The Old Avila Beach Is Gone, the New One Has Not Yet Risen; Here’s Some Ideas for Funky California Beach Towns to Visit While You Wait

BY TOM WILMER

Let's face it, Avila will never be replaced. Sure, they’re going to build a new town, but the beach town we have loved will never come back.

The powers that be say they are going to try for "funky." Perhaps, but you and I know that what will result will either be faux funky, a Disneyfied view of what funky would be like if it had a lot of money.

As the bulldozers descended on the last of Old Avila Beach, New Times decided to scour the coast of the Golden State from the Southland to its North Coast in pursuit of "alternative Avilas," traditional, funky California beach towns for you to visit.

Not surprisingly, we never did find a substitute that equaled the many engaging aspects of Avila Beach. Some of the contenders have become too yuppified; others lacked such funky beachfront businesses as the rickety but lovable Old Custom House and creaky-floored Avila Grocery.

Several of the oceanfront communities have a distinctly similar feel and look to the village proper, but there's no usable beach. Others possess an excellent harborfront setting, but fishing boats and pleasure craft rule the bay, leaving the water accented with the sheen of diesel fuel and flotsam.

Fortunately, we did find a handful of splendid surrogates. Following is a list of Avila-esque destinations, within a comfortable day's drive of the Central Coast, that we think you might find appealing.

Half Moon’s a Slice of History

Even though the oceanside town of Half Moon Bay is a few blocks back from the Pacific, it is still recommended because it retains the dominant look and feel of a laid-back, old-fashioned commercial center (perhaps because it is away from the beach).

This is a place that came into existence to serve the local farmers and ranchers with their basic provisioning and sundry needs. Tourist-oriented businesses, it seems, evolved as an afterthought.

The old Half Moon Bakery has been chugging along for more than a century and still operates its original 19th century brick oven. Pasta Moon Cafe (reminiscent of the Old Pete's Seaside Cafe in Avila for the atmosphere and Pete's Southside Cafe in San Luis for the food) serves gourmet-quality food, is a popular hangout for the locals, and is sought out by discerning visitors in search of excellent eats.

And, yes, there are beaches that offer dramatic, wide, sandy shores with awesome surf during the winter months. In fact, the Half Moon Bay coastal region has the distinction of receiving some of the gnarliest and largest surf of anywhere on the entire West Coast. After hiking around and building up an appetite, numerous seafood diners can be found up and down Highway 1 and in the Princeton Harbor wharf area.

Nearby recommended stops include the village of Pescadero and the legendary Duarte's Tavern, which is renowned for its artichoke soup. Pigeon Point Lighthouse Hostel, to the south, is a must-do for the hostelgoer, and a bit further south Ano Nuevo Reserve beach is a great place to glimpse elephant seals during spring mating season.

The Magic of Stinson Beach

Stinson Beach is a fairly well-known destination for oceanlubbers. But, according to Sausalito-based travel writer and author Lee Daly, the magic of Stinson is "the weather in September and October; it's idyllic–and it's such a great family beach. There's a cozy, grass area adjacent to beach with shade trees and picnic tables."

A note to beachgoers: The offshore wind, if present, usually dies down around dusk, and the beach doesn't even close until 10 p.m., leaving plenty of time for an enjoyable promenade.

The tiny town of Stinson Beach is synonymous with weather-worn, clapboard-sided businesses and simple (but costly) beach cottages. You'll find the obligatory Avila-style grocery store and surf shop as well as two recommended Stinson Beach restaurants, the Sand Dollar and the Stinson Beach Bar and Grille.

Daly says, "The Grille is legendary for its great burritos, Greek salads, and fresh oysters, served a variety of ways, including fried and barbecued. For brunch ,the Parkside diner, practically on the beach, is known for its huge servings."

Driving toward Point Reyes from Stinson Beach, the Bolinas Lagoon is an excellent stop if you're in the mood to watch cavorting sea lions and otters just hanging out. On weekends, to escape the two-legged multitudes, just walk to the north end of the beach where a ribbon of a spit looks out toward Bolinas for some peace and quiet.

And don’t miss Kehoe Beach.

Daly says, "The surf is dazzling...barnacle-encrusted rocks and specimen starfish are readily found, and huge lichen-encrusted cliffs with a nearby abundance of wildflowers in the spring make this stop one not to be missed."

You'll see hundreds of redwing blackbirds, and for the fisherman there's surf casting from the beach. "We saw a man and his son with a bucketful of fish. Kehoe is for the true beach lover," says Daly. To reach Kehoe, travel through Inverness and follow the signs.

Bodega for More Than the Birds

There are actually two Bodegas. First there’s Bodega, the tiny village, inland from the sea (similar in setting and location to Avila Valley's Bellevue-Santa Fe School), that was the set for Alfred Hitchcock’s 1962 thriller, "The Birds," starring Tippi Hedren.

Bodega boasts one bar, one general store, and a few antique shops. That’s about it, except for a circa-1850 church that’s still open for business and the elegant old schoolhouse on the hill, employed in the filming of "The Birds."

The ancient school building has been through a few incarnations over the years, including a stint as a bed-and-breakfast inn, but it presently functions as a duplex rental and is off-limits to the public.

Five miles down the road from Bodega there’s the town of Bodega Bay that actually fronts on, you guessed it, the Bay of Bodega. Here you'll find an assortment of honest and simple seaside businesses, including, of course, diners and fish-and-chips places.

For those who worry about the future of Avila there’s a case study here. In recent years part of the beachfront has been redeveloped. Moneyed interests assured that it wouldn’t change the feel of the area, but old-timers complain that it's too slick.

