An overflowing crowd of visitors welcomed the Avila Beach Sea Life Center to the community.  Kids of all ages enjoyed a warm reception, fresh lemonade, and an up close experience with nature’s wonders.

Peering up at these translucent jelly fish at the Sea Life Center transports the viewer into another world, almost like traveling to another planet!

Seals and sea otters frolic just off Avila’s shore, and can often be spotted foraging near clumps of seaweed like the one above.

The Sea Life Center is a showcase for San Luis County, a place for learning about the importance of  the vast ocean ecosystem and its connection to our health and well-being as a species.

One of the tanks at the Avila Beach Sea Life Center simulates the appearance of the seabed littered with human debris.  The display is saddening, a stark visual illustration of human’s disrespect of nature.

The Sea Life Center offers hands-on “labs” for school teachers and their students, has a summer camp for kids, and naturally, is looking for volunteers to help staff this wonderful new institution in Avila Beach.

Now, Avila Beach has not only the ocean nearby, it has an uplifting “classroom” with a mission to instill an awareness and appreciation for the fragility and beauty of the world’s most precious resource.

Avila Beach, the jewel of California’s Central Coast, has yet another gift to offer the local community and visitors from around the world.  Our rich natural and cultural heritage, and our vibrant spirit, are now on full display at the Sea Life Center.  Please bring the entire family for a genuinely rich interaction with the natural world, to see it, touch it, and feel it as never before!

Originial Artwork by Nola Ralph

These whimsical acrylic pop art masterpieces are painted on 3′ x 5′ canvasses, an ode to self-portraits and the marketing of personality on supermarket shelves.

Original Artwork by Nola Ralph

Original Artwork by Nola Ralph

Light Formations Under Avila Beach Pier

If a pelican lets you approach close enough for you to touch, chances are it’s injured or sick. Don’t try to pet the bird, especially with an infant in your arms! Call the Pacific Wildlife Care 805-543-WILD (9453) to report a sick or dying pelican.

An Example Of What Not To Do On Avila Beach Pier

The California Brown Pelican has been suffering in recent years and can use our help. Visit www.pacificwildlifecare.org to learn more about the efforts to save this beautiful shore bird.

California Brown Pelican In Avila Beach

Tres Gatos And The Dancing Kids

Word has definitely gotten around that Avila Beach is the place to be on Friday from 4pm to 8pm. If you haven’t taken the time to see what the fuss is about, you’d better hurry. Only nine more Friday markets left!

Avila Beach Fish & Farmers Market July 17, 2009

Salisbury Vineyards At Avila Beach Fish & Farmers Market

Blazing Blenders Smoothies At Avila Beach Fish & Farmers Market

On His Way To The Avila Beach Fish & Farmers Market

Skateboarding To The Avila Beach Fish & Farmers Market

The Avila Beach Fish & Farmers Market, now in its sixth year, has reached maturity like a prize vineyard, producing luscious fruit for all tastes and varieties.

AvilaBeachTown proposes “Avila Way”: Let’s block off the traffic on Front Street and turn it into a picnic area with tables, gazebos and umbrellas. We can rename the area “Avila Way,” evoking the lifestyle and values of this blessed community. The Avila Business Association, Avila Civic Association and individual businesses could use the “Avila Way” concept to tell our story, to share with the world why Avila Beach is so special as a place, destination and way of life.

Ample space is available in our central parking zone most of the time. Traffic always spills into town and residential districts on busy days. Since there are only 25 or so parking spots along Front Street from the Hula Hut to Joe Momma’s, there would be relatively little effect on most days throughout the year on the rest of Avila. On very busy days, 25 more cars will be able to find parking close enough.

On some days the sidewalk on Front St. can be busier than an urban sidewalk. With businesses using the public space on the sidewalk as extension of their retail operation, bottlenecks often occur, resulting in lines of people waiting for an opening to be able to continue on. Cars, meanwhile, line up behind other cars waiting to find a parking spot along the beach. 

Avila Way could also be used to expand the Avila Beach Fish & Farmers Market, host company picnics or family gatherings, and create an easy-going safe atmosphere for all to enjoy. Businesses would benefit along the corridor with more foot traffic and accessibility, as the area would be transformed from a parking lot into a vibrant center for meeting, eating and enjoying an area free of sand.

What is your opinion? Parking meters? A Pay Box? Avila Way? Let us know!

A Whale Splashing In Avila Beach

To learn more about our local marine environment, visit the Avila Beach Marine Institute while you’re in Avila or online at avilamarine.org.

Whale Surfaces In Avila Beach

Avila Valley Barn

Avila Valley Barn Ice Cream Shoppe

Berries At Avila Valley Barn

Flowers At Avila Valley Barn

Avila Valley Barn

In addition to the fresh produce, Avila Valley Barn also provides a petting zoo stocked with miniature horses, goats, cows, donkeys, peacocks, and roosters. On your way to Avila Beach, there’s no better place to stop for good fresh food and down home charm.

Avila Valley Barn

Goats At Avila Valley Barn

To experience California in its finest light, visit Avila Valley Barn, a timeless reminder of the finer things in life.

Avila Valley Barn

Visit www.avilavalleybarn.com to learn more about its history, rich tradition and delicious gifts and food.

Lifeguard Tower In Avila Beach

According to its website, the Foundation has funded 110 projects for a combined value of $1.8 million! Projects include the lifeguard towers, beach volleyball nets, the renovation of the Community Center, the Junior Pale Kai Outrigger Club, the free Avila Trolley, the Junior Lifeguards, the Avila Marine Institute and more!

Avila Beach Promenade

Fundraising efforts are on-going, as several projects are waiting in the wings for the green light. Please contact the Foundation to make your donation to this extraordinary community that serves the entire county of San Luis and visitors from around the world.www.