Pismo Beach's Monarch Butterfly Grove
I finally got to Pismo Beach in January 2004, with my husband and in-laws, to go see monarch butterflies during their migration south. I now think of this town as a quiet place to stop for anyone who isn’t so much looking for nightlife as for a deep breath and a great night’s sleep.
Three hours north of LA along the 101, this can be a perfect weekend getaway along the Central California coast.
I’d long considered Pismo little more than ocean scenery amongst close-knit hotels on the way to other Central Coast destinations, and thought its slogan, “Clamming and Jamming in Pismo,” was irritating at best. (To be fair, though, Pismo’s greatest claims to fame are its clams and summer music festivals.)
However, I was surprised to find Pismo charming, gentle, and welcoming.
Especially when you’re staying at the cozy, dollhouse-grown-large Kaleidoscope Inn, a few minutes away in the quiet, adjacent town of Nipomo. The rooms are big enough to have a family member visit with you — my mother-in-law and I had fun catching up in hers – but romantic enough to encourage time without your mother-in-law. The breakfasts here are gorgeous, with homemade scones and damn fine coffee.
Spyglass Drive, the main drag along the 101, is the most central collection of hotels and restaurants; here you’ll find the upscale Spyglass Inn.
Closer in to the coast, across Camino Real Rd. is the ocean-view SeaVenture Restaurant. The food’s pretty good, the view sublime.
The main beach at Pismo is, unlike any other beach I’ve ever been to, open to all types of vehicles. We drove on it in my in-laws SUV, watched ATV riders noisily rake a hillside, and to our great surprise, waved hello to a white-bearded man driving a horse-drawn carriage with three black horses. The sand is white and soft, and to better enjoy the quiet, wander along it to the Oceano Dunes Preserve, where no vehicles at all are allowed.
What had led us to visit Pismo in the first place, though, the butterfly migration, is still one of the best things I’ve ever seen. The Monarch Butterfly Grove is, from November to February each year, an orange-and-black butterfly-blanketed cluster of eucalyptus and pine trees in the North Beach Campground. During their winter migration, every tree here is alive with thousands of monarchs; along their journey from Canada to Central America in search of warmer temperatures, Pismo is their largest breeding habitat.
Romance is, quite literally, in the air here.
Our favorite thing about this area, though, butterflies aside, can be found at the Pismo-adjacent Avila Beach — the lovely, holistic resort, Sycamore Mineral Springs. It has what I’d call the best restaurant in the area, Gardens of Avila. We’ve eaten there five times, and we’ve never had a bad meal. They use wines and foods made/grown/raised in the region, so it’s like a mini-tour of the Central Coast. You can dress up or down, but the food is always pretty. For lunchtime, there’s a sunny courtyard out back.
We’ve also stayed at the comfortable hotel here, and used the hot springs and spa. We recently took my own parents to the spa, and while we had a great time with each other, we agreed that the spa isn’t any great shakes. The people couldn’t be nicer and the setting is pretty, but the massages are just so-so and the treatment rooms are pretty bare bones; the prices are easier on the wallet than in LA, though, so you certainly won’t feel taken advantage of in any way.
We all agreed that the best thing about the spa is lounging in your own private, naturally-hot springs tub up on a platform amongst the trees. Fortunately, you can purchase hot springs time on its own, which I’d highly recommend.
Thumbs up, also, for cooling down in and beside their garden pool. You can stay all day, hiding from cities, and noise, and responsibilities. Perfect.
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See also
The Best of Central California
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