Visit San Luis Obispo | Every Stay Gives Back

Discover San Luis Obispo

A scenic city steeped in collegiate charms, San Luis Obispo is nestled in the heart of the bucolic Central Coast along the Pacific Coast Highway. Known as “SLO,” the city offers a blend of welcoming small-town friendliness, classic Californian character and easy access to abundant outdoor adventures. Surrounded by beaches, mountains, farms, ranches and wine country, respecting the natural environment is an integral part of the local lifestyle. From sustainable wineries and creative farm-to-table cuisine to a vibrant makers culture and dynamic arts scene, SLO is a compelling destination that appeals to solo travelers, couples, friend groups and families alike.

Climate action is one of the most important issues for Visit San Luis Obispo and the SLO community, and the city recently earned “A List” status from the Carbon Disclosure Project. Ensuring that the city’s beloved parks, green spaces, hiking trails, farmers’ markets and businesses are protected and preserved for the benefit of future generations is paramount. From goals to plant 10,000 trees by 2035 and to become carbon neutral by 2035, to ongoing efforts to use greener energy, encourage alternative means of transportation and ban single-use plastics, the city of San Luis Obispo and Visit San Luis Obispo are committed to creating a more sustainable SLO. 

Sustainable SLO: Every Key Helps Plant a Tree 

Sustainable SLO is a San Luis Obispo tourism program dedicated to helping the city achieve its sustainability goals. As part of its “Keys for Trees” program, a portion of your room charge when you stay at a San Luis Obispo hotel goes to planting trees around town. It’s all possible through a partnership with EcoSLO’s Urban Tree Planting initiative. Staying in SLO helps support green travel and helps the City reach its goal to be carbon neutral by 2035.

How to Travel Kindly in SLO

Visitors can live the SLO life and do their part to travel responsibly and contribute to ensuring a more sustainable future visitors to the Central Coast.

• Choose to stay at any San Luis Obispo hotel, with a portion of your room charge supporting Sustainable SLO’s “Keys for Trees” program 
• Take Amtrak for a low impact, Car-Free SLO experience.
• Volunteer or donate to EcoSLO.
• Bring your reusable water canteens and take advantage of the community’s hydration refill stations.
• Drive an electric car—you’ll find plentiful charging stations.
• Take advantage of our pedestrian and bike friendly downtown with dozens of hotels in proximity to the best shopping, dining and entertainment.
• Follow the Sustainable Wine Trail to learn about biodynamic, sustainable winemaking practices—and sip delicious wines in stunning settings.
• Leave no trace when you’re enjoying the many beaches and trails.
• Dine at restaurants that support local farmers.
• Drink local—try locally roasted coffee, craft brews, wines, spirits and elixirs.
• Shop small and support independent local retailers.

Local Impact Partners

Kind Traveler’s Every Stay Gives Back program provides third-party verification and impact reporting for funds donated to EcoSLO’s Urban Tree Planting Initiative. Every single hotel stay in SLO contributes to EcoSLO’s Keys for Trees program. That’s because the SLO Tourism Business Improvement District (TBID), the organization behind Visit SLO, has committed one percent of its revenue from hotel fees to planting trees with EcoSLO throughout the city. So all visitors who check into a SLO hotel are contributing to the planting of trees—ultimately creating a city with cleaner air, cleaner water and a more biodiverse habitat for the future. 

EcoSLO was founded 50 years ago in reaction to four separate pollution events in the San Luis Obispo Creek area downtown. Students and biologists from Cal Poly came together to form the Environmental Center for San Luis Obispo, known today at EcoSLO. In addition to tree planting, EcoSLO established a county-wide recycling program and the ever-important Creeks to Coast Cleanup. The tree planting program is powered by local volunteers who help plant urban-appropriate, climate-friendly trees throughout town, and local residents also help care for the trees.

Mindful Adventures 

SLO is spoiled with an endless array of beaches and biking and hiking trails that beckon outdoor enthusiasts. Popular trails include Bishop Peak, Cerro San Luis Obispo Trail and Reservoir Canyon Loop. SLO Botanical Garden is another inviting place for a stroll, with 150 acres exclusively dedicated to preserving the diverse plant life of Mediterranean climate zones. Central Coast Outdoors leads guided kayaking, bicycling and hiking tours with an eco-conscious ethos that touches every aspect of their business operations and guest experience. The Taste of SLO Walking Food Tour is an “Edible SLO Magazine Approved Culinary Experience” that highlights SLO culture, economics and history on a walking tour peppered with bites and drinks. Even movie-going in SLO can be a green affair; the Palm Theatre was America’s first solar-powered movie theatre and shows indie and foreign films.

Conscious Culture

The Northern Chumash Tribal Council is part of a joint regional effort to create the first tribally nominate marine sanctuary covering 156 miles along the Central Coast from Santa Barbara County through SLO County. The effort will safeguard the area from offshore oil expansion and other environmental threats.

