Morro Bay, California

The town's most striking feature is Morro Rock, a 576-foot high volcanic plug. Morro Rock stands at the entrance to the harbor, and a causeway connects it with the shore. A portion of Morro Bay is designated as a state and national bird sanctuary. This means it is illegal to kill or harm a bird in that portion of Morro Bay. It is also a state and national estuary. Numerous restaurants are located along the waterfront, thus affording outdoor seating areas for diners to enjoy the ocean views and wildlife. A blemish on the scenery is the Dynegy power plant, that supplies electricity to the Central Coast and the Central Valley of California. The town offers Trolley rides along the Embarcadero out to Morro Rock, to Morro Bay State Park and out to North Morro Bay. The Trolley begins running on Memorial Day weekend and will run through the 1st weekend in October. Morro Rock was first charted in 1542 by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo, who called it El Morro, the Spanish geographical term for a crown-shaped rock or hill ("the pebble"). Since then, it has become a landmark to sailors and travelers. EARNS OUR HIGHEST RECOMMENDATION.