Katherina Koller walks on a stone path in Avila Beach, palms pressed together, making her way through a labyrinth — a circular maze with no dead ends.
“It’s a metaphor for living life in a more peaceful way,” Koller said about the spiritual maze, originally designed for Roman Catholic churches. “Too much structure suffocates life.”
The labyrinth at Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort is open and free to the public during all daylight hours, and is one of several places worth visiting on a cheap getaway to Avila Beach.
Within a mile of the labyrinth, and less than 15 minutes from downtown San Luis Obispo, visitors can enjoy fresh fruit, a petting zoo and multiple day spas.
Avila Hot Springs — which also houses an arcade, restaurant and family campground — was established in 1907 when a crew digging for oil instead came upon a natural hot spring. Original investors were disappointed. A century later, the springs attract thousands of guests each year seeking rest and relaxation, manager Eric Snider said.
Visitors may find themselves initially turned off by the hot springs, as a sulfurous smell lingers even in the parking lot. Sulfate, however, makes up just 3 percent of the pool’s mineral content, which contains mostly sodium and bicarbonate, but almost all of its scent.
Juan del Mar of San Luis Obispo soaks in the shallow 20 foot by 20 foot mineral pool on a weekly basis. Between a refreshing cleanse and soothing hot water — cooled with fresh water 135 to 104 degrees — he said he tolerates the strong odor.
“It reminds me of how good I feel,” del Mar said. “The relaxation is well worth it.”
After five years of working at Avila Hot Springs, lifeguard Marcus Hodgson said he can’t even smell the sulfur anymore. Along with minerals and sunlight, he soaks in everything about Avila Beach and appreciates it all.
“It’s the gem of the Central Coast,” Hodgson said. “If the weather’s bad here, you can pretty much guarantee it’s no better anywhere else.”
Avila Beach maintains a warm climate year-round because most offshore winds are deflected by the due-north Port San Luis, former shipping port of San Luis Obispo. Fresh food markets such as Avila Valley Barn have established a strong local following doing business during harvest season (May to December).
Complete with its own bakery, sweet shop and petting zoo, Avila Valley Barn also offers excitement for visitors of all ages. The market is stocked fresh with any food a kitchen enthusiast might need in their cabinets. On weekends, customers can take a hay ride and pick their own fruits from the orchard.
“They have things, department stores and grocery stores don’t have,” Dolores Worden said, while visiting the barn with her sister, Donna Dahlquist. “The food, the people and the environment are all very nice.”
Dahlquist and Worden grew up in Arroyo Grande at a time when only men could enroll at Cal Poly. Now residents of Santa Maria and Santa Ynez, respectively, they still enjoy taking trips to Avila Beach like they did as children.
“We’ve watched it grow over the years,” Dahlquist said. “Pismo’s nice, but Avila was always warmer.”
Not surprisingly, Avila Beach’s most popular attraction is the beach itself, featuring plenty of sand for games, bonfires and sunbathing. Beachfront restaurants such as Mr. Ricks and Custom House regularly feature live music for people of all ages to enjoy.
Two piers — one for sightseers, the other for fishermen — are open to the public, and another is privately-owned and operated by Cal Poly’s Center for Coastal Marine Sciences.
At the end of Avila Beach Drive, security booths and a gate guard the Diablo Canyon Power Plant, six miles up the road.
The nuclear plant employs more than 1,200 people, and recently offered tours to members of the public in wake of safety concerns following the incident at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan.
U.S. Highway 101 is the most direct way back to San Luis Obispo, but See Canyon Road offers a beautiful alternate route. The road leads over the mountainous, grassy hills, which provide a view of both San Luis Obispo and the Pacific Ocean.