Travel: Morro Bay is rockin’ it along California’s scenic Central Coast

Fiesta, a 55-foot-long vessel with 15 bunks, plies the waters near South T Pier, followed by several seagulls. Morro Bay is the year-round starting point for both shallow-water and deep-sea excursions for anglers of all ages and skill levels. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)

By Jerry Rice | jrice@scng.com | Daily Bulletin

PUBLISHED: January 31, 2024 at 9:55 a.m. | UPDATED: February 2, 2024 at 10:49 a.m.

Nearly everywhere you go in the Central Coast town of Morro Bay, you can see The Rock.

It’s visible from Morro Bay State Park, home to thriving bird populations thanks to its lagoon and natural bay habitats. And it’s an imposing sight from Morro Rock Beach, which stretches north from the landmark and connects with Morro Strand State Beach and North Point Natural Area. Also, it makes for a wonderful backdrop for breakfast on the ocean-view patio at Dorn’s Breakers Café, a family run restaurant since 1948.

South T Pier, along the Embarcadero, is yet another location, and one that has an added bonus: It’s among several hangouts for Morro Bay’s most popular residents — sea otters.

But when it comes to deciding which is the area’s favorite attraction, the competition is close. While the massive rock formation is a remarkable sight, the moustachioed otters are as cute as can be.

Yet, between the two, it likely was Morro Rock — which can be spotted 20-some miles away — that first caught the attention of the early explorers.

In 1542, Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, an Iberian soldier, led the first European expedition along the coast of present-day California with the goal of claiming the land for Spain. Accompanied by a crew that included sailors, soldiers, enslaved people and a priest, Cabrillo’s party departed aboard three ships from the port of Navidad, Mexico, on June 27 and entered San Diego Bay about 100 days later — which for decades has been celebrated with a reenactment and festival.

The expedition continued north, and along the way they mapped many of California’s best-known coastal features, including Monterey Bay and Point Reyes. (Notably, they missed San Francisco Bay, which wasn’t spotted by Europeans, likely due to the frequent fog, until an expedition led by Gaspar de Portolá in 1769.)

In Morro Bay, Cabrillo called the 576-foot-tall mound of splintered volcanic dacite “El Moro,” because it reminded him of the style of turban headwear worn by the Moors of Spain.

Morro Rock, as seen from Morro Rock Beach near Morro Creek, catches the early morning sun in a photo that was shot using an iPhone 14 Pro Max. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
With a fog-shrouded Morro Rock as a backdrop, boats of various lengths are docked near South T Pier. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
The Audubon Society calls Morro Bay an Important Bird Area — and it’s no wonder given that it’s a major resting place and wintering location for many species of birds that migrate along the Pacific Flyway. For the past seven decades, the Morro Coast Audubon Society has hosted volunteer-driven bird counts. For more information, including upcoming dates, visit www.morrocoastaudubon.org. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)

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It’s one of two iconic landmarks you’ll see when visiting the seaside community. The other is a trio of 450-foot-tall smokestacks that were part of a power plant, which was built in the 1950s to service Pacific Gas and Electric’s power grid. When it ran at full capacity, it generated enough energy to power 750,000 homes, but as the facility aged it couldn’t keep up economically with more modern technology, and the power plant was shuttered in 2014.

Over the decades, ideas for what to do with the facility, and its decaying smokestacks, have ranged from upgrading it — a modernization that by one estimate would have cost $225 million — to remaking it into a public art project or even a venue for extreme sports.

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Chatting with locals, another issue that comes up is a plan to build a giant wind farm — incorporating hundreds of floating turbines as tall as 1,100 feet from the water line — in an area to the north of Morro Bay, about 20 miles off the coast of Cambria and San Simeon.

Called the Morro Bay Wind Energy Area, the proposal, which was still a long way from being approved, would pump millions of dollars into the San Luis Obispo County’s economy. It also would help California meet its green energy goals, according to officials speaking at a public information session last November.

And, much like the battery storage plan, not everyone is sold on the idea.

