The second leg of my trip took me some of California’s quirkiest, cutest communities! Here are my destination highlights:
- Cajun Kitchen (Goleta)
- Alpha Thrift (Santa Barbara)
- Cold Spring Tavern
- Solvang
- Morro Rock
- Stearns Wharf
For a filling, flavorful start in the morning, I had a big breakfast at Cajun Kitchen, which included a bunch of southwestern inspired foods such as huevos rancheros and my personal favorite – beignets with powdered sugar! They were so fluffy and not too sugary, and came with syrup if you felt the need for something a little sweeter.
Afterwards, I went to Alpha Thrift which once again had no parking available because it was so popular – the nearby carpet store and office building put up signs specifically prohibiting parking for Alpha Thrift customers. I ended up having to wait for around 5 minutes in the parking lot until a space opened up.
However, when I left, I realized that there was free parking at a nearby park across the street, so there’s another free spot to go if the parking lot is full.The thrift store had a huge selection of items from clothing to handbags and jewelry, and had extremely affordable prices, which I feel is rare to find with thrift stores now. I ended up getting three cute tops for about $30!
After thrifting, I continued my road trip but made a quick detour for lunch to Cold Spring Tavern, a quirky backwoods restaurant nestled away among the trees on a winding road in the mountains. The food came in huge portions and I loved the secluded atmosphere, with tons of outdoor seating, wooden furniture and proximity to nature. It truly felt like I took a step back in time and was making a stagecoach stop (which is what the tavern originally was long ago).
Keep in mind that parking is limited so you may have to park on the shoulder of the road and walk along the road to the restaurant, but no worries – its not a very busy road as the tavern is really the only reason to be on it. Cars also have to drive pretty slowly as it winds through the mountains and the tavern is located at the edge of a hairpin turn.
After lunch, I drove over to Solvang, the Danish capital of America. It was along the way and I thought it would make for a cute pit stop, and I was surprised how crowded it was when I got there! There were tourists from all over the world, including Asia and Europe, which I found funny since apparently Danish royalty have visited the town in the past on multiple occasions!
The cottage-core architecture and cute pastry shops were nice, but I decided not to eat anything because I was still so full from lunch. However, it was cool for me to see a whole town so representative of a culture, especially one that Americans may not be as familiar with.
After Solvang, I checked into my Airbnb in Arroyo Grande, and let me tell you that it was one of my FAVORITE Airbnb experiences. My host Angie and her son Logan were so welcoming and knowledgeable about the area, and her dog Lola was an absolute sweetheart. Their home was also so beautiful, spacious and secluded and they were kind enough to share their own private spaces with me. After checking in, I went over to Morro Bay to check out Morro Rock and the nearby beach.
The rock kind of reminded me of a larger, more rugged Point Dume that you couldn’t climb, since it was also on the edge of the ocean and very windy. However, Morro Rock had SO MUCH PARKING and was super accessible. There was also a ton of natural wildlife, including a seagull that wouldn’t get off of my car. He even pooped on my hood and laughed at me – never feeding a bird again.
Overall Morro Rock was well worth the drive, as it was truly impressive to see such a massive landmass (that is part of a bigger mountain range) and enjoy the quaint peacefulness of the nearby seaside town.
Right before dinner, I drove a little more down the coast and pulled over on the side of the road to watch the sunset. Also parked on the shoulder was an older local who played a flute as the sun set, finishing his tune as it disappeared over the horizon. It was such a quirky yet serene way to welcome nightfall.
After soaking in the sunset, I drove into downtown San Luis Obispo – affectionately called SLO (“slow”) by the locals – for dinner. The downtown area is extremely walkable and gorgeous – there is an old Spanish mission and numerous lively streets with plenty of shopping and dining options.
I wrapped up my day by driving back to my Airbnb and playing some more with Lola the dog, the perfect way to wind down before heading to bed!
Joanne's Journey 