Pismo Beach Pier, Playground, and Promenade
Note: the playground is currently being repaired (2/26/25).
Pismo Beach Pier is a gorgeous spot with everything you could need for a fun outing. There is a wide open plaza at the foot of the pier with modern, wavy paving. At the plaza, on the water, is a new, attractive playground with a whale breeching- so fun! A huge Pismo Beach sign in red makes for bright selfies, plus kids love to run in between the letters. The sign is lit up at night. The wide pier leads out to open ocean views. There are benches along the way where you can admire views of the shoreline with its green hills and pretty hotels. Surfers ride the many waves in to shore. If there is a fish feeding frenzy, birds circle above you and even whales come to feed! We saw eight whales breeching and blowing water up high in the air! It was exhilarating!
A wooden boardwalk leads in both directions. To the south, it takes you to an older playground with swings and a slide in the sand.
Kortado Bakery (closed Monday, open 7am-3pm weekdays or 4pm weekends), two blocks back, on Highway 1, has a modern interior with awesome wooden benches that slant back giving you a comfortable spot to hang out. I enjoyed their peach tea and zucchini bread. Their hibiscus iced tea is delicious, and so are their cute medialunas (half moons), little croissants that are slightly sweet.
A block back from the pier are some cafes and touristy shops. Some have dowdy 1950s architecture, while others are newer. Hoagies has happy-looking seating outside. Splash Cafe is a trusty favorite with down home cooking- they also sell muffins on the weekend. Esteem Surf Shop has coffee. Surfside Donuts, and Milk T Society Boba are some others to try. There are some shops and galleries: Pancho's Surf Shop, Pier Gifts, The Sky's The Limit Kite Shop, and Thomas Kinkade Gallery. You can rent bikes and surfboards at Pedal Up Bikes & Boards.
Seaventure has ocean views through the glass (which keeps you warm)- happy hour is Sun to Thurs 4-6pm.
Once a year, around January, there is a week-long World Surf League (WSL) surf contest at Pismo Pier, which runs all day from 7:30am-2:30pm. It's wonderful to watch the surfers, from an amazing vantage point on the pier. The surfers are right there below you! The atmosphere full of excited people is fun!
The haziness of the area, which I assume is caused by all the sand particles from Oceano Dunes, causes bright pink sunsets, which you can watch from the pier.
Check whether it's sunny or foggy on the live webcam (scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the webcam) since weather.com is almost always wrong for this area. The sunniest times of year are the last few months of the year. August and September have fog that lasts most of the day. Spring has fog just in the mornings.
There are beautiful, nature spots that you must check out while in this area! The absolute best is the Shell Beach Panoramic Walk- this is one of the most beautiful spots on earth, with the rock stacks on one side and the waves rolling into Pismo Beach on the other! To get there, you park at a fantastic playground, Dinosaur Caves Park, with dinosaur eggs to hide in and whales and dolphins to climb.
Also lovely is the Monarch Butterfly Preserve- the butterflies come from November to February, and the sand dunes are pretty. If you need a sheltered playground for your kids, Chumash Park has two large playgrounds, one for toddlers and the other very high up and for big kids.
Puffers of Pismo has good live music in summer, generally Thurs-Sat 7-10pm, Sun 5-8pm, and a songwriting contest with prizes on the fourth Tues of the month at 6:30-9pm. Check their facebook page.
Drive four minutes from the pier to Pismo Beach Premium Outlets, to check out their surf stores like O'Neill.
The wavy ground in the plaza is lovely!
The playground is inspiring!
View of the beach and lifeguard shack from the pier.
Waves rolling in to shore.
Kinkade Gallery, a block back from the pier.
Hoagies has nice outdoor seating along the road.
Looking at the coastline from the pier. Birds going wild on a feeding frenzy.
People watching whales from the pier.
Benches along the pier, and hills in the background.
Bench with beautiful views.
The hills and cliffs.
A photographer taking photos of whales.
The pretty hotels and palm trees along the beach.
Families and friends walk along the pier.
A couple watches the whales.
Nice sand at the beach, as seen from the promenade.
The dunes, as seen from the promenade.
The red Pismo Beach selfie sign- kids like to run in between the letters.
The plaza at the base of the pier.
Wooden promenade above the sand.
The older playground in the sand- swings and a twisty slide.
Dunes at the southern end of the promenade.
Bike riding along the promenade.
Pedal Up Bike, where you can rent bikes.
Inn at the Pier is attractive.
Whale and bird!
A whale breeching, on a sunny September day.
Whale puffing out mist.
Whales and birds galore!
A whale and its spray catching the light.
Surfer in the SLO Cal surf contest.
It's fun to watch the surfers up close in the SLO Cal Surf Contest in January.
A surfer does a trick during the SLO Cal Surf Contest.
Winner of his heat, during the SLO Cal Surf Contest.
A surfer carving through a wave, during the SLO Cal Surf Contest.
Riding a wave during the SLO Cal Surf Contest.
Beautiful January day in the surf.
A surfer in the glistening water at the SLO Cal Surf Contest.
The amazing colors you see from the pier. Mountains, sea, and cliffs, in January.
Girls watching the waves during a surf contest.
Little girls walking hand in hand on the pier during a surf contest.
A surfer rides a wave during the SLO Cal Surf Contest.
Pismo Creek and bridge over it, at Addie Street. It looks pretty with the palm trees and cypress trees.
A female surfer showing off some moves during the SLO Cal Surf Contest.
Driftwood in Pismo Creek, and flowers on the sand dunes.
It's amazing how close the surfers come to the pier.
After a heat at the SLO Cal Surf Contest.
The pier, as seen from Pismo Preserve.
Pismo Creek and wildflowers galore, as seen from Pismo State Beach.
