From the Trip: Morro Bay

We first visited Morro Bay on our honeymoon. We camped for the night and explored the town a bit before we headed north on Highway 1.

11 years later we are back with 3 kids. I've seen lots of information calling Morro Bay the perfect romantic getaway. But I think it is the perfect place for kids. Take a look.

At the end of the waterfront drag, with a fabulous view of the rock there is a playground my kids love. It has a pirate ship and seals and dolphins to climb on. My favorite part: the vintage whale riding toy.

I love that smile.
The town is eclectic and colorful. These houses make me feel like I am somewhere in Norway.
You have to love a town that has a shell shop. As kitchy and touristy as it seems, the shell shop is actually a really fun place to visit. Kids love seeing the vast variety of shells, holding giant ones up to their ears and listening to the ocean waves.

I will admit, that after a cruise of the entire waterfront and one more shop selling the most unbelievable souvenir outfit I have ever seen, I was ready to move on.

That is where Morro Bay doesn't disappoint. There is a lot more to the town that that street along the waterfront. If you walk a few blocks inland, you'll come to Main street. There you will find antique shops, lots of restaurants and the kind of stores the residents frequent, not just tourists in search for the perfect tye-dye sweatsuit. It has a relaxed, small town feel. On Sunday afternoons, there is a farmers' market on Main. We got some wonderful kettle corn, grapes and heirloom tomatoes.

Despite the charms of the town, what Morro Bay really has to offer is closer to the water. Morro Bay is an Audubon bird sanctuary. The variety of avian life is astounding. The waters are teeming with fish and shell fish, so there is plenty of food for all those birds, as well as seals, sea lions and otters. You will be sure to spot some when you are anywhere near water.

There are all sorts of different hikes around Morro Bay. We took one along the dunes north of town. It was a beautiful walk and the boys loved seeing jellyfish washed onto the sand and all the different birds diving in the water looking for food. As soon as they are a bit older, we plan on kayaking out into the bay and really getting a close up view of the marine life.

Of course, kids are fascinated by the giant rock itself. It is so big, especially when you are only 3 feet tall. The first time we saw it, our son was deeply in love with Peter Pan. He called the rock, Skull Rock from the Peter Pan story, and so it remains to this day. He and his brother were thrilled to visit Skull Rock, just like Peter Pan and Captain Hook.

If that isn't a reason to bring your kids to Morro Bay, I don;t know what is!