Morro Bay is a tiny town of 10,000 people and one giant 576 foot + rock. It's located on Highway 1 and is a great base for exploring the coast, with Cayucos, Cambria, Big Sur and Carmel just north.

When they put their cameras down, visitors shop at the local gift stores for trinkets and sea shells, Morro Bay T-shirts, buy fudge and taffy, eat fish, walk to the Rock, stroll the sands of the beach and marvel at this giant thing in the water.

They ogle the otters, sea lions and dolphins, and try to make sense of all the different breeds of birds that are all over town. They try to find somewhere to eat dinner after 8 p.m., when most of the restaurants (at least when I was there) were already closed.

This time of the year (April, 2022) in Morro, the fog can be thick, the weather cool and the birds are doing their thing. But not like Winter, which is said to be prime time for Morro bird watching. Still, even in spring and summer, your ears and eyes are in for a treat!

Morro Bay is the dynamic central California coast at its epic best, where after a small detour through San Luis Obispo, the heart of Highway 1 begins, with beautiful coastal views, wildlife and water critters everywhere.

There's commerce (the Embarcadero) alongside out of the way gems like the bird sanctuary in Morro Bay State Park, nearby small towns of Los Osos and Cayucos and all those sounds you just won’t hear in the city. 

We stayed at the lux Estero Inn, a small 8-room waterfront hotel with scenic room views of the rock and bay. It’s located right on the Embarcadero, home to many of Morro’s best seaside restaurants, the local fishing industry, trinket shops and my favorite place to buy sea shells, the Shell Shop.

The Inn has a rental shop for boats and bikes, and is run by the one and only Bailey Christenson, who you’ll get to meet in the accompanying PhotowalksTV video on Morro. Be sure to say hi to Bailey when you visit! She’s such a kick! 

Shopping in town was fun, but the action is outside. You won’t see those cute Otters inside the shops, or hear the birds chirping from behind paned glass.

Morro is about a 4 hour drive from LA, and it’s one of the greats, as you zip through Ventura, Santa Barbara, Los Alamos and Pismo Beach before making your final destination.