Out and about

One way to immerse yourself in Morro Bay is to stroll along the Embarcadero, a waterfront street where you’ll find an eclectic mix of retail shops, interspersed with a variety of dining options plus art galleries and museums.

There also are opportunities for fun adventures, including fishing and whale-watching excursions, kayak and paddleboard rentals, and even a narrated harbor tour aboard the 21-passenger SSV Seaview, which, as you might expect given its name, has a glass-enclosed viewing area below the water’s surface so you can spy on the fish, jellyfish and kelp.

If you’d prefer to shop, the options are many.

In the Marina Square complex, you’ll find a pair of galleries — one as you enter, the other upstairs — featuring the works of dozens of local painters, photographers, sculptors, glassblowers and other artisans. It’s not unusual to casually meet some the creators during regular hours (11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily), and more formally during artist receptions the second Saturday of each month, from 3 to 5 p.m.

How about some saltwater taffy? There’s a store for that, too. Carousel Taffy features an abundance of imitation whiskey barrels piled high with 70 yummy varieties. If you can’t pick a favorite, they’ll help the decision-making process with free samples.

And, perhaps unexpectedly, there’s Hooray for Hollywood — a shop that’s more Tinseltown than quaint seaside fishing village. It’s where you’ll find “Walking Dead” and “Wizard of Oz” figurines, Elsa backpacks, and Elvis Presley handbags and umbrellas.

David Thomas started collecting and selling shells during the summer of 1955, when he was 10 years old, and he it turned into the career of a lifetime. “I sold the shells for 10 to 25 cents apiece back then, and that first summer I took in $100. Without my parents, who helped me, I never would have carried through. I didn’t have the vision to turn this into a real business. When you’re 10 years old, you don’t know what you’re going to be doing later.” (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Two gulls check out the scenery while resting atop the sign at The Shell Shop. The sign’s shape may appear familiar; the metal frame was repurposed from an old Shell gas station sign. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Seashells are used to decorate a picture frame and create Christmas trees at The Shell Shop. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
The Shell Shop in Morro Bay has seashells from around the world, including selections from Australia, the Philippines, Bay of Bengal and Easter Island. Many were collected by David Thomas himself. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
The Garden Gallery, which started as a small garden and gift shop in the mid-1970s, is now a two-story complex with a large selection of pottery, fountains, and plants, plus accessories for inside the home. It’s one of many retail stores and restaurants along Morro Bay’s Embarcadero. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Clay otter planters and water fountains of various sizes are available for purchase at The Garden Gallery. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Beads by the Bay, in the downtown area on Morro Bay Boulevard and only a few blocks from the waterfront, sells beads, of course, and also has classes on making necklaces and other items using beads. Behind the shop is Morro Bay Garden, which is billed as a “secret garden” — but it really isn’t a well-kept secret, given the hand-printed sign announcing it facing the street. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Morro Bay Garden sells an abundance of miniature and fairy garden accessories, along with pottery, succulents, and other plants, plus works created by local artisans. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Carousel Taffy in Morro Bay sells saltwater taffy by the half-barrelful — literally — with some 70 flavors available at any given time. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)

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If there’s a dean of Morro Bay business owners, it probably would be David Thomas of The Shell Shop (say the shop’s name three times fast). As a 10-year-old in 1955, he would collect abalone shells, a byproduct of the commercial fishing industry, and sell them for 10 to 25 cents apiece. That first summer, he made $100 — and a business was born.

Today, Thomas sells hundreds of varieties of shells and decorative corals, imported from around the globe, and specialty items such as shell nightlights and wind chimes from a store that looks like it’s straight out of the 1960s — mostly because it is. Built in 1963, it’s said to be the oldest continually operating retail business in Morro Bay.

Last April, The Shell Shop was named 2022 Business of the Year, for the first time, by the Morro Bay Chamber of Commerce.

“It only took 68 years,” Thomas laughs. “Apparently they wait to see if you’re going to make it.”

