I just returned from a visit to California’s Wine Coast Country. And I had a blast while discovering some wonderful venues and activities for small to medium-sized meetings. You’ll be hearing about these in future issues of California Meetings + Events, but there are some true undiscovered gems in this region that shouldn’t stay undiscovered a minute longer, so I wanted to tell you a little bit about my trip.
Located halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, Wine Coast Country spans 101 miles of Pacific coastline and consists of 10 small towns and villages. They’re all part of San Luis Obispo County-home to the Hearst Castle and many of the finest wineries in the country-but some of these artisan villages may be unfamiliar to you. The list includes Ragged Point, San Simeon, Cambria, Cayucos, Los Osos/Baywood Park, Avila Beach, Oceano, Nipomo, Arroyo Grande Valley and Edna Valley.
The charming seaside town of Avila Beach was headquarters for our adventures. We stayed at the lovely Avila Lighthouse Suites, just steps from the sand and kept our balcony door open so we could hear the waves breaking while we slept. The property has 54 two-bedroom suites and meeting space that can accommodate groups of 120. PG&E is among the companies that have held meetings here, with conferences in the morning followed by wine-tasting tours in the afternoon and adventures like kayaking, paddle boarding, electric bike excursions or lessons with the Avila Beach Surf School. Owner-instructor Justin Hodges, who donates lessons to disabled veterans, promises that after a single lesson “everyone will be able to stand up and surf.” No exceptions, he says, whatever a person’s age, weight, size or athletic ability. We didn’t put Hodges to the test, but we did enjoy some less strenuous activities in Avila, including bubbly and oysters at Cuvee Champagne Bar (they have a wall-sized screen and can accommodate receptions of up to 100 in their indoor/outdoor space), and a wonderful dinner at Ocean Grill Avila Beach.
The next two days were crammed with activities. I went zip lining over the pinot noir fields of the Santa Margarita Ranch in a private tour that was specially arranged by Margarita Adventures. There are five zip lines in all, covering some 4,500 feet in total, and I can tell you that the view from a height of 125 feet was spectacular and thrilling even for a self-confessed scaredy-cat like myself. After that we came down to earth with a visit to the Old Edna Townsite, a two-acre square that was founded in the early 1800s and that included a general store, blacksmith, butcher shop, saloon and dance hall. The vivacious and industrious Pattea Torrence bought the entire site in 2000 and is bringing it back to life. Right now, the site includes a couple of small guest cottages available for rental, the Sextant Wine Tasting Room and Gourmet Deli and several historic buildings. Torrence is turning a spacious old barn into a reception space and when that’s completed it’s going to be a gorgeous and unique venue. We’ll keep you posted on progress.
The Old Edna Townsite is a participant in Wine Coast Country’s ambitious Stewardship Travel Program, a one-of-a-kind program that has dozens of activities throughout the region that allow vacationers and groups to learn, connect and contribute through walks, docent-led tours, restoration, cleanup activities and more. (We’ll share details of this extraordinary effort in our Summer issue.)
There was more packed into our three days in Wine Coast Country-hikes and soaks in hillside hot tubs at Sycamore Springs, wine tasting, shopping, a visit to the mission at San Luis Obispo. I can’t wait to go back. I encourage you to visit as well for pleasure or business, and, in the meantime, stop by the Wine Coast Country website.
