Pismo Beach is famous for the Pismo Clam. At the turn of the century up to 40,000 clams were harvested per day! In 1911 harvesters werelimited to 200 clams per person, now with a license, they may pick only ten a day. A fun clam festival is held every Autumn..

The town's wonderful beaches stretch for eight glorious miles south to the Santa Maria River. Extensive sand dunes shelter birdlife, wildflowers and plants. During the 1930s and 40s the dunes were a draw for film makers, as they were compared to the Sahara Desert, the most famous movie set here was The Sheik, starring silent screen idol Rudolph Valentino.

Today, Pismo Beach is a great beach to stroll along, enjoy the dunes in four-wheel ATV's, horseback ride, body surfing, fish or watch the sun go down from the pier.

If you can drag yourself away from the beach, visit the family owned Pismo Beach Winery and enjoy sampling the wonderful wines from this region.