Giovanni’s, family owned and operated for three-plus generations, has been a landmark on the Morro Bay waterfront since 1985. The menu features 200-plus seafood items, including halibut, salmon, sushi-grade tuna, prawns, lobster and Dungeness crab — much of it caught by the restaurant’s own fishing fleet. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
At Giovanni’s Fish Market & Galley, black cod, mahi mahi and swordfish — all smoked — were available for purchase on this day, along with salmon poke, shrimp ceviche and cooked Dungeness crabs. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Taco Temple, on North Main Street in Morro Bay, has been called “a great spot for fish tacos” by Sunset magazine. But that’s only the beginning. There also are burritos, tostadas and more — and the portions are huge. Ditto the must-try carrot cake. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Customers place their orders at Taco Temple, where the menu is described as “California fusion.” (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Dutchman’s Seafood House, along the Morro Bay Embarcadero, was founded in 1986 by a family with nine children who emigrated from The Netherlands three decades earlier. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
At the House of JuJu on Morro Bay’s waterfront, a brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and chocolate syrup, is even more enjoyable paired with a late afternoon view of Morro Rock. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Three Stacks and a Rock Brewing Company, a local brewery founded in 2016, incorporates two of Morro Bay’s most iconic features into its logo — with a notable change. The three concrete smokestacks, which were part of a Pacific Gas and Electric power plant built in the 1950s, have been replaced here by beer bottles. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)

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When it comes to great eats, Morro Bay has a full menu. For starters, this being a coastal fishing town, you’d be right to expect seafood restaurants that are legend. The lineup here includes a pair that have been pleasing palates for decades.

Dutchman’s Seafood House was launched in 1986 by Cornelius and Mary Van Beurden, who emigrated with their nine children from The Netherlands nearly 30 years earlier. It has an open kitchen design and offers casual dining for lunch and dinner. From-the-sea options include Alaskan cod — in the fish and chips and also the Dutchman’s Platter — plus oysters on the half shell and ahi poke nachos.

Visit during peak times, and while waiting for a table, take time to read the restaurant’s origin story displayed near the check-in booth. You’ll see a vintage photo of the entire Van Beurden family; the restaurant is now owned and operated by Paul Van Beurden, the smallest one in the photo.

A couple blocks away, there are two options under the Giovanni’s banner: the Fish Market & Galley, with extensive offerings that include halibut, snapper, salmon and soft-shell blue crab; and the newer Take-out Express with a stripped-down menu that allows for quicker service. Both serve clam chowder that’s a local favorite and a multiyear winner of the annual Morro Bay Chowder Cook-off.

Giovanni DeGarimore runs the business, started by his parents, Mike and Kathy DeGarimore, who originally opened a small fish market in Cambria. In 1985, they purchased the current Embarcadero-adjacent location, on Front Street, where the Fish Market & Galley and Take-out Express are both located.

House of JuJu is a more recent arrival on the Morro Bay dining scene. The family owned and operated restaurant opened in 2015 next to Anchor Memorial Park, a pocket park that honors local commercial fishermen who were lost at sea. Specialties at JuJu include six gourmet burgers — which also can be ordered as sliders — with protein choices that include bison, free-range ground turkey and certified Angus beef.

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A short drive away from the Embarcadero are two other worthwhile dining options: Taco Temple on Main Street and the Morro Bay Coffee Company, located off Highway 1 adjacent to the roundabout.

The former is known for its burritos, tostadas and, of course, tacos — all of which come in huge, tasty portions. Perhaps unexpectedly, there’s also a carrot cake that rivals what you’ll find at any bakery in nearby San Luis Obispo. The latter has an abbreviated menu of egg-centric burritos and sandwiches for breakfast (and other sandwiches for lunch), plus pastries, and a variety of coffee drinks, tea and a fruit smoothie.

Picture that!

When it comes to feeding your appetite for finding great picture-taking opportunities, Morro Bay — which is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco via U.S. Highway 101 — has lots of them.

