If you are planning to travel with kids to Central California (Central Coast, Paso Robles, San Luis Obispo) and are trying to figure out how to fit some good old wine tasting in your family trip itinerary, I am here to help you.
There are PLENTY of kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles. We are a wine loving family and we traveled to most wine growing regions in California in the past 5 years. So I can tell you with assurance that Paso Robles has the most family friendly wineries in the state.
In this article I will tell you about our most favorite kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles that really go above and beyond trying to make families feel welcome and offering fun activities for kids while their parents enjoy a glass or two.
Kid Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles – #1 SCULPTERRA
We begin every trip to Central and Southern California with a stop at Sculpterra winery. It is our symbol of the official start of the vacation. I personally consider Sculpterra the most kid friendly winery in Paso Robles for many reasons.
First of all, there is an outdoor play area where kids can enjoy several games such as bocce ball, foosball and table tennis. They can also play with a giant kaleidoscope.
Second of all, there is a sculpture garden at Sculpterra with over a dozen unique sculptures, mostly of whimsical animals, which our kids love to explore. It is like an outdoor art museum. If you are visiting this winery for the first time kids can play a scavenger hunt to see how many sculptures they can find.
Finally, there is an actual garden at Sculpterra with roses, a bit of lavender and even pistachio alley. There is an interpretive stand near pistachio alley that tells you about how these nuts grow.
I personally love a huge mural in the garden that depicts the history of California from Native American tribes to present day. It is beautiful and educational.
If all of the above does not say “kid friendly winery” in Paso Robles then I don’t know what does :-).
While kids are enjoying their time outside adults can try some really good wines. We love Sculpterra wines so much that we became wine club members. The price of tasting for general public is only $15 for 7 excellent wines and you my also ask them to give you their Port to try – it is fantastic.
Check out my Sculpterra video review here:
Kid Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles – #2 Oso Libre
Oso Libre is unlike all other wineries on this list of kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles because the main focus of this place is on animals. If your kids love animals, this is definitely the place to stop by.
All visitors to Oso Libre winery are greeted by two very friendly dogs. I am not a dog breeds expert but I think they were Labradors. After greeting us the dogs stretched out on the floor and let kids pet them as much as they wanted. My younger son is crazy about dogs but we cannot have one in our apartment so this visit to Oso Libre was like a birthday and Christmas parties combined for him! He spent all the time we were there with the dogs and couldn’t be any happier.
There are also some farm animals to check out such as sheep and llamas.
We visited this winery during the month of October and it had the coolest Halloween decorations which we also enjoyed.
Tasting fee is $20 for 5 wines and for the price they will also through in a Govino glass to take home with you.
Kid Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles – #3 Castoro Cellars
Castro Cellars is a great kid friendly winery in Paso Robles. There are several things that I liked about it. It has a big shaded outdoor tasting ares so while you are tasting wines kids can explore around the flower beds and the edges of the vineyard. My boys were chasing after lizards all the time, it seems to be a “thing” for kids their age 🙂
There is also a corn whole game next to the tasting area, which is also a popular item in our family.
But what Castoro Cellars winery is most famous for is their disc golf game. Have you heard of disc golf before? It is a course around the vineyard with 18 hanging baskets and you move from basket to basket by throwing a disc. The goal, is to get the disc into the basket with the least amount of throws. This disc course suits all levels, from the never-thrown-a-disc-before novice to the expert. It is a very fun way to spend an afternoon as a family.
Kid Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles – #4 Graveyard Vineyards
Graveyard Vineyards winery is located in Pleasant Valley (San Miguel) area of the Paso Robles wine country. This winery is truly one of a kind in terms of great things to do for the entire family because it has a pond stocked with fish and kids can do catch and release while their parents enjoy some great wine! Just bring your own fishing gear with you. We noticed the fish swimming close to shore so your fishing fun is pretty much guaranteed.
The pond is also home to several species of birds and if you are lucky you will be able some baby ducks. If you don’t like fishing you can just walk around the pond – there are several benches where one can sit down and enjoy the scenic views. Challenge the kids to find all the benches – yet another fun activity while you sip on your wine 😉
In addition to the pond Graveyard Vineyards have beautiful garden with different flowers. Come in April to see gorgeous wisteria in full bloom.
