10 Things to Do On a Weekend Trip to Cambria, CA
Daniel and I are celebrating our first OFFICIAL wedding anniversary this year. Since we got married on a leap day, it is technically our fourth year. But we vowed to do something special every four years to celebrate the actual day. So this year we ventured up the coast to Central California for a little seaside retreat! And we had so much fun! The little town of Cambria, CA is such a dream and such a peaceful escape from the big city.
Last summer we had the amazing opportunity to do a Highway 1 road trip up the coast of California and saw so many cool sights and made so many amazing memories. But Hwy 1 is currently closed at a portion just below Big Sur so we missed the chunk of Highway 1 between LA and Big Sur. So this seemed like the perfect opportunity to check it out! If you missed my posts sharing our itineraries during that epic road trip, check them out below:
24 Hours in Big Sur | Highway 1 Road Trip Itinerary (Part 1)
Mendocino County | Highway 1 Road Trip Itinerary (Part 2)
Humboldt County | Highway 1 Road Trip Itinerary (Part 3)
I’m so glad we were able to complete the last chunk of this trip. It took us about 3.5 hours to drive up to Cambria and we ended up staying two nights. We did encounter some winter California rain on our trip, but it kind of added to the cloudy seaside town vibes. It did make me want to go back in the summer though, to see the town in all it’s sunshine glory.
There’s still so much for us to explore up there, we couldn’t fit it all into two days. Plus the rain unfortunately put a damper on some of our outdoor activities, but for now I’ve put together a list of 10 things that we really enjoyed doing during our stay in this sweet coastal town.
So if you decide to make the trip up to Cambria, be sure to check out these sights! Enjoy!
1 - Stay at Cambria Beach Lodge
We had the best stay at Cambria Beach Lodge (6180 Moonstone Beach Dr, Cambria, CA 93428) and would highly recommend this reimagined roadside hotel for a weekend trip in Cambria! The location is so perfect, you are literally steps away from the ocean and the beautiful Moonstone Beach. And then just a quick drive into town — or better yet, you can use the complimentary bikes available from the hotel!
The design of the rooms is very clean and simple with coastal charm. They offer complimentary breakfast bites in the lobby each morning to start your day. And my favorite feature was their skydeck just above the lobby where there are lounge chairs and day beds for watching the sunset over the ocean.
2 - Walk the boardwalk at Moonstone Beach (preferably at sunset!)
Just across the street from Cambria Beach Lodge is Moonstone Beach. This stretch of coastline is the perfect spot to sit and watch the surfers, look for wildlife, and put your toes in the sand. But if sand isn’t really your thing, there is a beautiful mile long boardwalk that follows the coastline where you will find people out jogging and leisurely walking down this quaint stretch of beach.
3 - Grab a sandwich from the deli at Soto’s True Earth Market
Whenever you’re ready for lunch or want to pack up a picnic to take to the beach, I would highly recommend stopping in town at Soto’s True Earth Market (2244 Main St, Cambria, CA 93428). In the back of this quaint small town grocery store is a deli counter that makes one of the most delicious sandwiches I’ve had in a while — the spicy chicken sandwich. I’m ready to go back and try one of each of their sandwiches now! You can also stock up here on any snacks and picnic items that you may want for your weekend stay. Daniel and I really enjoyed sitting at a table just outside the market and people watching while we ate our sandwiches, since the market is located right in the middle of town.
4 - Shop at Cambria Garden Shed
If shopping is more your style, be sure to check out Cambria Garden Shed (2024 Main St, Cambria, CA 93428). It is a whimsical shop full of all kinds of home decor, gifts, and gardening tchotchkes. But what really struck me about this store was how beautiful all the displays were. There are several different local shops within the Garden Shed and you sort of weave in and out of them while walking around. There is so much to look at and I love seeing the creative ways they used old antique pieces to decorate and display their merchandise.
5 - Have a slice of Olallieberry pie at Linn’s Easy As Pie Cafe
Another destination you will not want to miss while in town is Linn’s Easy As Pie Cafe (4251 Bridge St, Cambria, CA 93428). There is also a Linn’s Restaurant in town if you are looking to dine, but if you are just here to try the legendary olallieberry pie, I recommend stopping by this cute cafe for a slice. I still couldn’t tell you what an olallieberry is exactly, but the pie was great!