There’s the rock, of course. It’s an imposing feature photographed from nearby Morro Rock Beach, especially at sunrise. Whether you’re walking near the parking lot, where you’ll find an area with short sand dunes and tall grasses, or you’re down where the sand meets the water, you can’t go wrong here.

Come back in the late afternoon and you’ll be rewarded with completely different, and equally spectacular, views until sunset.

We also marveled at Morro Rock from the Museum of Natural History. It’s situated on a hill above the bay that lets you take in a full panorama that includes an 800-acre estuary with salt marshes and mudflats that are home to more than 250 species of birds, and the Pacific Ocean.

The museum — interestingly, the only natural history museum in the California State Park system — is where we learned that Morro Rock, an actual plug of an underground volcano and a sacred site for the Chumash and Salinan tribes, was once upon a time much bigger.

Starting in 1889, some 1 million tons of rock was quarried to help create a breakwater that led to the harbor. Amid that effort, in the 1930s, a small causeway was built to connect Morro Rock to the mainland. In 1968, finally quarrying came to an end when Morro Rock was declared a California Historical Landmark.

Since then, it’s also been designated a bird sanctuary for the peregrine falcon and other bird species.

Besides the museum, other worthwhile photo-taking spots include Montaña de Oro State Park, an 8,000-acre getaway with rugged cliffs, secluded sandy beaches, backcountry trails and camping; Black Hill, which has its own moderately challenging 2.5-mile trail and is a popular area for birding; and both the North and South T Piers.

Jefferson Graham, who was a longtime tech columnist for USA Today, highlighted those and several other destinations in an episode of his “PhotowalksTV” series with local photographer Charlotte “Ginger” DiNunzio of Sandprints Photography. It’s available on YouTube and on his website, at www.jeffersongraham.com.

A bevy of otters chill in the water by the Coleman Drive viewing area last July. While otters are active in the Morro Bay area year-round, the peak period of pupping is October through January with a secondary peak in March and April. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
A lone otter, wrapped in kelp, enjoys the sunshine while relaxing in the water near a viewing area adjacent to Coleman Drive in Morro Bay. There are other popular otter hangouts nearby, including South T Pier, along the Harbor Walk, and next to Target Rock, a place frequented by divers. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
About two dozen murals are on display at a variety of local businesses, including Taco de Mexico, and other buildings in Morro Bay’s quiet downtown area. They’re part of a walking tour, called the Morro Bay Mural Mile, which is a great excuse to explore downtown and the waterfront. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
This untitled work, painted by artist Enasmo Espinoza in 2016, features likenesses of Clint Eastwood, James Dean, Michael Jackson and Madonna, among others. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
“Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow,” a tile mosaic created by artist Pete Ladochy in 1985, adorns one of the walls of the Morro Bay Library on Harbor Street. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Built in 1927 near Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, the 48-foot-long Alma is on permanent display at the Morro Bay Maritime Museum. While the Alma was not much different from countless small wooden tugs that worked the harbors along the west coast, it was called into special duty on Dec. 23, 1941 – 16 days after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Alma was one of the boats sent to rescue the crew of the Union Oil tanker Montebello, which was sunk by a Japanese submarine about six miles off the coast north of Cambria, Calif. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Morro Bay Maritime Museum is the custodian of many U.S. Navy artifacts, including the Avalon, one of two vessels launched in the early 1970s to rescue crews of downed submarines. Built by a team at Lockheed that included scientists and engineers who worked on the Gemini and Apollo space programs, the deep submergence rescue vehicle featured technology that was advanced for its time. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
Morro Bay’s Museum of Natural History provides a unique vantage point to check out Morro Rock, seen in the distance, and other area landmarks, including the three power plant stacks and Fairbank Point. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)
One of the exhibits at the Museum of Natural History describes the changes to the landscape after a short road, built in the 1930s, connected Morro Rock to the mainland. (Photo by Jerry Rice/The Press-Enterprise, SCNG)

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You really ‘otter’ go

Climbing Morro Rock is illegal, due to its status as a bird sanctuary, but it’s easy to drive (or bike or walk) nearly right up to it and park steps away from its base. Pull into your parking “spot” — it’s really just a dirt lot — and you’ll see kelp beds in the water nearby, which was a popular sea otter hangout during our visit.

