Fun Things to Do in Cambria, California

Being East Coasters, California’s central coast has always been a bit of a blank spot on the map for us. We’d heard of Big Sur and we’d had wine from Paso Robles, but we didn’t know what else is out there. The answer is simply Cambria. And if you haven’t been, you’re missing out. Here are some of the fun things to do in Cambria for a weekend.

Drive the Big Sur Highway

There’s no doubt about it, the Big Sur coastal drive lives up to the hype. Stunning ocean vistas, winding roads, bridges over massive chasms and quiet pullouts to enjoy the views – it’s all here. But most people set out from Monterey, leading to a kind of southward traffic jam. Everyone sets out early. Everyone stops at the few places along the way to eat around the same time. But who says it needs to be this way?

Instead, by enjoying the Big Sur drive from the south and starting in Cambria, you’re not one of the herd because you’re going against traffic. It also makes for a more rewarding experience and this is a more relaxing base than Monterey.

Check current prices on accommodations here

See the Hearst Castle

The Hearst Castle, located north of town, was the home of the father of yellow journalism–William Randolph Hearst. The Castle, known as La Cuesta Encantada (The Enchanted Hill), was Hearst’s home until his death in 1951.

The Castle is actually a series of mansions and has played host to Hollywood as the setting for the film Spartacus and served as the inspiration for the mansion in Citizen Kane. In the style of other grand mansions and castles, Hearst features lavish bedrooms, over-the-top pools, beautiful gardens and breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean. There are numerous tour options to pick from, depending on your interests.

Experience the elephant seal colony

Just across the road from Hearst Castle in San Simeon is a large colony of elephant seals. This is the rookery where the seals come a couple of times a year to breed, birth and rest. The rest of the year, the seals are out at sea feeding.

Nearly hunted to extinction, the elephant seals have made an amazing comeback. The massive beasts took up residence along this stretch of beach in 1990. Now, almost 10,000 seals call it home. If you visit the beach, you can see the elephant seals sunning themselves and the males fighting. It’s a social experience and absolutely one of the top things to do in Cambria.

See gems on Moonstone Beach

Less than a mile from downtown, the long Moonstone Beach calls to visitors. The beach and the wooden boardwalk on the bluff above it, have incredible sunset views of the Pacific Ocean. But people walk down to the beach for another reason: gemstones.

The beach is littered with semiprecious moonstones. At sunset, the stones reflect back the sunlight in vivid colorful displays. You’ll see people walking along the beach and collecting the stones for their beauty (or to help their psychic aura…it is California after all).

Dine on olallieberry pie

There are times when this town seems like Linn-ville. There’s Linn’s Restaurant, the Linn’s Farmstore, the Linn’s Easy As Pie Café and the list goes on. Linn’s is Cambria, California. We’d heard a great deal of fuss about the olallieberry pie at Linn’s, so we needed to check it out.

I’m not a fruit dessert person. If it’s not chocolate, it’s not really a dessert to me. But I enjoyed the tart Olallieberry pie. It’s a blackberry-raspberry hybrid that was crossbred back in the 1940s. If you find yourself here, trying an Olallieberry pie from Linn’s is one of the things to do.

Explore the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve

You’ve heard about ecotourism and you’ve heard about sustainable travel. The folks on California’s Central Coast are branding a new genre of travel: Stewardship Travel. It’s about both “doing good and feeling good” about your travels.

Visitors to Cambria are encouraged to volunteer on the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve and their small wilderness area preservation (SWAP) project. It was purchased and preserved as open space in 2000, however, the Chumash and Salinan tribes enjoyed this view of the Pacific Ocean since before 600 BC.

During our trip, there weren’t any volunteer opportunities, however, we hiked along the coast and enjoyed seeing one of the most biodiverse regions in California.

Go wine tasting

Instead of staying in Paso Robles, why not stay here? This an ocean side base to explore the stunning wineries of the Route 46 West wine trail and beyond in the Paso Robles AVA. But you don’t have to go all the way over the mountain to try good wine. There are several wineries along the Pacific Coast Wine Trail that produce excellent vintages, including several right in town.

At the top of the local list is Black Hand Cellars with its focus on Syrah vintages. Although, I particularly enjoyed the Flapper, a coastal Pinot with strong cherry notes. Also worth visiting is Moonstone Cellars with its broad portfolio of reds and whites, served in a comfortable tasting room.

If you want to get out into the vineyards, let someone else be the designated driver and consider a wine tasting tour from Cambria.

Enjoy fine dining

There are a number of excellent restaurants in town. Some locals swear by the culinary empire of Linn’s and their delicious pie. However, we opted for the Sea Chest Restaurant on a bluff overlooking Moonstone Beach. Sea Chest features fresh seafood, cozy decor and a reasonably priced wine list. You can’t beat the food or the location for a nice dinner. Note that it is cash-only, but there is an ATM on site.

We explored the California Central Coast as guests of Visit Cambria CA. As always, all opinions in this visitors guide are our own.