Central California Coast 4 Day Itinerary with Toddler and Dog
Traveled in August 2023
Looking for an easy long weekend road trip from the Bay Area? I’ll be sharing the best dog AND toddler approved activities in Paso Robles, Cambria, and Morro Bay.
If you feel like you have explored all the usual Bay Area long weekend road trips, then this road trip itinerary to the Central California Coast is for you. We had been to Monterey and Mendocino, and were looking for another long weekend road trip with activities that would be fun for our toddler and would allow us to bring our dog. We love exploring the dramatic coastline of the California coast, and we also love eating delicious food. Basing ourselves near Paso Robles allowed us to have the best of both worlds because we were only a short drive to the cute coastal towns of Cambria and Morro Bay, and also able to enjoy the dining scene of Paso Robles at dinnertime.
Paso Robles is only a 3 hour drive from the Bay Area so it was a tolerable drive with a toddler. The area also felt pretty dog friendly since there was a lot of outdoor dining and there were many hiking trails that allow dogs on leash. Another highlight of this trip was our charming Airbnb in Atascadero, which was located on a small family farm. The Airbnb overlooked the fields of the farm, and we spent our afternoons enjoying the serene view of the horses resting in the field. Our Airbnb host was also gracious enough to arrange a little farm tour for us so our kiddo could meet the animals. Our city kid was awestruck by petting a real horse for the first time and talked about it afterwards for months.
Although Paso Robles is known for its wineries, we built our itinerary around activities that both our doggo and kiddo could enjoy, so you won’t find any wineries on this trip. For reference, our kiddo was 20 months old at the time and still needed multiple naps during the day.
- When to Go
- How to Get There
- Where to Stay
- 4 Day Central California Coast Road Trip Itinerary
- Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1: Drive to Paso Robles
- Day 2: Cambria
- Book Your Central California Coast Getaway Today!
- Day 3: Morro Bay
- Day 4: Drive Home
- Reality Check of Road Tripping to the Central California Coast with a Dog and Toddler
When to Go
Paso Robles is more inland so it gets HOT in the summer. It was around 100 degrees in Paso Robles every day when we traveled in August. That was another reason why we escaped to the coastal towns of Cambria and Morro Bay during the day. Because Cambria and Morro Bay are on the coast, the temperatures are more mild in the 60s to low 70s even when it is in the 100s inland. There was some fog in the mornings on the coast, but it burned off by midday. Weather-wise, this region might be nice to visit in the spring or fall when it is more temperate both inland and on the coast.
How to Get There
From the Bay Area, Paso Robles is about a 3 hour drive down the 101 South. Cambria is a 35 minute drive from Atascadero and Morro Bay is a 25 minute drive from Atascadero (add 5-10 minutes if driving from Paso Robles).
Where to Stay
We chose to stay in an Airbnb in Atascadero mainly because of the novelty for our city kid of staying on a small farm. There were some drawbacks to this because the location was a bit of a windy drive from the freeway. Once you figured out which roads to take, it was only about a 5-10 minute drive from the freeway. However, it was a windy uphill drive in a more rural area with no lights so I could see it being difficult to navigate at night. We always drove during daylight hours because our toddler sleeps early. We did love the Airbnb for the serenity (just look at that view from our deck!) and we were looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. And the farm tour was such a bonus and a big hit with our toddler.
Staying in Paso Robles is also a good choice for proximity to the restaurants and wineries.
This charming 3 bedroom cottage is located blocks from Paso Market Walk. I love the details and character they added in the remodel, like the beautiful wallpaper and the colorful tiles. The open floorplan is great for families and kiddos will love the porch swing.
For a super family friendly stay, check out the Beachcomber Unit of Coastal Harvest Hideaways. This housing community is made up of a handful of cottages arranged around a common area. This makes it a great property for extended families traveling together, since everyone can have their own private cottage but still stay close to one another. It is a little further from downtown Paso, but still walkable to restaurants and wineries. Best of all, it has ALL of the toddler gear you could need, from a high chair and pack and play to training potties, and even a slumberpod dupe. Not having to schlep all of that extra toddler gear can make a big difference when packing, and makes it easier to replicate the home environment when traveling.
4 Day Central California Coast Road Trip Itinerary
Itinerary at a Glance
- Day 1: Drive from the Bay Area to Paso Robles (3 hrs). Paso market walk – Atascadero Lake Park. Stay in Atascadero.
- Day 2: Day trip to Cambria (35 min). Fiscalini Ranch Preserve – Moonstone Beach Boardwalk. Stay in Atascadero.
- Day 3: Day trip to Morro Bay (25 min). Embarcadero – Morro Rock. Airbnb farm tour. Stay in Atascadero.
- Day 4: Drive to the Bay Area (3.5 hrs).
Day 1: Drive to Paso Robles
Drive from the Bay Area to Paso Robles and arrive in time for lunch. Jeffry’s Wine Country BBQ has outdoor seating that is dog-friendly.
Paso Market Walk
After lunch, check out the Paso Market Walk. You will always find me at a local market when traveling. The Paso Market Walk is a collection of food and drink vendors selling locally produced specialties. We treated ourselves to some gelato and bought a bottle of local wine here since we were not planning on visiting any wineries.
