One of the great joys of travel is finding a hidden gem, some magical place that you either didn’t know was there or had once visited and then completely forgotten about. I felt that sense of discovery when I visited the central California coast in the summer of 2019 when I attended the Central Coast Cider Festival. As a California native, it was not my first time in the area. But I’d mostly just passed through, driving the scenic route from San Francisco to Los Angeles along Highway 1 as it winds along the cliffs above the sapphire-blue Pacific Ocean, occasionally dipping inland through coastal farmlands. I didn’t bother stopping until I hit Santa Barbara. I had no idea just what I was missing.
Sitting halfway between the San Francisco Bay Area and the sprawl of greater Los Angeles, in character if not physically, the central California coast seems to have absorbed the best of both of its more well-known and populated siblings. It has the laid-back, go-with-the-flow feel of the north and the fun-in-the-sun beach scene of the south without the former’s Silicon Valley high-tech twitchiness or the latter’s tendency to skew toward look-at-me plasticity. Add in an easygoing climate and great cider scene and you have the makings of a great place for a leisurely visit.
Start your exploration in the historic town of San Luis Obispo, home to Cal Poly University and an 18th century Spanish mission located on land originally owned by the Chumash people. The town also has two cideries within close proximity to one another that are worth checking out.
Two Broads Cider owners Morgan Murphy and Maggie Przybyski have created a warm and inviting tasting room with a comfortable yet eclectic sensibility, the sort of place in which the artists and writers of the Bloomsbury Set would have felt right at home. There they pour a range of elegant, well-crafted ciders from locally sourced apples, some single varietals like Yarlington Mill, and others co-ferments with imaginative names such as Kumquat May.
Just across the parking lot is relative newcomer SLO Cider. Founders Nate Adamski, Jeremy Flemming and Pete Ayer opened their doors in March 2020, just days before the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down. That blip aside, their lively re-opened tasting room is thriving with Thursday night comedy performances and a patio perfect for sipping one of their easy-drinking ciders.
About 30 minutes north just outside the small town of Atascadero is the venerable Bristols Cider House. Founder and owner Neil Collins came to California from Bristol, England, in the late 1980s, and quickly became involved in the growing wine industry. But he missed the Somerset ciders he was used to drinking back home. Noticing the many orchards around him, he decided to try his hand at making his own. By the end of the ’90s, Neil was working as a winemaker and vineyard manager for the iconic Tablas Creek Winery and he and his sister Jackie and wife Marci had started their own winery named Lone Madrone, as well as Bristols Cider. The ciders are as dry as their English cousins, though more reminiscent of Kent than Somerset, and the cider house has the feel of a well-appointed British pub, including the obligatory dartboard.
A trip east through the live oak–dotted tawny hills brings you to See Canyon, the epicenter of the central coast’s apples. Named for 19th century pioneer Joseph See, the narrow canyon creates a unique microclimate with relatively cold winters and hot summers, allowing apples to thrive. Pockets of orchards line See Canyon Road; local streets like Cider Lane, Pippin Lane and Old Orchard Road attest to the canyon’s long apple history. Fifteen or 20 minutes from the main highway brings you to Gopher Glen Organic Apple Farm, which was planted by apple enthusiast (and orthodontist) Dr. John DeVincenzo in the 1980s. Gopher Glen is growing a huge variety of apples, including some bred by Dr. DeVincenzo. Many are for sale in the farm store during the late summer and fall apple season along with other locally made handicrafts and foods. The highlight, though, are the ciders made by owners Jake and Raven Smith. Since they are also growing the apples, Jake and Raven can ensure the fruit is at its peak for ciders like their tangy Gravenstein and snappy Arkansas Black single varietals.
Had enough cider for one day? Then head to Montaña de Oro State Park for a hike up Valencia Peak. The 1,347-foot summit will reward you with thrilling views of the ocean. If hiking uphill isn’t your thing, visit one of the charming little beach towns instead. Cayucos, for example, has a lovely stretch of white sandy beach with a historic pier and a mix of little restaurants and shops. San Luis Obispo County is also home to some of California’s best wineries outside of Napa and Sonoma. For a week or a weekend, there’s no end to the good times to be found in central California. It’s all just hiding there in plain sight.
