Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival

We will be in the SLO area over Memorial Day weekend, which just happens to coincide with the Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival. Has anyone local ever been? Is it worth a stop? Any opinions would be welcome.

Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival

It%26#39;s mostly an arts and crafts event surrounding food booths serving up everything strawberry related. It isn%26#39;t an easy event to get to, either. You have to park some distance from the village of Arroyo Grande where the event takes place and hike in or wait for a shuttle. I%26#39;ve only been once in the 20 years I%26#39;ve lived here and that was to help my brother who had a booth. He only sold 1 item over the 2 day event.

We do have great local strawberries here. I can tell you the best places to find them. However, I think a visit to the Avila Valley Barn is more fun the the AG Strawberry Festival.

Arroyo Grande Strawberry Festival

Thanks, kibblesmom. You always have good advice. I%26#39;ve driven by the Avila Valley Barn dozens of times, and it looks fun. It%26#39;s also five minutes from our hotel, the Avila Lighthouse Suites.

One more thing: we%26#39;ve never been to Paso Robles, and we want to spend part of a day driving up there and perhaps having lunch. Any suggestions?

Thanks, scooterboss. I%26#39;m not too familiar with Paso Robles, sorry to say. I have been out there wine tasting, but it%26#39;s been quite a few years and this wonderful area has really exploded with wineries popping up everywhere. My favorite area for wine tasting is the west side where many tasting rooms are nestled into oak studded hillsides along winding country roads. Some wineries have deli%26#39;s on site or you could pack a picnic lunch to take along with you. There%26#39;s a Trader Joe%26#39;s market in Templeton off Vineyard Drive on the way up to Paso Robles. They sell ready made sandwiches and salads, chips, etc.

If you%26#39;re looking for a place for dinner, there are a few good choices in Paso, such as Artisan, Buona Tavola , Basil, or Berry Hill. Of course, you could just take the 46 west for 20 minutes to Hwy 1, make a right turn and head the 4 miles into Cambria for dinner at Robin%26#39;s.

BTW- Drove through Big Sur yesterday on the way back from Pacific Grove. It%26#39;s still there and fabulous! Got a little worried on the drive through on Tuesday, though. We drove through some smoke and pondered how devastating it would be if Big Sur was on fire. The wind was particularly heavy that day. Guess it was a controlled fire or perhaps someone starting a BBQ since all was well on the return trip.

Thanks for all the suggestions! I%26#39;m looking forward to another great central coast trip.

drawing a circle