With gas and jet fuel prices driving Memorial Day travel costs higher than usual, Visit SLO CAL is reminding locals that there are plenty of “staycation” options right here along the California Central Coast.
“SLO CAL is a perfect location to come and explore and do something that’s of high value,” Ashlee Akers told KSBY in her new role as the Vice President of Marketing and Communications for Visit SLO CAL. “I’ve been in the region for over 20 years, and I’ve been able to see the evolution of experiences and what we have to offer, the growth of the wine industry, the depth of all the beach activities we have.”
“We usually do not go very far on Memorial Day, just the traffic and fighting everyone on the road,” said Vanessa Shaw of Los Osos. She and her husband, Héctor Manzano Shaw, drive into San Luis Obispo to visit places like Sinsheimer Park, where KSBY News reporter Jessica Roe met them as their kids screamed with excitement while using the zipline.
“We have everything we need where we live, so we don’t have to go far to find amusement,” said Manzano Shaw.
His perspective is precisely what Akers reminds Central Coast residents, that we have so many options right here in our backyard.
“I think with our proximity and our ability to be that road trip experience that they’ve been longing for with Highway 1 reopening, we are giving people the opportunity to experience that iconic Highway 1 drive that has been on everybody’s bucket list for three years,” she said.
It was just this past January 2026 that the final section of Highway 1, which had been closed due to mudslides, reopened between the Carmel and Monterey region and the Cambria and San Simeon area, finally restoring continuous travel options.
In the immediate San Luis Obispo County area, there are 206 hotels and motels with 10,551 rooms. Further north from Morro Bay to Ragged Point, there are another 78 hotels and motels, with a total of 2,452 rooms. You can learn more by browsing the official SLO CAL Places to Stay directory.
“Travelers are still planning their summer travel plans, and they are having to be a little more intentional with how they use their dollars and what locations they’re going to,” Akers said.
