Page 33 - SLO Visitors Guide Summer/Fall 2020

Pismo Beach, Shell Beach, Oceano
Coastal bluffs, caves and Dinosaur Caves Park
Head to Shell Beach for a perfect picnic place
Tribal members of the Chu- mash once gathered on these bluffs above the ocean in Central California. Tribal leaders carried on business while others collected shells on beaches below. These meetings were possibly the first time people picnicked in Shell Beach. You too can enjoy a day’s outing by stopping at some of the parks perched atop these cliffs.
Drive down to Ocean Boulevard at Cliff Avenue and stop at Margo Dodd Park. Here you can enjoy the gazebo and gaze out to sea, search- ing for passing whales or watching the brown pelicans, cormorants and gulls that use the cliff sides and sea stacks as resting places. There are barbecues and picnic tables for public use.
Continue on Ocean Boulevard and you will come to Eldwayen Park, a great place to watch the sunset. Climb down the stairs to the beach and at low tide explore the tidepools. Picnic tables and benches are located along the cliffs.
Memory Park is a small patch of pleasant green with beautiful coastal views. Spyglass Park is next at Spy- glass Road and Solano Road.
In the Sunset Palisades residential area, Palisades Park has picnic tables, barbecues, and benches for you to enjoy the views of San Luis Bay.
The newest park along Shell
Beach is the 11-acre Dinosaur Caves Park. Named after a 50-foot metal and concrete brontosaurus that was constructed as a tourist attraction
in the 1940s, the location of this park was the original site a roadside business and cave attraction owned by H. Douglas Brown. The dinosaur became a target of neighborhood complaints and, in the 1960s, even- tually went the way of its prehistoric cousins. The property was bought and sold several times for different uses and eventually acquired by the City of Pismo Beach. Through years of volunteer efforts the property
eventually became the Dinosaur Caves Park and officially opened in 2003.
Kayakers love to carry their boats down the cliffs and launch here so they can explore the caves. Central Coast Kayaks or Pismo Beach Dive Shop can take you on
a cave expedition where you will paddle through arches, caves, and rock gardens. Guides assist paddlers with instruction on basic strokes and will assist you with a surf entry. Sea lions, harbor seals and sea otters often swim around the caves.
After a nice day of kayaking
or just enjoying the coastal views from the parks stop in and sample the western atmosphere of F. Mc Clintock’s while enjoying a steak or try ribs grilled over an oak-wood fire at Alex’s Bar-B-Q or maybe you’ll want to visit the beer garden at Old Vienna and dine on some schnitzel. Whatever your choice, you can’t miss by spending time at Shell
Come see our extensive collection of rare and
newly released artwork at your local Thomas Kinkade Gallery! Ask about our 100% interest-free financing
Pismo Beach • 500 Cypress, Ste. 5 • (805) 773-9424 solvang • 1634 Copenhagen • (805) 693-8337
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SUMMER / FALL 2020 33
Beach. — Ruth Ann Angus PISMO COAST VILLAGE
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