Dog friendliness: dogs are only allowed on the lawn and the eating area outside of the building, they are not allowed into the building of the Paso Market Walk itself.
Atascadero Lake Park
We are always on the hunt for a playground to burn off the abundance of toddler energy. The Atascadero Lake Park has a toddler and a big kid playground situated next to a large lake. There is a walking path around the lake, but since there wasn’t as much shade on the walk we stayed in the playground.
Dog friendliness: dogs allowed on leash.
Other Dog and Toddler-Friendly Paso Robles Activity: Estrella Warbird Museum
The Estrella Warbird museum is a museum with a collection of retired military planes and vehicles, good for kiddos who like planes and adult aircraft enthusiasts. We decided to skip this one as it was 100 degrees outside and we were worried about our kiddo and dog being out for too long on the hot asphalt.
Dog friendliness: dogs allowed in the outdoor area where the planes are, but not inside the indoor museum.
Where to Eat In Paso Robles
- Etto Pasta Bar: bisteca ala fiorentina, housemade pastas
- Negranti Creamery: delicious hand crafted ice cream with unique flavors
- Leo Leo Gelato
- Fish Gaucho: modern Mexican
- Thomas Hill Organics
- Finca: Mexican wood fire carne asada (closed Sunday)
- Buona Tavalo
- The Hatch Rotisserie (closed Sunday and Monday)
- Jeffry’s Wine Country bbq
Day 2: Cambria
Grab breakfast at Kitchenette in Templeton, which has outdoor seating that is dog-friendly.
Drive to Cambria (about 35 min).
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve
The coastal views from this trail are beautiful and we even saw some sea otters in the water! It was an easy, relatively flat, paved trail, so would be stroller friendly, but we used a hip-seat carrier. Park on Windsor Blvd and walk up the stairs to the paved bluff trail.
Dog friendliness: dogs allowed on leash.
Moonstone Beach Boardwalk
The Moonstone Beach Boardwalk is another beautiful and easy coastal trail to enjoy the beauty of the California coast. It is a flat and paved easy walk that hugs the coastline, so you can walk as far as you like. Park anywhere on Moonstone Beach Drive to hop on to the boardwalk.
Dog friendliness: dogs allowed on leash.
Wondering what to do with all those beautiful pictures of the Central California coastline from your road trip? Check out my post for ideas of how to display your travel photos!
Where to Eat Lunch in Cambria
- Linn’s Bakery: sandwiches, pot pie, ollalieberry pie
- The French Corner Bakery
- Hidden Kitchen
Side Trip if Without a Dog: Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle is a museum of a beautiful and historic estate. Toddlers may enjoy trying to spot the wild zebra roaming around the grounds of the property. Hearst Castle is only a 15 min drive north of Cambria, so if visiting Cambria without a dog then it would be a great side trip. Strollers are not permitted in the castle tours.
Dog friendliness: dogs NOT allowed, so leave your doggo with a pet-sitter!
Day 3: Morro Bay
Embarcadero
The Embarcadero is a a stretch of shops and restaurants right along the waterfront of Morro Bay. Our kiddo had fun spotting the sea lions out on the water.
We walked down the Embarcadero towards Morro Rock and passed by the Morro Bay Maritime Museum on the way. If your toddler likes vehicles then they will enjoy the display of boats here.
Stop for lunch at Hofbrau for a delicious roast beef french dip sandwich.
Dog friendliness: dogs not allowed in the stores, but are allowed on leash on the Embarcadero.
Morro Rock
Morro Rock is the big landmark of Morro Bay, but I came for the sea otters! They swim in pods in the bay right in front of Morro Rock.
Dog friendliness: dogs allowed on leash.
Other Dog and Toddler-Friendly Morro Bay Activity: Los Osos Elfin Forest
The Los Osos Elfin Forest is a grove of pygmy trees that grow only 4 to 20 feet tall. There is a just under 1 mile boardwalk loop that will take you for an easy and whimsical walk around the forest.
Dog friendliness: dogs allowed on leash.
Day 4: Drive Home
Grab breakfast at the Red Scooter Deli in Paso Robles before heading home. The Red Scooter Deli is across the street from the Paso Robles Downtown City Park if you need a last park break to burn off some toddler and dog energy before starting the long drive.
Reality Check of Road Tripping to the Central California Coast with a Dog and Toddler
Before embarking on a road trip with a toddler, you have to mentally prepare yourself to be trapped in the car with a screaming crying child at some point. If your dog is also easily riled by a crying toddler, add a crying dog to that mental picture as well. Now you have prepared for the worst and will be pleasantly surprised if it does not happen.
We definitely mistimed some of the naps on this trip, either because our toddler did not nap in the car during the long drives or fell asleep for 10 minutes during the short drives and did not nap after getting back to the Airbnb. Either way, we lost a good nap and parents know that is bad news. It happens. It would happen if you were at home and not traveling too, so don’t let the fear of missed naps stop you from taking that road trip!
Looking for another toddler and dog friendly adventure?
Check out my guides on dog and toddler friendly activities in San Diego, Monterey, and Lake Tahoe, or this epic family road trip to Oregon to explore waterfalls!
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