Our Community

Connect With The Community

Black silhouette of a goat climbing a ladder, representing Stepladder Ranch & Creamery.
Cambria

Stepladder Ranch and Creamery

Stepladder Creamery offers guided tours of its historic 150-year-old ranch in Cambria, where visitors can explore the farm, interact with playful goats, and learn about traditional cheesemaking.

San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum logo with playful, colorful lettering featuring icons like gears, a flower, and science-themed shapes.
San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo Children’s Museum

Three floors and an outside playscape are jam packed with exhibits for children ages two to ten. Unique, educational programs and activities are scheduled throughout each week. We’re where learn-by-doing begins!

Estrella Warbirds Museum logo featuring a vintage twin-engine aircraft inside a blue circle with a yellow border and the words “Estrella Warbirds Museum” and “Paso Robles, California."
Paso Robles

Estrella Warbirds Museum

The museum features a great number of exhibits ranging from military aviation, vehicles, armament & munitions, missiles, drones, an awesome collection of personal memorabilia, and of course, historical vehicles of all sorts.  

Morro Bay Maritime Museum logo featuring a red and white ship named Alma against a sunset background with the text “Morro Bay Maritime Museum – Est. 1994.”
Morro Bay

Morro Bay Maritime Museum

Climb aboard, explore real ships, and uncover ocean adventures – free for all ages.

California State Parks Logo
Morro Bay

Morro Bay Museum of Natural History

As the only Natural History Museum in the California State Park system, the museum features hands-on interpretive exhibits for visitors of all ages.

Butterflies by the Beach Pismo Beach logo showing an orange monarch butterfly and smaller butterflies flying near a pier over the ocean.
Pismo Beach

Monarch Butterfly Grove

The Pismo Beach Monarch Butterfly Grove is one of only a few sites in the state that have historically hosted tens of thousands of butterflies, clustering in the limbs of tall Eucalyptus trees beside the coastal estuary. 

Shady Oaks logo in black and white showing a tree growing from a horseshoe with a dog, horse, and goat, and the text “Shady Oaks – Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Iberian Horses & Dairy Goats.”
Atascadero

Shady Oaks Farm

We hope you will come visit and allow us to share our love and knowledge with you!
We offer 2 tours – Get Your Goat and Hands On Horses!
We also have 2 amazing experiences – Art of the Horse and Painted Pony!

Pacific Wildlife Care logo showing silhouettes of a bobcat, a bird in flight, and an owl perched against a mountain and sky background, with the text “Pacific Wildlife Care, Est. 1984.”
Morro Bay

Pacific Wildlife Care

Pacific Wildlife Care is a nonprofit in San Luis Obispo County dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating, and releasing injured and orphaned wild animals. They also provide education and outreach to promote peaceful coexistence with local wildlife.

Logo with a cartoon Dalmatian dog holding a red ribbon that reads “17 Years of Learning through Play! 2007–2025 in Paso Robles, CA.”
Paso Robles

Paso Robles Children’s Museum

An interactive educational facility for children and their families that showcases the heritage of the Paso Robles Volunteer Firehouse. The Two story firehouse offers play for a wide range of ages.

Avila Valley Barn logo with a stylized windmill graphic and the text “Avila Valley Barn, San Luis Obispo, CA.”
Avila Beach

Avila Valley Barn

A favorite place to stop off and buy the freshest fruit and vegetables grown locally, pick up a pie or bakery treat, hand feed and pet farm animals, stop off for lunch from our Smoke House and Chicken Shack, or get an ice cream on the way to Avila Beach. Avila Valley Barn is truly a place built with the whole family in mind. 

Colorful logo for A Kayak Shack in Morro Bay, California, showing a bright red and yellow boathouse under a sun with a playful seal and seaweed border
Morro Bay

A Kayak Shack

A Kayak Shack in Morro Bay offers family-friendly kayak and paddleboard rentals, perfect for exploring the calm waters and wildlife of the bay. With helpful staff, quality equipment, and a laid-back coastal vibe, it’s an easy and affordable outdoor adventure for parents and kids alike.

Logo for the Turtle and Tortoise Rescue Animal Sanctuary of Arroyo Grande, featuring a golden tortoise on a dark green semicircle background with white text.
Arroyo Grande

Turtle & Tortoise Rescue of Arroyo Grande

The Turtle and Tortoise Rescue of Arroyo Grande is a family-run sanctuary dedicated to caring for rescued turtles, tortoises, and other animals. Families can visit to meet over 300 animals, learn about wildlife conservation, and enjoy guided tours that inspire curiosity and compassion for the natural world.

White lighthouse illuminated at night with its beacon shining under a starry sky.
San Simeon

Piedras Blancas Light Station

​​Piedras Blancas Light Station provides a glimpse into our nation’s past when lighthouses served a vital role in maritime navigation. Today it is managed as a historic park and wildlife sanctuary.

Illustrated quail reading an open blue book inside a turquoise circle.
San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo Library

The San Luis Obispo County Library is a wonderful resource for families, offering a wide selection of children’s books, story times, and educational programs that inspire a love of reading and learning from an early age.

Wooden Gopher Glen Apple Farm sign decorated with evergreen branches and red berries, featuring two painted apples and the text “Gopher Glen Apple Farm, Est. 1971.”
San Luis Obispo

Gopher Glenn Apple Farm

Gopher Glen Apple Farm is a family-owned orchard nestled in See Canyon, San Luis Obispo. Known for its dozens of apple varieties, fresh-pressed cider, and local charm, it’s a favorite spot for families to taste, explore, and experience the joys of the Central Coast harvest season.

Stylized orange octopus graphic with smooth, rounded lines and white suction cups.
Avila Beach

Central Coast Aquarium

Dive into an ocean of discovery as you explore some of the Central Coast’s most iconic marine habitats.  Learn about over 50 local species from our passionate volunteer team, and enjoy an oceanfront view of Avila Beach.

Logo of the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden featuring an orange poppy flower above the garden’s name in green text
San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden

The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is located near the Pacific Ocean on the Central Coast of California and we are devoted to expanding community connections to Mediterranean regions through experience, education and conservation.

Illustration of a large leafy tree with a child on a swing, another climbing the branches, and a small dog beneath—symbolizing outdoor play and nature.

Rhythms Of Play

Rhythms of Play is a parenting and nature-based education website that encourages families to connect through creative, hands-on activities. It offers ideas for outdoor play, art projects, and simple seasonal crafts that help children learn, grow, and thrive through real-world experiences.