6 - Dine at Robin’s Restaurant
Our favorite restaurant that we went to on this trip was Robin’s Restaurant (4095 Burton Dr, Cambria, CA 93428). We were recommended this spot by our hotel, which claimed it was a local’s favorite around there. It had an interesting assortment of dishes from Mexican, Thai, and Indian, along with a nightly vegetarian special, but what we loved the most was the cozy interior. The inside was filled with lots of charming antiques and we got seated in a cute little nook because we were celebrating our anniversary. It was a lovely dinner!
7 - Antique shopping
My favorite activity we did while exploring the central coast was antique shopping. They just don’t have antique stores like this in Los Angeles! Or if they do, they are absolutely outrageous. I just love to mosey around in an antique shop searching for treasures. And the central coast antique shops did not disappoint! Our favorite spot in Cambria was a place called Rich Man Poor Man Antique Mall (2094-2114 Main St, Cambria, CA 93428). It is a two story antique mall with over 30 different dealers with well curated booths of treasures. You could spend the whole day strolling around in there.
And then our other favorite shop was in Cayucos, the next town over, called Remember When (152 N Ocean Ave, Cayucos, CA 93430). I much prefer taking home a special antique piece when I visit a new place instead of a souvenir, and I ended up going home with a really cute little marble paperweight and a vintage recipe box that I already have displayed in my home that reminds me of our trip.
8 - Explore the town of Cayucos
Speaking of Cayucos, my next recommendation for what to do on your weekend getaway to Cambria is actually to venture out further than Cambria to the nearby town of Cayucos. This relaxing coastal town has a bit of an old western feel to the buildings and style. There is an iconic pier that you can stroll down that makes for a great photo op and the perfect place to look out and admire the ocean.
There is a bakery in town that is a must-stop called Brown Butter Cookie Company where you have to try their, you guessed it, original brown butter cookies. These also make a great souvenir if you are looking to bring back treats for your loved ones or for yourself!
And before you head back up to Cambria, there is a small dirt lot off of the corner of N Ocean Ave right before you reach Hwy 1 where you can park and walk out to a great view of the Cayucos Shipwreck. I don’t know much about the story of the shipwreck but it is a cool place to take photos of the coastline.
9 - Lunch at Hidden Kitchen (in Cayucos)
Whatever day you are in Cayucos, make sure that you are there around lunch time, because you are going to want to stop at Hidden Kitchen (113 N Ocean Ave, Cayucos, CA 93430) for lunch. You order at the window on the main road in Cayucos and then there is indoor seating and an outdoor covered patio out back. And everything on the menu is gluten free! We both ended up ordering the savory blue corn waffles that they are known for because we had to see what all the hype was about. And we loved them! I got the Morro Melt and Daniel got the San Luis Sunrise. Both equally delicious!
10 - Stroll down the Embarcadero in Morro Bay
Another highly memorable part of the trip was our visit to Morro Bay! Morro Bay is another nearby coastal city, only about 20 minutes away from Cambria. This town is known for the ancient volcanic rock at the end of the beach that you certainly cannot miss, Morro Rock.
While Cayucos feels more like an old west town, Morro Bay definitely feels more like a quaint fisherman seaside town. The waterfront downtown area of Morro Bay is located along a road called the Embarcadero. We lucked out and we had a really beautiful sunny morning walking along this road, stopping in little tourist shops and admiring all the boats in the water. Our favorite shop was The Shell Shop (590 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, CA 93442) where you can purchase just about any shell you could ever imagine. It’s cool to see all the unique items they are selling made out of shells as well.
The real star of the show in Morro Bay though, would have to be the marine wildlife. The town is known for the sea otters that are typically spotted floating around in the harbor. The Morro Bay T Pier (1185 Embarcadero, Morro Bay, CA 93442) is the best place to look for these adorable creatures. And just as we had almost given up hope for the day, two little cuties floated past us next to the pier! They were so cute flipping around and playing in the water with each other. We also saw a bunch of sea lions lounging in the sun too. Such a fun morning!
I hope that all of these recommendations help you plan your next trip to the Central Coast. If you know me, you know that I base my entire personality off the dream of living in a seaside fisherman village one day, so obviously I’m a bit biased when it comes to a quaint coastal town. but I already can’t wait to visit again! I love that we were only about 3.5 hours away from home but it felt like a totally different world and a much slower and more relaxed way of life.
I definitely want to check out Fiscallini Ranch Preserve the next time I’m in the area. If you have ventured around Cambria before, let me know your favorite spots that I missed!
xo Rachael
