Plan Your TripBarbecue ItineraryWine Weekend ItinerarySolo Trip ItinerarySanta Maria Valley Heritage ItineraryOutdoor Adventure ItineraryFamily Time ItineraryLodging SpecialsAbout Santa Maria ValleyGetting HereWeather Book A Room Calling all recreators! Pro Tips Hit up Main Street Cycles for extra bike gear if you forget something. Bring your “shants” (pants that zip off to shorts) for flexible wardrobe options. Dave from CORE Winery started the Bike & Bottle project. Spend a weekend outside in Santa Maria Valley. Get a taste of recreation done Santa Maria Style by spending two days venturing around the valley. Our lodging is centrally located to provide easy access to all of your upcoming adventures. What’s better, the temperate climate along California’s central coast makes it possible to enjoy they valley all year round. So, grab your hiking shoes, helmet, flip flops and sense of adventure. Santa Maria Valley is the ideal home base where you’ll find 24 hiking trails, 13 beaches and near endless miles of cycling trails all within a half hour drive. Your Trip at a Glance Day 1 Get a bike ride in Hike at Los Flores Ranch Park Wine or beer in Orcutt Pizzeria Bello Forno for dinner Day 2 Moxie Café for breakfast Monarch Dunes Butterfly Grove Oceano Dunes ATV rides Jocko’s for dinner Download the itinerary Day One Start your day in Santa Maria Valley’s Old Town Orcutt. Park on E Clark Ave and hop on your bike to cruise a scenic 8-miles to Dominion Road to Los Flores Ranch Park, which offers more than 15 miles of hiking trails. Many of the trails offer panoramic views of the surrounding countryside. Los Flores Ranch Park also has a native garden and a wildlife barn for you to explore. After you’ve finished exploring the park, head back into Old Orcutt. You may even want to pedal to the pinot and stop at a winery along Foxen Canyon road on your way back. Presqui’ile Winery just off East Clark on Presqu’ile Drive. (Psst! You can also check out our wine itinerary for more ideas for experiencing Santa Maria Valley wine.) After your ride or hike, treat yourself to wine at Vino et Amicis or beer at Naughty Oak Brewing Company. Vino et Amicis, which means “wine and friends,” serves wines from around the Santa Maria Valley, some from winemakers who don’t have their own tasting rooms. Naughty Oak Brewing Company is a hub of craft beer in Santa Maria Valley. They serve up cleverly named beer like Anthony Hopkins and Party Favors. Then, take a short walk over to Pizzeria Bello Forno, one of Orcutt’s most popular eateries. Bello Forno serves authentic wood-fired pizza, artisan salads, pastas and more. You can also order more wine from surrounding wineries and beer from Naughty Oak to accompany your meal. Day Two Moxie Café in Santa Maria is a health-minded eatery, which serves a café menu with carefully sourced ingredients. Moxie Café offers fresh breakfast, lunch, and dinner paired with craft coffee and freshly-made smoothies. If you’re visiting the Santa Maria Valley October through February, be sure to see the monarch butterflies at the Monarch Dunes Butterfly Grove. Make the 20-minute drive to view thousands of monarch butterflies, which spend the colder months among the eucalyptus trees in groves like this along the Central Coast. It’s a once in a lifetime experience that shouldn’t be missed. If you’re visiting the valley in the spring or summer, don’t worry because the grove is still a beautiful hike that offers a look at local plants and wildlife. Your next stop is a true hidden gem of the Santa Maria Valley. Drive 15 minutes to Oceano Dunes. Rent an ATV and hit the sand dunes to see the Central Coast from a different perspective. The dunes are one of the only places in California that you can ride dune buggies across the beach, right next to the ocean. There are several places to rent vehicles to enjoy this amazing experience. Be careful while you’re riding, because some of these towering dunes are larger than they appear. You can park your buggy and take a stroll along the beach and dip your toes in the ocean. Conclude your day of fun with a classic Santa Maria Style dinner at Jocko’s in Nipomo, which is a quick 20-minute drive back toward Santa Maria. Jocko’s has been a local barbecue favorite for more than 50 years, so be sure to call ahead of time to make a reservation. Their open red oak barbecue pit opens at 4:30 p.m. Weekends in Santa Maria Valley are here and gone in a blink. With so much to do from here, it’s always good to extend your stay if you can to fully experience all this valley has to offer.
Denny's Harold Butler and Richard Jezak opened a donut stand in 1953 and called it Danny’s Donuts. Butler’s stated promise was – To serve the best cup of coffee, make the best donuts, give the best service, offer the best value and stay open 24 hours a day. Today that donut stand is a restaurant chain […]
Riverbench Winery Oak-aged Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wines. In 1973, Riverbench Vineyard & Winery was established in the Santa Maria Valley when its first Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes were planted on the property. Since then, they have built a reputation for outstanding Santa Barbara County Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and sparkling wines by enhancing the natural […]
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Rising above America’s Interstate highways, a familiar sign greets travelers and local communities alike. Eggs break, biscuits bake, the scent of homestyle cooking rises. A cash register dings, chairs rock, checkers pass the time. More than 45 years ago, a Tennessee man named Dan Evins saw an unmet need. The Interstate was expanding—connecting people to new places—but […]
Blue Eyed Daisies Antique Store Blue Eyed Daisies is a monthly Vintage Marketplace. Children and adults alike can enjoy themselves amongst trees and hay bails, while browsing countless handmade goods. Located on a farm plan, be willing to get a little dirty and dusty when you visit. Children are welcome to play games, shop, eat, and have fun. Our goal is to […]
January 09 Santa Maria Valley Restaurant Month 2020 January is Restaurant Month in Santa Maria, California! The Santa Maria Valley is starting 2020 with #SantaMariaStyle, chock-full of participation from local and loved restaurants, wineries and breweries. Each participating location will be offering a special for $20.20, including everything from wine pairings to tastings and special menu items. This experience is part of California […]
January 17 Presqu'ile: 3rd Fridays Live - Will Breman Friday, January 17, 2020 4:30 pm – 7:00 pm Presqu’ile Tasting Room Complimentary Event Santa Barbara resident and Voice contestant Will Breman will be kicking off the 3rd Fridays Live series for the New Year! Will learned to sing when he was just three years old. He was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, a high-functioning form of autism, […]
January 17 Santa Maria Valley Discovery Museum: Generation STEM Family Fun Night! Join us for a night of science and robotics at the Discovery Museum. Brought to you by students at Cal Poly majoring in Engineering, Computer Science, and Child Development! Standard admission applies.
January 17 Blast 825 Brewery: Eric Knierim Music Come celebrate the weekend with Eric playing his original songs as well as other classic rock, blues, country and alternative tunes!