San Luis Obispo Information, Events, News
Good General Sites
www.slochamber.org
www.sanluisobispo.com
www.visitslo.com
To catch local news and weather:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/
http://www.ksby.com/
Ongoing
Every Thursday Night: Farmer's Market.
Every Saturday Morning: Farmer's Market.
First Friday Night Of Every Month: “Art After Dark” (all SLO galleries stay open and host visitors walking around)
Concerts on the Mission Plaza in San Luis Obispo start in Late June. through summer
Bayside Cafe thurs - sun dinner; mon - sun lunch
Open House at the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden is the Second Saturday of the Month, from April to October.
Outings, Other
The Land Conservancy of San Luis Obispo County sponsors hikes:
The Sierra Club sponsors hikes, nature walks, kayaking:
http://santalucia.sierraclub.org/index/index.html
The San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden has exhibits of native and Mediterranean Plants:. It is affiliated with the California Native Plant Society: http://www.slobc.org
Cal Poly also has an arboretum: http://calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2005/april_05/arboretum.html
EcoSLO is an environmental organization that sponsors hikes/events:
http://www.ecoslo.org/upcoming
The Natural History Museum and National Estuary (Morro Bay) sponsor hikes, nature walks, geology/astronomy/biology … events:
http://www.morrobaymuseum.org/adventures/index.htm
There are 10s of hikes at all levels within easy drive of San Luis Obispo city.
Wine Tasting is available at about 100 San Luis Obispo wineries with tasting rooms.
http://www.slowine.com/. There's also the Sideways Tour over in Santa Barbara County.
Bird watching: http://morrocoastaudubon.org/
Driving around county (Big Sur, North County). Spring is ideal for wildflower displays, fall for color and fruit stands/wineries.
Elephant Seal Colony (babies are born in January)
Geology Self-Guided Tour in Pismo Beach http://Jf2.com
Oceano and Nipomo Dunes
Golf: Black Lake, Avila Beach (about 10 courses)
Kayaking Morro Bay and Shell Beach
Hearst Castle
Montana del Oro Start Park (sea cliffs, canyons, wildlife (otter, seals, eagles, pelicans, tidal lagoons, )).
Santa Barbara
http://www.lotusland.org/ when in SB
Botanical Gardens
Island View nursery
Hiking in Santa Barbara County: www.santabarbarahikes.com and www.ventanawild.org
Venues
Performing Arts Center (Cal Poly). National talent, symphony, Cal Poly productions.
Fremont Theater, special vintage Tuesday movies, plus the major first run movies. Palm Theatre, independent/foreign/art movies (2 theaters like those in Santa Monica) http://www.thepalmtheatre.com/
PCPA Theater, Santa Maria
Little Theater of San Luis Obispo
Linneas Café in San Luis Obispo (music, poetry)
Blue Restaurant, Various kinds of live msic.
Cisco’s Sandwiches/Deli www.Ciscos-slo.com for music near the Mission, outdoors (noon to 4, Friday to Sunday)
January
Photo show at San Luis Obispo City Art Museum. Visions 2004.
Winter Bird Festival (14-17th in 2005), Morro Bay National Estuary. http://www.morro-bay.net/birds/
Monarch Butterfly Tours (Pismo Beach (PB))
February
San Luis Obispo Film Festival Oscar Party (29th in 2004)
Monarch Butterfly Tours (PB)
March
Orchid Show Arroyo Grande (AG) (5-7 in 2004)
Newport Jazz Festival AG (17th in 2004)
Zinfandel Wine Festival PR (19-21 in 2004)
April
Wildflower Ride (SLO Bike Club)
Roll out the Barrels (29th to May 2, in 2004) – Wine Country Event
May
1st weekend) Roll out the barrels. Www.slowine.com. Or http://www.slowine.com/annualevents.fsp?id=35726
Botanical Garden Festival (1st and 2nd in 2004) – San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden
Paso Robles Wine Festival (14th-16th in 2004)
Strawberry Festival in AG (29-30th in 2004)
June
Fun in the Sun Classic Car Show (PB) – 3rd Weekend
July
Fireworks (PB, Cambria) on the 4th.
Summer
Central Coast Shakespeare Festival
August.
Mozart Festival. (13-22nd in 2004)
September
Lighthouse Ride 19th in 2004. SLO Bike Club
Italian Street Painting Festival (called I Madonnari; 18-19th in 2004)
Plein Aire Painting Festival 27th to October 3.
October
SLO Film Festival. 21-31st in 2004
Paso Wine Tour Pasowine.com October Wine Tour 17,18,19 in 2003;
Clam Festival (PB)
November
1st Weekend. Harvest Celebration. www.slowine.com or 805.541.5868 4th-7th in 2004
Butterflies by the Beach (PB), 13th in 2004
Monarch Butterfly Tours (PB)
December
Holiday Parade (3rd in 2004)
Monarch Butterfly Tours (PB)
Results are in
Other parts of state among best, worst, book says
Julie Lynem
The Tribune
SAN LUIS OBISPO COUNTY - beloved for its mild climate, historic downtowns and educational opportunities -- is the third best place to live in the nation, according to a new book that evaluated 430 metropolitan areas in the United States and Canada.
The top U.S. spots belong to Charlottesville, Va., and Santa Fe, N.M., according to "Cities Ranked & Rated: Your Guide to the Best Places to Live in the U.S. and Canada."
Santa Barbara County came in fourth place, followed in the top 10 by Honolulu; Ann Arbor, Mich.; Atlanta; Asheville, N.C.; Reno, Nev.; and Corvallis, Ore. Two California communities ranked among the worst places to live -- Merced and Stockton-Lodi.
Communities were ranked by economy and jobs, cost of living, climate, education, health and health care, crime, transportation, leisure, arts and culture, and overall quality of life.
San Luis Obispo, the city featured in the book's profile of the area, got high marks for being a "charming college town."
"It has resisted the development seen in other parts of the state and preserves a pleasant, off-the-beaten-path character."
However, the authors also noted some of the city's weak points.
"The absence of a strong commercial economy makes jobs difficult to find and future job-growth projections low."
New book ranks city in top 10 in U.S. and Canada
Julie Lynem
The Tribune
SAN LUIS OBISPO - A new book evaluating the best cities in the United States and Canada confirms what many San Luis Obispo residents and city leaders have known for years.
San Luis Obispo is ranked among the top 10 places to live among 430 communities analyzed in "Cities Ranked & Rated: Your Guide to the Best Places to Live in the U.S. and Canada."
The book, published by John Wiley & Sons, rates cities according to population statistics, education levels, crime rate, recreational and cultural opportunities, economic strength, job markets, cost of living, housing costs, climate, public school performance, commute times, health and health-care quality.
Authors Bert Sperling -- creator of Money magazine's "Best Places to Live in America" list -- and Peter Sander are scheduled to discuss the rankings this morning on NBC's "Today" show.
"We were surprised and pleased," said Assistant City Administrator Wendy George. "We would like to have (the publicity) encourage people to come visit us. We'll be working with the city's tourism professionals to see how we can use this most effectively in promoting tourism."
The publisher also will present a plaque to Mayor Dave Romero at a later date.
City officials said Monday that they did not know where San Luis Obispo fell on the top 10 list. The authors would not release the rankings or names of the other cities until today, George said.
This isn't the first time San Luis Obispo has received such praise.
Last year, the city made Men's Journal magazine's list of the best places to live and work out. Money magazine and the Milken Institute also have named San Luis Obispo as a best place to live.
In 2000, Wired magazine rated the city as the fifth hottest spot in the nation for tech growth