list of best things to do in Avila Beach.
Our children enjoyed very much the kid’s park located right on the beach, next to the pier. It has swings and slides and other “toys” for active kids. In addition, just off Front Street, there is an additional park for children that has more stuff for kids to do and bounce on. These will certainly wear down your children and hopefully fall asleep in the car for the ride back home.
2. Front Street Dining
Street cafes and palm trees line up Front Street at Avila Beach.
Avila Beach is a small town, really small! If you’re at the beach then you have pretty much seen almost everything there is to see in Avila Beach. However, if you have time, enjoying dinner at one of the few restaurants that line up Front Street will become a highlight for your Avila Beach visit. You will enjoy good food and beautiful ocean views.
The restaurants on Front Street are obviously more expensive than the ones you find on the few side streets. So, the choice is yours, depending on your budget. Sitting at a local restaurant, overlooking the pier is one of our favorite things to do in Avila Beach.
3. Walking the Avila Beach Pier
Avila Beach Pier stretching out into San Luis Obispo Bay
Piers are beautiful places because they give you amazing views all the way around. When you’re at the end of the Avila Beach Pier you can turn around and take in the beautiful view of the canyon and surrounding hills: it’s postcard perfect! Since it’s a small place, you will find very few people walking on the pier and maybe a few fishermen enjoying fishing and the views. Walking on the long pier is definitely one of the best things to do in Avila Beach.
4. Central Coast Aquarium with Kids
The small Central Coast Aquarium in Avila Beach is a perfect for kids
Located at the end of Main Street, a few steps away from the beach, the small Central Coast Aquarium is a great place to visit, especially if you have small children. They have lots of hands on displays where children can touch baby sharks and other fish. When our children were small, they had a great time at this tiny museum. Staffed with friendly people ready to help children experience a few sea animals, turned our visit to Avila Beach Central Coast Aquarium into a delightful few hours. Our children especially will tell you that visiting the small aquarium is definitely one of the best things to do in Avila Beach.
5. Port San Luis Harbor & Pier
Beautiful view of fishing boats seen from the end of the Pier at beautiful Port San Luis Harbor
See my photos from Port San Luis
We continue our self-guided Avila Beach itinerary with a short drive. Just a few minutes’ drive along the shore from Avila Beach we find the fishing pier from Port San Luis Harbor. It is rare to see small fishing boats still fishing around these parts of California. However, Port San Luis Harbor has a thriving fish market right on the pier. You can actually drive all the way up to the pier, park your car and take in the amazing views all the way around.
Port San Luis Pier and local marine life
Under the pier you will find lots of noisy sea lions basking in the sun and making lots of commotion. Children will especially enjoy them and will think it’s one of their favorite things to do in Avila Beach. Walking the Port San Luis pier can be one of the few romantic things to do in Avila Beach.
Sea lions like resting in the sun and they usually climb any isolated spot available around the pier. Follow the loud barking noises to see them as they fight for dominance and simply relax in the sun.
6. Hike to Port San Luis Lighthouse
Beautiful view of the Port San Luis Lighthouse with wild flowers
Hiking to the picturesque Port San Luis Lighthouse is by far one of my favorite things to do in Avila Beach. The Pecho Trail however, is on private land owned by the electrical company PG&E. However, the hike is available every week by a simple online reservation system which allows you to enjoy this amazing hike with a group of hikers and a tour guide. Once you register, meet your group on the day and time at the Fisherman’s Memorial.
If you decide to do this gorgeous hike, start your day in the morning with this hike and reorganize your itinerary accordingly. The guided hikes usually start in the morning at 8:45 am and last about 4 hours until 1 pm.
7. Smuggler’s Cave & Pirate’s Cove Views
Amazing view of the San Luis Obispo Bay from Smuggler’s Cave near Avila Beach.
See my photos from Avila Beach
We continue our self-guided Avila Beach itinerary with a short drive on our way out of Avila Beach. Just a few minutes’ drive up the hill from Avila Beach, you can get to the gorgeous bluffs surrounding this area. Either on the way to Avila Beach, or when you leave Avila Beach, you will notice a steep road off Avila Beach Drive with a sign pointing to Cave Landing area.
Take the narrow and winding road up the mountain until you reach the mountain top where you can park your car in the Pirate’s Cove dirt lot. From the parking lot, we walk a few minutes close to the edge of the cliff at Smuggler’s Cave and just take in the amazing views of San Luis Obispo Bay. At Smuggler’s Cave kids can scramble the rocks around the Cave and take in all views of Avila Beach and Pirates’ Cove.
From Smuggler’s Cave, instead of returning to the parking lot we take the steep trail down to Pirates’ Cove which is an amazingly beautiful hidden beach. If you’re looking for California iconic beaches, this is definitely one of them.
The hike down to Pirate’s Cove is short (about 10 minutes) but very steep which makes it difficult to hike back up, so you need to plan accordingly.
Exploring Cave Landing definitely makes our list of best things to do in Avila Beach.
Plan Your Trip to Avila Beach
Where to stay in Avila Beach ? While small, Avila Beach is not cheap when looking for places to stay. However, for a more affordable option, you can stay at the cozy and rustic Inn At Avila Beach. For a more refined beach front experience find a room at Avila Lighthouse Suites. You can look for other budget hotels in Avila Beach especially if you can travel during the week. We stayed at the cozy Sandcastle Hotel right on the beach in nearby Pismo Beach. We loved being right on the beach in the mornings.
Avila Beach is one of those places that if you don’t know about it you will pass right by it. It is a stunningly beautiful place but it’s well hidden from the freeway which runs just ten minutes to the East.
How to Get to Avila Beach ? The easiest way to get to Avila Beach is on the 101 Freeway. As you pass Pismo Beach, look for the exit indicating Avila Beach Drive. Then follow the road all the way as it winds its way down through the mountains to the ocean. This is one very scenic drive and you should drive slowly in order to enjoy it.
If you are in the Pismo Beach area already, just follow the road through Shell Beach leading to Avila Beach Drive. This road is also beautiful, with many vista points on the edge of the ocean where you can enjoy amazing views of the ocean and marine life.
Is Avila Beach Worth Visiting?
Avila Beach is a great day trip from Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo. The views and the small town feel really relaxes you. If you happen to arrive in Avila Beach on a sunny summer day (which is pretty much every day), then you’re in for a treat for all your senses. Avila Beach is also a great place for children because of the great children’s parks and the interesting Sea Center which provide enough activities for children. All in all, Avila Beach is one of our favorite beach towns in California.
Can you have a barbecue on the beach
In general yes, you can BBQ on the beach at Avila Beach. There are a few details that you might want to read about gas and charcoal…you find the details here:
https://www.portsanluis.com/2162/Beach-Regulations