As summer draws to a close, the Friday Avila Beach Farmers Market is also coming to an end for 2025. The last market day is August 30, 2025. So I went this past Friday to check it out. And to ride the trolley. Because, trolley.
Established in 2003, Avila Beach Farmers Market is located on Avila Beach Promenade, just a stone’s throw from its sandy beach. Compared to San Luis Obispo’s Thursday market, this one is a pretty small market with fresh produce at the far end and various vendor stalls selling food and local products. Avila Beach is also a much more laid-back coastal town so it’s got a more relaxed beach vibe. It’s Friday, come down with your friends, bring the kids and the dogs.
When I was there a few nights ago, I saw shave ice (not shaved ice), sweet and savory crepes, Hawai’ian delights (musubi which can be traced back to the Japanese onigri and li hing mui, the salty and sour plum that is originally from China), tacos, spicy pineapple, kettle corn, sweet and savory crepes, fresh organic cold-pressed juices from Raw and Delicious, honey, cheese, flowers, and more. So, quite a few enticing choices.
I stopped at a few, the first being Raw and Delicious or RAD, for short, which offers fresh organic cold-pressed juices. Each 16oz glass bottle is said to contain two pounds of produce. You can sample their juice blends, from the very green veggie combos to sweeter ones. So I tried one of their green juices and The Blue One, which is apple, pineapple, lemon, and lime, with Blue Spirulina giving the juice its beautiful signature blue colour. This one, I found too sweet. Makes sense – The Blue One is actually one of their sweetest. Since I love green juices, I gravitated towards those. RAD also has immunity shots – orange, lime, lemon, turmeric, and cayenne pepper, with black pepper enhancing the absorption of the turmeric. Getting our vitamins from whole foods is the best.
I actually found RAD earlier this month at Art in the Park at Dinosaurs Cave Park. I got there as the stalls were packing up and Hansen was nice enough to let me sample a few. We spoke about how he started working for RAD, their process and protocol, what they are up to right now and their eventual plans for a brick-and-mortar shop, and the general health and wellness scene in San Luis. Right now, they are focused on farmers markets and home deliveries. RAD also has fridge locations for their juices in San Luis, Morro Bay, Paso Robles, and Cambria.
So cold-pressed?
Cold-pressed, as the name suggests, is a method of simply using pressure and no heat to extract juice from vegetables and fruits. This means it is more nutrient-dense. Whenever possible, I go for organic vegetables and fruits. Organic does matter since it cannot be GMO (which uses bacteria as a marker for modification placement) and yes, organic farming has allowable limits of pesticides etc. Still, it’s about minimization rather than elimination (which is not possible) of chemicals we consume. Rule of thumb – what you eat the most, go for organic. Veggies, berries, apples, plums, etc are what I choose organic for.
SLO County farmers market schedule
Each week Avila Beach Farmers Market also has live music. According to Avila Beach’s website, the band was Monte Mills and the Lucky Horseshoe band this past Friday. Check out one of their videos. If you want to hang out, bring a chair. It was a lively crowd and a great way to spend the Friday evening.
The band for the coming Friday night Avila Beach Farmers Market (August 22) is Ryan Woodard Band. Ryan was featured in Guitar World. For Ryan, who was non-verbal outside of singing until he was ten years old, music certainly changed his life. He’s also an advocate for kids with different needs, like himself who’s autistic. Check out his video that’s gone viral – Ryan sounds like John Mayer.
Art in the Park (Pismo Beach) is a monthly event that goes from 10AM to 4PM. 2025 dates – April 6, May 4, July 6, August 3, September 7, October 5, November 2, and December 7. Other cities also have their Art in the Park events. The Pismo Beach one is pretty small as far as art is concerned. San Luis Obispo had theirs earlier in August. This was their 2nd annual event held at Santa Rosa Park. Over 100 artists and designers showcased their jewelry, paintings, and other art forms. Some to check out – Taiwanese-American jewelry designer, Nancy Yuan, Kim Winberry who we saw at the Art after Dark, the handwoven textiles and abstract painting by Julie Sampson, and more. If you like pens, and I do, take a look at Mission City Pens.
Art in the Park in Morro Bay is a 3-day event and their last 2025 one runs August 30, 31, and September 1. This is their 71st annual event and will have 100 independent artists and craftspeople.
San Luis also has Art after Dark – here’s the one I went to this year.
Getting to Avila Beach Farmer Market
Avila Beach is about 15 minutes from San Luis Obispo. Take Highway 101 and the Avila Beach Drive exit. This is before Shell Beac. The seasonal Avila Beach Farmer Market is Fridays from 4PM to 8PM.
The market is about one block long. Located on the promenade, part of Front Street, the stalls are set up between San Francisco and San Miguel Streets. Restaurants near Avila Beach Farmers Market include Custom House, a casual restaurant with outdoor seating perfect to enjoy the beach vibes. This is the new Custom House, which has a new format – order at the bar, get a buzzer/pager to get your food, and find your own table. Patrons who have been going to this restaurant for years don’t seem so happy about it, judging from the reviews. When I was there Friday, it looked pretty busy.
The Avila Market and some shops were still opened when I got there after 6. Lots of people were browsing and getting chocolates and ice cream. The coffee shop Kraken had already closed. Kraken Coffee Co looks cute from the outside but from the website, I couldn’t find a menu so not sure what their coffee offerings are. From online reviews, it looks like vanilla matcha, roobois tea, mexican mocha, chai latte, breakfast burritos, and pasteries.
Parking
On market nights, parking may be scarce, especially since it’s a Friday. You can find free street parking on Avila Beach Drive, First Street, and around the Downtown area. There is also paid parking near the centre of town. It’s $6 for the whole day.
Trolley
Since parking can be challenging, you can bike to Avila Beach via the Bob Jones Trail. You can also take the free trolley. It’s a loop between the Pismo Beach Outlets and Port San Luis, with stops including the Bob Jones Trail parking lot.
The trolley bus I rode in is styled like an old trolley, except it is new from 2024, according to Laurie. She’s been a trolley driver for 15 years and she was very helpful in clarifying the pickup times and locations. The Pismo Beach Outlet stop is where the Chevron station is. There is a Tesla Supercharger station at the outlets (333 Five Cities Drive) if you need a charge. The outlets are also opened until 8PM – great to pick up some gifts or to browse while waiting.
The trolley comes in off the 101 and makes a right onto Five Cities Drive. From there, it goes to Avila Hot Springs, Bob Jones Trail (parking lot side, at Ontario), Avila Beach at First Street, and Port San Luis near Fat Cats which is at 3920 Harford Drive. Opened daily from 7:30AM to 8PM, Fat Cats is owned by an Avila Beach local and has seafood, burgers, omelets, pancakes, etc.
(The location of the stops before Avila means the trolley’s route has a detour/extra loop so it takes longer than driving. Still, it was a nice ride.)
The stop for Avila Beach Farmers Market is the First Street stop. From there, cross the street and head towards the beach and go left down the promenade from the park. The trolley returns every hour, at the half hour mark. I took the 7:30PM to get back to Pismo Beach Outlets. This stop is opposite from where I got off so it’s easy to find. If you have time, go to Point San Luis Harbour for a look around or stay on for the scenic ride.
2025 schedule for the free trolley.
This free trolley also takes you between Pismo Beach and Avila Beach on the weekends during the summer months, ending August 31. On Fridays, the first one and the last one leaving Pismo Beach are at 4PM and 8PM. The round trip takes about 50-60 minutes, depending on traffic.