Page 56 - SLO Visitors Guide - Summer 2026

56 SUMMER 2026 slovisitorsguide.com
Cambria,
San Simeon & North Coast
Attractions
Historical walking tour
Visit the Cambria Historical Society
website (cambriahistoricalsociety.com)
for a map of a walking tour of Cambria’s
historical buildings. The self-guided tour
encompasses 28 buildings and the map
includes a written history of each one.
Learn the fascinating history of these old
buildings and how their uses evolved
from the original business or residence
to their current occupations. Learn a
little about the people and families who
shaped Cambria’s early years.
Visit the elephant seals
The elephant seal rookery extends
six miles along the shoreline near Point
Piedras Blancas in the Hearst San Simeon
State Park. The seals may be seen all year
but the largest populations are present
during late January, April and October.
Visit the Friends of the Elephant Seal web-
site at elephantseal.org for information
about the best viewing times and spots.
The charming village of Cambria is
filled with unique shops, galleries,
and restaurants serving all kinds
of delicious food. The shops have
everything from antiques, specialty
items, household gadgets, exquisite
jewelry, and art from the quirky to
traditional. Walking through the
village, along flower-filled yards and
shady trees, the well-maintained
buildings, many dating from the
1800s, all come together in a sense of
how life in a more tranquil time must
have been.
Cambria is also known as the
gateway to Hearst Castle, glorious
ocean scenery along Highway 1, and
during the month of October, is the
heart of the Cambria Scarecrow Festi-
val. The festival is an outdoor display
of whimsical handmade scarecrows
that draws visitors from all over.
The Hearst San Simeon
State Park
The state park encompasses the
Moonstone Beach, the Santa Rosa
Creek Natural Preserve, the San Simeon
Natural Preserve and the Pa-Nu Cultural
Preserve.
• Santa Rosa Creek Preserve includes
valuable riparian forests and coastal
wetlands, that provide habitat for
endangered Tidewater Goby.
• San Simeon Natural Preserve covers
vast wetlands, riparian areas, and several
undisturbed native plant communi-
ties and is a wintering site for monarch
butterflies.
• The 13.7 acre Pa-nu Cultural
Preserve contains an archaeological site
dated to 5850 years before the present
era. The site holds significant evidence of
prehistoric technology and life patterns.
A 3.3 mile trail runs through parts of
the San Simeon Natural Preserve, with
a portion of the trail being wheelchair
accessible. The trail includes scenic over-
looks, rest-stop benches and interpre-
tive panels. The park address is 500 San
Simeon Creek Road, Cambria. Call (805)
927-2010 for information about days
and times the park is open.
Nitt Witt Ridge
This California Registered Historical
Landmark #939 is famous for the artistic
use of recycled materials used in its
construction. Reclusive artist Arthur
Harold Beal purchased the land in 1928
and spent the next 50 years creating
his own version of a castle. Building
materials include beer cans, concrete,
washing machines, car parts, old stoves
and abalone shells.
Attractions & Tours
Covell's Clydesdales
Covell Ranch has 50+ Clydesdale horses
and 2,000 acres of pasture and forest the
family lives on in Cambria. They have
been raising them for nearly 40 years.
They are open Mon. – Sat. 9 a.m. to 3