Chairs on the pier, where you can eat at the food truck.
It's fun to watch the sand banks of Pismo Creek collapse every few minutes.
White waves, as seen from the pier.
Clamshell slide at the playground, at the base of the pier.
The sand banks of Pismo Creek are fun to watch crumble.
Dunes. So beautiful!
The wooden boardwalk at the end of Pomeroy Ave.
The walkway between the hotels and the sand.
Plaque describing different whales and sea mammals, on the pier.
Beautiful architecture of Inn at the Pier.
Plaza at the base of the pier.
Waves crash against the pier pilons.
A wonderful wave under the pier, with mottled light on the hills in the distance.
Pomeroy Ave has cafes and gift shops.
A wave headed for the pier pilons!
Sitting on a bench watching the happy scene at the pier.
Wooden boardwalk by the pier.
Playing in the sand on a warm November day.
Swings in the sand.
Walking south along the shore.
The spacious plaza at the base of the pier.
The playground at sunset.
The playground has a surfboard you can stand on.
Lone surfer. On the left, see the rock that juts out beside the freeway.
Whale at the playground.
The boardwalk in the late afternoon.
Whale tail at the playground, and two girls climbing the whale.
It's wonderful to watch the waves from the pier.
Surf photographer.
Looking toward the hills from the pier.
Picnic table with a view.
It's cool that you can see the waves from the back, from the pier.
The rock you see from the freeway, you can also see from the pier!
A photographer taking photos, as waves pummel the pier pilings.
Pismo Heights neighborhood as seen from the pier.
The surf contest booth.
View of the pier from the boardwalk.
The headland at Avila, and a bird with wings spread wide, as seen from the circle at the end of Main Street.
Onlookers at the surf contest.
Surf shop one street back from the pier.
View of the bridge over the creek at Addie Rd, from behind the sand dunes.
Clear water on a pretty day in January.
Splash Cafe, a popular counter-service cafe with a line out the door!
Purple ice plant near the Wadsworth Ave stairs, in April.
A lively spot! With yellow flowers as a backdrop in April.
Compass and food truck on the Pismo Beach Pier.
Surfer walking along the shore in April.
The beautiful hills in April.
The wonderful boardwalk.
Boardwalk leading to the red Pismo Beach sign.
Swimming on a sunny day in April. The water is cold!
Patterns on the shore.
Unusually clear water, such that you can see the surfers' shadows!
Clear waves!
A girl sits on a picnic table watching the view from the pier.
Walking into the clear water on an unusually clean day.
Surfers waiting for a wave. You must keep your feet out of the water or they get a sort of brain freeze sensation.
Walking to the front of the board! It's fun to see the surfers do tricks up close from the pier.
Beautiful colors!
In the distance you can see the sandy air by Oceano.
Tilework on the restroom building.
Kites in the sky at the Addie Road end of the boardwalk!
Ice plant on the dunes.
Ice plant is lovely.
Stormy day at the boardwalk, with flowers, palms, and the pier in the distance.
Field bindweed growing near a stone wall.
White hotels along the boardwalk.
Bench seating at Kortado Bakery that is pleasant!
The nice interior at Kortado Bakery.
The pier on the left and the boardwalk on the right, with the sun setting in between.
Sunset on a September night.
Neon lights on Pomeroy Ave.
The Pismo Beach selfie sign is fun at night.
Sail-like decorations at the base of the pier.
The wide plaza at the pier, at night.
Hot summer night at Pismo Pier.
Surfers on a warm summer evening (water is still cold!)
Friends watching the sunset on a warm August night.
Sunset at the pier on an August night.
Silvery colors on the shore.
Pismo Beach selfie sign at Christmastime.
Majestic moment.
Christmas tree at the end of the pier.
Mosaic tile artwork.
A beautiful December day. View from the pier.
Surfer, sea spray, and light behind the wave.
Christmas carriage at Pismo Pier Plaza.
Slacklining at the pier!
Female surfer catching a wave at the 2025 contest in January.
Clear water in January. This sight makes me feel like I'm at a pier in Florida!
Avila is in the fog!
An audience watches the surf contest from the pier in January 2025!
Crazy fog that rolled in out of nowhere at 4pm!
Clear, sunny water, and then fog that came rushing in! An exhilarating experience!
A second ago it was clear skies and sunshine, and now the fog has covered the beach!
Sun at the base of the pier and fog obscuring your sight at the end of the pier! Lucky these ladies have ear warmers on!
California doesn't get cool thunderstorms like Florida, but it does get the fog rolling in! Half the beach is sunny and half is foggy!
Friends sit in a circle after fog rolls in.
Ice plant by the boardwalk.
Creek meeting the ocean, on a beautiful January day.
You can walk to the north end of the beach and see flowers and beach houses on the cliffs.
The amazing rocks at the north end of the beach.
Ice plant between the boardwalk and the sand, in April!
Purple ice plant by the volleyball court beside the boardwalk.
Purple ice plant galore, in April! So beautiful!
Ice plant, like easter eggs, beside the boardwalk.
Plaque about Pismo Pier, which was built in 1924 and then reconstructed in 2018, with steel pilings. It is my favorite pier!
Blissful sight from the pier on an April day.
It's fun to watch the waves under the pier.
Busy September day by the pier.
Busy beach day in September, right below the pier.
Chuck Starnes, who plays beautiful music in the square.
Pismo Beach Pier is located at 601 Cypress Street, Pismo Beach, CA.
You can park for free along Cypress Street. There is also a huge parking lot at the base of the pier where you can pay at the machines.
Kortado Bakery, 706 Dolliver St, Pismo Beach, CA 93449. There is parking in front of the bakery.
Last Updated: Sat, 06 Sep 2025 23:04:59 GMT
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