SoCal Vacation: Pismo Beach

This year for summer vacation we took a week long trip to SoCal. But instead of doing the six-hour drive in the middle of the night as we've done in the past, we decided to break up the drive into a three-day road trip, with a two-night stay in Pismo Beach. Pismo Beach was a great getaway, perfect for families, and we're so happy we did it. We definitely want to go back!

Before we arrived at Pismo Beach, our first stop was Gilroy Gardens. I had been wanting to go to the water park there, so we went specifically for that. We even got to squeeze in a few rides as well. Colin had a great time at the water park. He loved the wading pool and was so fixated on the little streams going through the baby water area.

After Gilroy Gardens, it was a short two hour drive to Pismo Beach. The hotel we stayed at was very family friendly and we enjoyed playing on their sport deck.

We spent an afternoon at nearby Oceano Dunes where you can drive your car right onto the beach! It was very cool. We were able to park, picnic, and play on the beach without having to lug all of our stuff with us. So convenient!

We also enjoyed swimming in the hotel pool, exploring downtown, and walking on the pier. 

Dinner at The Cracked Crab. We got this seafood bucket that they literally dump right onto your table. Fun stuff!

From Pismo Beach we took one last stop in Santa Barbara for lunch, then to a nearby playground where we could run off some energy before getting stuck back into the car. Overall it was a pretty smooth road trip. I got to watch DVD's the entire time, and we planned the stops so that most of the driving would coincide with Colin's naps. It was a great start to our vacation!

At the park we happened upon a free clown/magician show. The show wasn't that great, but he made me and Colin balloon animals! Colin popped his almost right away.