By Dannah Nielsen

Some California coastal towns could be studied for their formula of economic and cultural success, and Morro Bay would be among the most influential. Each visit we’ve made to this beach destination over many trips spanning many years, seems consistent in memory: a crossover between hard working small businesses and destination vacation vibes. The ultimate, classic California experience.

To start this trip off, we chose to stay at the 456 Embarcadero Inn — perfectly situated, naturally, on the Embarcadero itself. This is actually crucial for obtaining the classic California experience — views of the bay and its wildlife residents, Morro Rock, the buzz of tourism, and easy walks to businesses and multiple open piers.

The open piers are particularly important to note here as it is a subtle but clear message established with thoughtful design: the entire stretch of the Embarcadero is open to all visitors, complete with playgrounds, park benches, landscaping, viewing stations, designated access points and welcome signs. If you are here, the business district welcomes you to enjoy it all.

Of course this business district has its share of what we commonly call “tourist traps” however perhaps the term is at times misused. Watching the lines for seafood, seeing the abundance of souvenir shops and sale pitches for adventure kayaking, the tourist traps have their place deeply rooted in memory making and nostalgia. Perhaps the long line for clam chowder is really the long wait to revisit a core childhood moment?

With that said, if the tourist circuit is your jam, the Embarcadero is your playground. For us, we opted to trek no more than two blocks from the Inn uphill to Main Street — an easy “off the beaten path” alternative to find just as much entertainment and activity. A few of our favorite stops along Main:

Scouts Coffee is the epitome of trending coffeehouse vibes but beyond that the coffee and eats are on par with the very best Morro Bay has to offer. Across the street is Coalesce Bookstore, a perfect escape for any bookworm wishing to drown in the aroma of vintage books, but be revived by the attached backyard micro garden.

Right next door is the Morro Bay Association Art Gallery, an important hub for any community, highlighting local artists and also providing the quiet break often needed when filling a day with exploration.

While Morro Bay is obviously well known for its unchallenged landmarks of Morro Rock and the Three Stacks, its lesser known sister town that shares the bay, Baywood-Los Osos, is an entire gem on its own and only a few quick paddles inland. Here you’ll find a handful of lesser-known gems:Sweet Spring Nature Preserve, a community effort at its finest. Funded and cared for by local volunteers, this wooded area provided sweeping and uninterrupted views of Morro Rock, well maintained paths, bridges, benches and lookout points for the local wildlife to pause and watch us visitors. When we visited here, it was literally just us and the birds.

Spooner Ranch House museum located at Montaño de Oro State Park. Being on the coast, state park trails were busy with hikers and day trippers, but we were the only ones who thought to tour the museum.

This brings us to a travel must: chat with the docents. We promise you’ll leave with a new appreciation for California history as well as the feeling of having just met a new best friend. Docents are the true lesser known gems that dot our entire state, and it was no different when we stopped in to tour the Spooner Ranch House, an impeccably styled home forever preserved in the early 1900s.

No coast trip is complete without a walk on the beach. Colorful rocks and shells are in abundance all over Morro Strand and on up as far as the Cambria beaches. We highly recommend taking advantage of this unique art medium to create your own beachside masterpieces (but of course, please leave them for others to enjoy as well). A trip here without taking in an up close and personal encounter with Morro Rock itself could be an abomination, and one final must-do is to also pose for a picture with the iconic Three smoke stacks — remains of a retired power plant. The confirmed rumors for now is that they will be coming down forever in the coming years.

If you’re an avid road tripper with a bit of FOMO (fear of missing out), perhaps you’ve discovered the same mind trick we have discovered to help ease the need to go go go while on the go — choosing lodging that completes the experience: Despite being exhausted in the evenings from days full of adventuring, being able to retire early to a hotel room with incredible sunset views, sights and sounds of the harbor life, and enjoying iconic landmarks with our feet up at our own private observation deck quells the feeling of missing out on anything at all. 456 Embarcadero Inn is highly recommended for all of these reasons, and it’s highly recommended to not skip out on this luxury.

For more tips and must-do’s when exploring our state, follow @ca.love.fornia on Instagram. For Morro Bay adventures, visit www.MorroBay.org.