Bodega Bay differs from Avila as the beach zone is not front and center as the tourist attraction. Yet numerous coastal eco-worlds await discovery just moments away.

At Bodega Head (fronting on the Pacific) there's excellent whale watching and miles of windswept beach. Nearby, but away from the ocean, Bodega Dunes offers stunning cypress-speckled vistas, campsites, and extensive hiking trails.

Other worthwhile, off-the-main-trail destinations in the area include the village communities of Inverness (a real sleeper), Muir Beach, Olema, and Point Reyes Station.

La Selva: Paradise Lost

Many visitors head straight for the main beaches around the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, but those who prefer wide-open spaces and relatively few people should check out Manresa and Sunset beaches. Heading north on Highway 1, between Watsonville and Aptos, take the San Andreas Road exit toward La Selva.

The area is rife with an abundance of wildlife and indigenous vegetation. Sunset is outstanding with its huge dunes and pine forests, while the area around Manresa is graced with towering eucalyptus. Both beaches are broad and sandy with a melange of shorebirds and marine life.

The close-by village of La Selva was once an Avila kissing cousin, but the area has been transformed through development, especially with the influx of condomania. The village of La Selva has lost much of its simple innocence, but it still beats life in the fast lane.

Capitola: A Winter Wonderland

Just south of the Republic of Santa Cruz is the quaint seaside village of Capitola. A classic wharf and an ancient seaside inn, the Moorish-style Venetian, constitute the visual centerpiece of the arcing sandy shoreline that is often packed to the gills with summertime sunbathers and frolicking families. Developed as a tourist destination in the mid-1800s, it has a long history as an outstanding beach destination. Sounds a lot like Avila.

And even as recently as a generation ago Capitola was quite similar to Avila Beach, but those days are mostly gone. The proximity to the Bay Area's silicon set has propelled this charming seaside village into a pseudo tragically hip, see-and-be-seen.

Don’t despair, though. The time to visit is definitely in the winter when the throngs with their thongs are long gone. Equally enjoyable is the variety of eateries and shops. In conjunction with the annual Capitola Begonia Festival, an old trestle bridge in the heart of town guards, in mother-duckling fashion, an annual parade of begonia-bedecked floats waltzing down the river.

Mendocino: Angela’s Place

You may know that the North Coast’s Mendocino doubled as the eastern port of Cabott Cove in the long-running "Murder She Wrote" TV show. But can it make a passable Avila? Yes and no.

Some might question the appropriateness of including the tres-chic, art-gallery-laden village of Mendocino. Yes, indeed, the place can be a zoo during the summer tourist season.

Arrive with open eyes and ears in the wintertime and you'll find an endearing, slow-paced place with much in common with Avila–a dog or two napping in the middle of a side street, locals gossiping and visiting in the cafes, the post office and side-street grocery–just another off-the-beaten-path seaside village.

In the summer you may just want to stay on the beach. Cammie Conlon with the Mendocino/Fort Bragg Chamber of Commerce says, "Two of my favorite spots around Fort Bragg, that I consider outstanding beaches, include Glass Beach at the north end of Fort Bragg and Pudding Creek Beach. You can't miss them as there's a large train trestle bridge by the seashore, and it has one of the widest sand beaches in the entire North Coast.

"Here you will find everything from tide pools and surf to great walking and swimming, and there are lots of lodging possibilities close by."

Summerland: As Avila as the Southland Gets

Leslie Westbrook, travel editor for the Santa Barbara Independent and longtime Summerland resident, without a moment's hesitation says, "Summerland is my favorite beach in the Santa Barbara area."

She proudly claims it is one of California's best-kept-secret, Avila-style beaches. There are easily accessible picnic tables, barbecue pits, volleyball courts, and more topside, but one has to traipse down a steep incline to reach the beach. Summerland Beach is clothing optional (watch your step if this is your choice), but best of all the dramatic cliffs offer excellent views of the Channel Islands.

Westbrook adds, "There are also no houses surrounding the beachfront area like up the coast at Miramar–Summerland is a real beach, although, unfortunately, tar occasionally washes in from the offshore rigs."

Hungry or shop-happy? Summerland has lots of great eateries and numerous antique shops, such as the engaging Flotsam & Jetsam, owned by Bette Midler's decorators. If you're lucky, every now and then someone scores a piece from one of Midler's homes.

Summerland is also tops for great beach-style food. "Tinkers is the place for hamburgers. Even though presidents Clinton and Reagan went to the Nugget for burgers, they're much better and cheaper at Tinkers," Westbrook concluded.

Cayucos: A Kissing Cousin Close to Home

In the long run, we didn’t have to go very far to find Avila's closest competitor. Don't tell anyone, but throughout the summer months Cayucos frequently bathes in the glory of sunshine, while a mere mile or two up or down the beach it is bound to be socked in with fog (sshhhh!).

This pleasant phenomenon is partially explained by a prominent headland to the north of the pier (much like Avila) that tends to buffer and deflect the fog banks.

But most important is the funk factor. Cayucos is graced with unassuming, clapboard-sided beach businesses. There's scant pretension in Cayucos, although more and more Beamers and Land Rovers have been seen scouting the territory. The impending yuppification of Cayucos seems inevitable.

Investors and developers aren't stupid (well, maybe dumb, but not stupid) and they can spot a sleeper when they see one. Mark our words, sooner than later Cayucos will become more like Redondo Beach and less and less Avila-esque. Enjoy it while you can.

So that’s about it. Of course, the beauty of Avila was that the whole world didn’t know about it. So maybe as you travel up and down the coast you’ll find your own private Avila. If so, you may want to keep it to yourself. Æ

Tom Wilmer is a Morro Bay-based travel writer.