Other than renting a kayak, this rock-covered shoreline is probably the closest you can get to the fuzzy marine mammals, as they frolic about or just chill on the water’s surface, wrapped in the kelp. Excursion boats (several options are available in town) are required to stay at least 50 feet from wildlife.

But even in a kayak, it’s best to keep a safe and respectful distance, and definitely avoid any direct interaction, says Sea Otter Savvy, a Central Coast-based nonprofit that promotes the responsible viewing of wild sea otters. The group estimates that Morro Bay’s harbor is home to 30-50 sea otters, mostly females of reproductive age.

Centuries ago, the waters off California’s coast were teeming with sea otters, but their numbers diminished greatly in the 1700s and 1800s due to the maritime fur trade. Now, the area between Gaviota State Beach north of Santa Barbara and Pigeon Point near San Jose, including Morro Bay, has some 3,000 sea otters, by one estimate. All of them are believed to be the descendants of a small group of 50 survivors discovered near Big Sur in 1938, so from that standpoint you could call it a remarkable recovery.

The otters are active year-round, but when planning your trip be aware that the main pupping season happens October through January with a secondary spike in March and April.

Visiting in late July, we missed out on all that peak otter pup cuteness. But on the plus side, we avoided — and definitely didn’t miss — the summer heat back home. During a week when Riverside was pushing triple digits, and Anaheim reached the mid-90s, it was sweater weather in Morro Bay, where the highs were mostly in the upper 60s and, for a couple days, in the low 70s, with cloudy to partly cloudy mornings and sunny afternoons.

Several mornings while we were there, coastal fog enveloped Morro Rock, which obscured our view. And yet, each of those days produced a wonderful show, as the sun never failed to push away the gloom before lunchtime.

Even better was early one fogless morning. We got up while it was still dark and made our way to Morro Rock Beach before sunrise, to watch as those first rays illuminated the The Rock, aka the Gibraltar of the Pacific. … That was a stunning sight.

If you go

General information: morrobay.org

3 things to do

City-wide Yard Sale: Residents host yard sales around town during this 24th annual event; download a virtual treasure map of participating properties and lists of items available. March 15-17, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. www.morrobay.org/event/24th-annual-city-wide-yard-sale/14011
Morro Bay Kite Festival: Morro Rock serves as a backdrop for this family friendly event, which features an array of kites every size and color soaring over the beach. Free. April 26-28. www.morrobaykitefestival.com
Crusin’ Morro Bay Car Show: More than 500 entrants, from throughout California and beyond, are expected to participate in this 27th annual event. A fundraiser for the local Rotary Club, it includes a Friday night cruise and a Saturday Show & Shine. May 4-6. www.morrobaycarshow.org

3 places to go

Montaña de Oro State Park: At 8,000-plus acres, this is one of the largest state parks in California. Features include seven miles of shoreline and Valencia Peak, which stands at 1,347 feet. In between are back country trials for hiking, mountain biking and horseback riding. Spooner’s Cove beach is dog-friendly (on a leash), and boasts pebbly sand, tide pools, caves and unique rock formations. bit.ly/MontanaDeOro
Morro Bay State Park: Enjoy an abundance of recreational opportunities including kayaking, fishing, hiking and bird watching. Additionally, within its environs is the Museum of Natural History, a marina, café and even an 18-hole public golf course. bit.ly/MorroBayStatePark
Morro Rock Beach: Starting from the landmark, this beach connects with Morro Strand State Beach and North Point Natural Area, offering six miles of uninterrupted sandy coastline. Morro Strand has 70-plus campsites for everything from tents to RVs; North Point has a stairway that leads down to a great tide-pooling area during low tide. www.morrobayca.gov/383/Morro-Rock-Beach

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Travel: Morro Bay is rockin’ it along…