The Gala Pride & Diversity Center has been providing support, encouraging diversity and inclusion since before its incorporation in 1997. The organization advocates for the Central Coast’s LGBTQ+ community and prioritizes the individuals of the Central Coast in their everyday lives from helping someone new to the area to find connections to hosting events.

Dine & Shop Kindly 

All year round, the Thursday Downtown SLO Farmers Market brings the community out for lively evenings featuring seasonal locally grown produce, artisans selling their wares, delicious food and family-friendly entertainment. Cal Poly San Luis Obispo’s certified organic vegetable farm occasionally hosts workshops and seminars for the public and you can purchase their veggies at Thursday and Saturday markets. Check out SLO Food Coop, the community’s natural foods market established in 1979. It’s well stocked with organic produce from local farms, goods created by regional purveyors and natural wellness products. The Green Certified business has an amazing deli and grab-and-go items that are made for picnics in the park or at the beach.

There are several restaurants that specialize in plant-based cuisine, such as Bliss Whole Food Kitchen & Drink, a daytime spot serving organic, locally sourced, plant-based foods with an Ayurvedic twist. PlantPub puts a 100% plant-based twist on traditional bar fare including burgers and bites. While not exclusively plant based, SLO Provisions is popular for gourmet quality fast casual cuisine for dine in or takeaway. Elevated restaurants that showcase local ingredients include Novo Restaurant & Lounge, Luna Red Restaurant & Lounge and Mistura—to name just a few.

The majority of SLO Coast Wineries are SIP certified. To achieve SIP certification, wineries undergo an in-depth assessment of their social equity, financial sustainability, vineyard management and facility operations. This includes evaluating energy uses, water efficiency, recycling and waste reduction and landscape decisions, among other factors. For example, Tolosa Winery’s solar panel installation is forecasted to displace 32 million pounds of carbon dioxide in the next 30 years. Chamisal Vineyards fosters a healthy population of birds and owls for natural predation of unwanted pests, utilizes cover crops to increase biodiversity and irrigates with recaptured winery processed water. 

For conscious retail therapy, visit HumanKind Fair Trade, a local nonprofit driven by a mission to provide fair wages to artisans in developing countries. Female founded retailers like Ah Louis and Len Collective curate thoughtfully sourced goods, from local wines and handcrafted jewelry to candles and beauty products. Scout Coffee Co., the community’s local artisan coffee roaster, carries a range of thoughtful giftable goods in their two café locations—bring a bag of their HoneyCo. Beans home with you! 

Wellness Minded 

SLO’s slower pace creates the perfect environment for nourishing self-care practices and grounding activities that benefit mind, body and spirit. Nourish by Victoria offers Ayurvedic counseling and private, group and public yoga classes. The Center Yoga Studio & Boutique and Spark are two popular yoga studios with a full range of classes. Expand & Breath is a Pilates and breathwork studio specializing in 1:1 healing sessions. 

Hive Natural Beauty Collective is an eco-friendly salon and green boutique in the Railroad District. Goldenseal Skincare is a plant-based skincare boutique offering organic facials that integrate healing lymphatic massage. Sloco Massage & Wellness is the go-to spot for wellness therapies including infrared sauna, cryotherapy, dry salt therapy, meditation, massage and more. The Secret Garden Organic Herb Shop carries an array of teas to cultivate wellness. And SLO is proud to be home to Mindbody, the leading technology platform for the wellness industry.

Kind Transport: Getting Around

• SLO Transit operates eight fixed bus routes and runs a seasonal Old SLO trolley service in summer months. Download their app or use the web-based version of their trip planning tools.
• Participate in the SLO Car Free program to minimize air pollution and gain access to incentives from local businesses. Show your SLO Car Free voucher and enjoy discounts at local restaurants, hotels, wine tours and more. 
• Wally’s Bicycle Works offers free bike rental delivery and roadside service within a 20-mile range. Its rental fleet includes electric bikes, road bikes and beach cruisers.
• Downtown hotels including Granada Hotel & Bistro, San Luis Creek Lodge and The Wayfarer San Luis Obispo have fleets of bikes available for guest use.
• SLO Regional Rideshare is a resource dedicated to reducing the number of single occupancy vehicles on the roads. Services like Uber and Lyft are readily available as well.

Getting There

• Amtrak’s scenic and convenient Pacific Surfliner and Coast Starline trains make daily stops in SLO, connecting the city to destinations as far south as San Diego and into Pacific Northwestern hubs of Portland and Seattle. The station is in easy walking distance to the heart of downtown. Receive 20% off train fares through the SLO Car-Free program.
• Electric car drivers have access to at least 137 charging stations in SLO.
• San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport offers eight routes for air travelers with nonstop connections to Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle and Phoenix. SLO Transit, SLO Safe Ride and Ride-On Transportation provide ground transportation to and from the airport

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