Located between Los Angeles and San Francisco, San Luis Obispo is a convenient stop-off for travelers on Highway 1, the scenic coast highway. It's the home of California State Polytechnic University and is known for its Thursday Night Farmers Market downtown—one of the best anywhere. Nearby is the town of Morro Bay. A massive rock formation juts out of the water just offshore, and the area has many nature and wildlife preserves. One of the most interesting is the Estuary at Morro Bay, which includes 2,300 acres/930 hectares of mudflats, tidal wetland and open bay. The estuary is home to two dozen threatened and endangered species, including the peregrine falcon, brown pelican and sea otter. A wide array of plant species are found on the southwestern shore of the bay, in the pedestrian-only Elfin Forest Natural Area. Morro Bay is considered globally important for migrating birds on the Pacific flyway, and the return of the birds is celebrated in January with a winter festival held over the Martin Luther King Day weekend. 170 mi/275 km northwest of Los Angeles.