The staff at the winery is very friendly and the whole atmosphere is relaxed and down to Earth which we enjoyed very much.
Kid Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles – #5 Four Sisters Ranch Vineyards
Located not far from the Graveyard Vineyards in Pleasant Valley area, Four Sisters Ranch is another laid back, kid friendly winery in Paso Robles. It has a distinct Tuscan feel with beautiful sprawling views from the hilltop terrace.
I love that this winery has lots of shaded areas outside so it does not feel crowded. And most importantly, Four Sisters Ranch has two bocce balls courts and a horseshoe pit so that kids can play a game or two while the parents can discover some really great wine for just $15 a tasting (the fee is waived with 2 bottles purchase).
The owners of this winery are very friendly and families are welcome. Last time we visited we spent about 1,5 hours there and we didn’t even notice how time flew by. Isn’t this what usually happens when you are enjoying yourself?
Kid Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles: Honorable Mention
Two wineries, I think, deserve an honorable mention on my list of kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles area: J Lohr and Cinquain Cellars. These two wineries don’t have specific activities for kids but they are friendly to families.
At J Lohr, which is one of the most famous wineries in Paso Robles, there is a nice shaded terrace where you can enjoy the wine together with your family and the tastings used to be FREE – what’s not to like! Currently J Lohr is closed as they are doing a “refreshing” of its wine tasting centers and they are scheduled to open for visitors again very soon in summer 2021 – I am curious to see how it will all look like.
Cinquain Cellars is a boutique winery in a quiet rural setting with some really tasty wines which does tastings by appointment only. When we visited, they were very kind to us and even offered our kids water and crackers. A small touch but it made us feel good.
Kid Friendly Wineries in Paso Robles: CONCLUSION
Unfortunately, these days you can still find places that are not family friendly. Just the other day I received a demand from J Dusi winery to remove them from the list of kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles. So beware: you are not welcome there with children!
But all other wineries that made my list of kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles are on this list not just because of their amenities but also due to the general atmosphere and welcoming hosts. We never feel unwelcome or uncomfortable visiting these wineries. I do understand that there are wineries catering to adults only, fair enough, but I am also very excited that there are places like Sculpterra, Oso Libre, Castoro Cellars and others that understand that tired parents also need to relax and have a glass of good wine from time to time. 🙂 If you are visiting Paso Robles area, don’t hesitate to stop by these great family friendly wineries.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles. We will definitely keep exploring this wine region further and adding more wineries to this list. It will be super easy for us to do so going forward since we recently bought a farm in Paso Robles area and we are going to spend lots of time there. 🙂 If you like agritourism and California wine country in general, check out our farm’s page.
Additional tips for visiting kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles
- Paso Robles is located in San Luis Obispo county. For great family friendly attractions in the county check out my post Things to Do with Kids in San Luis Obispo
- If you are looking for lodging options, my advice is stay away from Paso Robles proper, especially on the weekends. Lodging will be very expensive because of all weekend travelers coming for wine tasting. We like to stay in San Luis Obispo, which is just 30 minutes drive away but you can get much better pricing on some hotels. Check out my post Cool Hotels in San Luis Obispo for details.
- If you plan to visit both wineries inland and the coast too, please, be aware of the changes in temperature. The coast may be 20 F cooler than inland. My favorite coastal attraction in the area, which is absolutely FREE, by the way, is elephant seals vista point in San Simeon:
If you like wine tasting you may also be interested in the following California family friendly itineraries:
Top Kid Friendly Wineries in Sonoma
Santa Cruz Mountains Wine Region 1 Day Family Road Trip Itinerary
“Sideways” family road trip and Santa Barbara with kids
Mendocino Coast Family Road Trip Itinerary
Things to do in Carmel Valley and Carmel-by-the-Sea
If you are new-ish to wine tasting, I strongly recommend these guidebooks – these are the BEST books about wine and wine tasting for beginners that you can ever find, easy to read, not snobby, totally cool:
Also check out my Wine Tasting Card on the SHOP page. Wineries don’t typically give you any cards or any aids for your tasting. A wine card is a great way to compare and remember the wines you tried and educate yourself about wines.
NOTE: during COVID-19 pandemic not all wineries will have all services and activities available and open. Before your trip, please, check with an individual winery what is available and if an advance reservation is required.
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