Fall Activities in San Luis Obispo County

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San Luis Obispo County covers a vast territory on the Central Coast of California, its Northern boarder being just 2.5 hours away from San Francisco Bay Area. It is beautiful, laid back and underrated.

There are lots of family activities in San Luis Obispo County. No, let me put this differently: there is a TON of FUN activities in San Luis Obispo County, especially in the Fall. In my mind Fall is the prime time to visit the area and I know what I am talking about – we live here part time, so in this article you will get the scoop from the locals. 🙂

Why Fall specifically is the best time to visit San Luis Obispo County? Because it is famous for agritourism (wineries, farms, etc.) and Fall is time for harvest and festivals. On top of that Fall has the best weather on the Central Coast of California: warm and sunny, even the Pacific Ocean may warm up a little bit.

Finally, I also love this list of Fall family activities in San Luis Obispo County because many of these festivals and things to do are FREE of charge.

So get ready – Fall is on the doorstep.

Apple Farms

Fall is apples time in California. Of course, the best apple fun in the state is in Apple Hill, BUT San Luis Obispo County has several awesome apple farms as well, in Avila Beach area, offering really delicious apples of different varieties, pears, plums and peaches too.

My favorite apple farms are located in See Canyon: Gopher Glen and See Canyon Fruit Ranch. See Canyon Fruit Ranch has a beautiful area to explore and lots of opportunities for photos and I love Gopher Glen because here you can do apple tastings there for FREE!

San Luis Obispo County apple farms are typically open from August through November and sometimes even December depending on fruit availability. Check individual farm website for information.

Pumpkin Patches

Fall fun activities in San Luis Obispo County also include visiting pumpkin farms and pumpkin patches. A couple of pumpkin farms with lots of varieties of pumpkins and cool photo opportunities in San Luis Obispo County are: Jack Creek Farms and Chesebrough Farm, both in Templeton.

The above mentioned pumpkin patches are my favorite but you can see the complete list of pumpkin farms and patches HERE.

California Lavender Honey Farm

California Lavender Honey Farm is my favorite farm in San Luis Obispo County. Why? Because it is MINE. 🙂 Yes, since March 2021 my family and I were working hard on creating this newest California attraction for you.

You can do lost of fun things on our farm: take a guided tour, visit one of a kind Bee Museum, enjoy a lavender field, have free tasting of our veggies, herbs and honey, whatever is in season at the time. And our most prolific season for veggies is definitely end of summer and Fall. All of the above is part of our family friendly/ kid friendly tour.

On top of that you can take some of the most scenic photos in the county on our farm – perfect for family Fall pictures.

If you want to visit us for a tour, please, reach out to me via email: mycaliforniafarm@gmail.com We do 1 small group tour most weekends, by appointment.

Also check us out on Instagram – out motto is Education and Fun for all ages. We post easy, “kids can cook” recipes, kids farm-themes crafts and STEM activities, farm up-dates, and also tips on gardening, beekeeping and sustainability.

Pioneer Day Parade

Pioneer Day in Paso Robles is, probably, one of the best family activities in San Luis Obispo County in the Fall. At its heart is a full blown parade of various antique machines (farm equipment, old Pioneer wagons and such) but also some cool local businesses floats and even animals, such as dancing horses and pony buggies.

Pioneer Day Parade usually takes place on the second Saturday in October and it is FREE to attend. Please, note that the parade is not the only activity of the day in Paso Robles. There is also kids pet show, contests, events at the Historical museum and more fun throughout the town.

Harvest Wine Month

Harvest Wine Month is a month long celebration of the wine harvest in Paso Robles. It lasts the entire month of October. There is no single event to celebrate the occasion but rather there are events at deferent wineries during this whole month.

There are 200+ wineries in Paso Robles area so there is a lot to choose from. I have created a list for you of kid friendly wineries in Paso Robles. Check each winery website to learn what’s happening in October.

Cambria Scarecrow Festival

Cambria Scarecrow Festival is the most fun family activity in San Luis Obispo County in the Fall. For the entire month of October the towns of Cambria and San Simeon go all out to decorate with scarecrows.

Pretty much every self-respecting business on Main St. has one scarecrow. And these are not store bought, boring varieties. These scarecrows are handmade works of art. Often there isn’t just one scarecrow, there is a whole scene and a story behind it. It is absolutely FREE of charge to visit Cambria Scarecrow Festival and I am willing to bet you will love it.

Cayucos Antique Street Fair

Are you into antiques, vintage items and collectibles? Then Cayucos Antique Street Fair is a must see. It usually takes place once in October and once in May. There are lots of vendors selling everything you can think of. And once you are tired from shopping (is it even possible? 😉 ) you can walk half a block to the beach. Th Antique Street Fair is FREE to attend.

I hope you all have a great Fall!

If you found this information about Fall activities in San Luis Obispo County useful, please, share it with others as it may help them with their travel plans too.

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