A
syoudrive towards thecoast,Highway41
—alsoknownas theE.G.LewisHighway
—connects thehistoricAtascaderowith
MorroBay to forman idyllicmini road trip.
Atascadero isCaliforniaas itused tobe.Founded
byE.G.Lewisasautopiansociety, the townhasmany
stunningremains from itscreation in1913, suchas the
historicCityHall.Therecentlyrefurbishedbuilding
featuresadomedroofandgrandwhitecolumnsat its
entrance, andservesas thecenterpiece to the town’s
SunkenGardens.Known for itssimplepleasures,
Atascadero isalsohome toandburgeoningcraftbrew-
ingsceneandSanLuisObispoCounty’sonlyzoo.
Afterexploring inland, theconnectinghighwayrises
from thecountryside,on the fringesofPasoRobles
winecountry, torevealsweepingvistaswithevery
winding turn,beforedroppingdownonto thecoastat
MorroBay.Withthe iconicMorroRockstanding impos-
inglyat itsharborentrance,MorroBay isamemorable
andstrikinglyscenicadditiontoCalifornia’scoastline.
Theseasidefishingvillage isoneofthebestplacesto
grabfreshocean-to-tableseafood,which iscaughtdaily
throughsustainablefishingpractices.Asidefromthe
deliciouscuisine,sea life isalsosomethingofanattrac-
tion inMorroBay,andyou’llfind itsprotectedwatersare
hometoacolonyofbarkingsea lions.
Sitting justoffthescenicHighway1route, thesmall
family-friendlytown iseasytogettoandhasplentyto
offer, from itsbustlingembarcadero,filledwithseaside
shoppinganddining, totheexpansiveundeveloped
beacheswhereyou’llfindstand-uppaddleboarding,
kayakingandrenownedsurfing.There’salsoaseriesof
biketrailsaroundthebaysoyoucanexplorewithease.
visitatascadero.com,morrobay.org
VisitAtascadero,MorroBayCalifornia
VisitAtascadero,MorroBayCa
Astunninghighwayconnects
Atascadero
with
MorroBay
tocreateauniqueroad trip thatspans from thewarmclimesof
winecountry to thesea lion-studdedcoast
FROMCITYTOSHORE
DON’T
MISS
1.SLO
County’sZoo
Becausethe
kids(andyou)
will lovetosee
theanimals.
2.AMini
RoadTrip
Head inland
toold-world
Atascadero.
3.Fresh
Seafood
Thefishing
portoffers
ocean-to-table
dining.
MORROBAY:HAROLDLITWILER
AMERICANWAY
APRIL2016
45
