Contact Information Visit Website West Main Street Guadalupe CA Share Categories Bird Watching Recreation & Outdoor View On Map This birding hotspot is located at the western end of California Highway 166. It is approximately 15 miles west of Santa Maria and 4.5 miles west of Guadalupe. Highway 166 intersects with Highway 101 in Santa Maria at Main Street. There is a parking lot at the west end of Highway 166. This parking lot and the immediate area are also referred to as Rancho Guadalupe County Park. The Estuary is located immediately north of the parking lot. The Santa Maria River Estuary has long been considered one of the best birding hotspots in Santa Barbara County. It is a breeding location for the endangered Western Snowy Plover and the endangered Least Tern. More than 200 species have been reported here. In the fall, it isn’t uncommon to see thousands of shearwaters on the horizon. Gray Whale sightings are relatively common from shore. The adjacent beach is famous for its heavy surf (lots of brave surfers) and great surf fishing. The surrounding dune complex is one of the largest in the United States. It has been the background for numerous movies including the original Cecile B. DeMille’s Ten Commandments and the Disney Film, The Rocketeer. Bird Watcher’s Digest recently published a feature on Santa Maria Valley, saying that the Santa Maria Valley is “an incredible birding area.” Bird Watcher’s Digest named a few of the best locations to spot birds throughout the valley, including the Rancho Guadalupe County Park and Dunes, the Barka Slough, Jim May Park, Colson Canyon and Oso Flaco Lake. Many birdwatchers also know that one of the best places to find birds is the Santa Maria Water treatment plant, which is one of few water treatment plants in the United States that still offers public access for birdwatching, as long as you follow basic safety guidelines. Read more about the Santa Maria Valley’s birdwatching potential here. Happy birding!
The Santa Maria Civic Theater The Santa Maria Civic Theater is another outlet at which passionate, live community theater may be enjoyed throughout the year. The theater group is the oldest and longest-running one of its kind between Ventura and Monterey, making it a fine-tuned favorite for any visitor to the Santa Maria Valley.
Eldwayen Ocean Park Eldwayen Ocean Park is a grassy park that offers access to a strip of beach. The park has picnic tables, other seating and a set of stairs that leads down to the nearby beach. This beach is a popular spot to kayak from, as it offers relatively quick ocean access to nearby beaches that can’t […]
Central West Produce Family-grown on the Central Coast since 1979, Central West Produce grows some of the area’s finest berries including strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, or what they call a “berry triple threat”.
Pacific Flyway The Santa Maria Valley is located in the heart of the Pacific Flyway, the path that migrating birds follow along the Pacific coastline of the United States and Mexico.
March 20 Naughty Oak: Jacob Cole + AR Catering Jacob Cole is a California based independent artist. Previously fronting Saint Anne’s Place and King Cole, he has grown into a well rounded singer/songwriter and performer reminiscent of Bruce Springsteen, early Tom Petty and current artists not unlike Kurt Vile and Cass McCombs. Check him out from 7:00 to 10:00 pm in our taproom. AR […]
March 21 Naughty Oak: Saturday Beer Yoga Join Courtney for SATURDAY beer yoga on March 21st at 10:00 am! You’ll leave this class refreshed, relaxed and quenched. Ticket includes one hour of yoga and your first pint of beer. Class size is very limited, so please reserve your ticket in advance to guarantee your spot. Tickets can be purchased in advance at […]
March 21 Los Flores Ranch: Star Gazing Party Enjoy amazing views of star clusters, planets and more through telescopes provided by one or all of these local groups- Central Coast Astronomy Society, Astronomy Club of Lompoc, Santa Barbara Astronomical Unit and Juno our resident telescope. Feel free to bring your own telescope and a chair. Gate will be open a half hour early […]
March 27 Naughty Oak: Ted Lennon + Debilz Mobile Kitchen Ted Lennon’s voice “comes through soft like water and saturates the listener with soulfulness and depth.” His music is similar to Jack Johnson and the like. Check Ted out fin our taproom from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. Also, come see what Chef Ben has cooked up for us this time. Ben makes a habit of […]