On Saturday, classic cars will be parked along downtown Cayucos, a block up from the beach. Check-in starts at 5:30 a.m. at the corner of Cayucos Drive and N. Ocean Ave., and awards go out at 4 p.m. where D Street meets N. Ocean Ave. This is the 35th Cayucos Car Show, and it runs rain or shine.
Walk a few hundred feet west of the show and the town looks different. The pier is shorter than its original 950 feet. Dog Beach, north of town, sits inside the work zone for Caltrans' Toro Creek Bridge project. Hardie Park Pool has been closed since May. Each of these places is out for a different reason and runs on a different timeline. Until they reopen, nearly everything happening in Cayucos this November and December happens on Ocean Avenue.
Three Closures With Three Different Timelines
Here is where each one stands as of the latest public word from the agency responsible for it.
| Place | What's out | Who's handling it | Latest stated timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cayucos Pier | Storm-damaged end and pilings, now removed | San Luis Obispo County | Construction maybe late spring or summer 2027 |
| Dog Beach | Beach access and southbound shoulder parking | Caltrans, Toro Creek Bridge project | Completion expected by June 30, 2027 |
| Hardie Park Pool | The whole pool | SLO County Parks and Public Works | Engineering evaluation expected to take about nine months; no reopening date |
The pier. Storms in 2024 damaged the end of the pier. KSBY reported that the storms left 15 feet hanging over the water, and that piece and its pilings have since been removed. On Tuesday, Sept. 29, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to put $568,127 toward restoration. District 2 Supervisor Bruce Gibson told KSBY that insurance is paying for the design work and that he understands it should also cover construction. The project is in early design. A contractor gets hired after the designs are final. Gibson's estimate for the start of construction was "sometime after the rainy season, so sometime maybe late spring or into the summer of 2027." He also said the community-purchased plaques that used to sit at the end of the pier will go back up once the restoration is done.
Dog Beach. Dog Beach is closed because of a highway project. Caltrans scheduled work on replacing the southbound Toro Creek Bridge to begin April 7. The work zone runs from half a mile north of Yerba Buena St. in Morro Bay to half a mile north of Chaney Ave. in Cayucos. According to Caltrans' April notice, each direction would keep one lane open, five-foot shoulders would stay available for bikes, and southbound shoulder parking and beach access inside the project area, Dog Beach included, would be closed during construction. The $6.8 million job went to Souza Construction Inc. of San Luis Obispo, with completion expected by June 30, 2027.
Hardie Park Pool. Estero Bay News reported in August that a leaking pipe under the pool restrooms was found in fall 2025. The County had planned routine work: replastering the pool, replacing the deck and adding ADA accessibility upgrades. The follow-up investigation found saturated clay soils and groundwater only a few feet below the surface across the whole site. MSD Engineering told the County that draining the pool could cause it to lift out of the ground. The County then started talking about replacing the 1979 pool entirely instead of repairing it.
Shaun Cooper, Assistant Director of County Parks, told Estero Bay News that Public Works was preparing a request for proposals from structural engineers. He said that evaluation "is expected to take approximately 9 months." Once the report is in, staff will "evaluate next steps, funding needs, and a future timeline for repairs and reopening." The County Parks alerts page still lists the pool as closed. It also lists two Cayucos coastal accessways, El Sereno and 2698 Studio Drive, as closed for storm damage.
Even the shortest of these timelines runs well past New Year's. That's why this season's events are concentrated downtown.
The Season, Date by Date, Down the Middle of Town
The places that are open this winter are the downtown blocks, the base of the pier and the beach beside it. All of the scheduled events fit inside that area.
- Friday, November 6, 4 p.m. Car Show check-in party at Nelson's Garage, 50 S. Ocean Ave., with hors d'oeuvres and cocktails for registered entrants.
- Saturday, November 7, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. The 35th Cayucos Car Show downtown, with a live band, a beer garden and a Lions barbecue lunch at 11:30 a.m. The lunch location hadn't been announced yet. Car registration has moved to a waitlist. The Cayucos Chamber of Commerce lists the show on its event pages.
- Wednesday, November 25, 2 to 4 p.m. Bib pickup at Cayucos Pier for the Turkey Trot.
- Thursday, November 26, 8:30 a.m. The Cayucos Turkey Trot and Larry Gaeta Memorial Run starts at the pier on Pacific Avenue. Proceeds go to Cayucos Elementary School and the California Association of Highway Patrolmen Widows & Orphans Trust Fund.
- Friday, December 11, 5 p.m. Tree lighting at Ocean Avenue and D Street. The White Caps play live, carolers from Cayucos Community Church sing, and Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive on fire engines.
- Saturday, December 12, 3 to 6 p.m. The Wonderland Walk on Ocean Ave. Shops stay open late, and the evening includes free horse-drawn carriage rides, a kids' craft workshop, a snowy play area, Santa's holiday house, and complimentary refreshments from the Cayucos Lioness Club.
The last two dates make up Christmas in Cayucos, hosted by the Cayucos Chamber, Cayucos Rotary and Cayucos merchants. The Chamber describes this year's version as one weekend, for families who are busy. Back-to-back nights aren't new, though. In 2024 the two events were six days apart: the tree lighting was Sunday, December 8, and the Wonderland Walk was Saturday, December 14, from 4 to 7 p.m., according to Estero Bay News. In 2025 they were already one day apart, on December 12 and 13, according to First 5 SLO County's event listing. This year keeps the 2025 format and moves the Wonderland Walk an hour earlier than in 2024, so it starts at 3 p.m. and ends at 6.
On the Wonderland Walk Saturday, the Lioness Club refreshments and the late-open shops are all on the same few blocks where the Car Show cars park in November. The Turkey Trot starts a block over, at the pier on Pacific Avenue.
Two Newer Spots on Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue also has two new businesses since summer.
The Tribune reported that Dot's Spot Coffee & Treats opened July 14 at 14 N. Ocean Ave. #122. That's just north of the pier, so it's an easy place to grab a coffee before the Turkey Trot or between Car Show blocks.
The former Cayucos Motel at 20 S. Ocean Ave. has reopened as Two Palms Motel, with seven rooms for adults 21 and over, according to the Tribune. If you have guests coming for the Christmas weekend, it's within walking distance of the tree.
What Happens After New Year's, in Order
- Late February to mid-April 2027: SLO County Parks has tentatively scheduled a temporary closure of Cayucos Landing, the historic hall at the foot of the pier, and says the details may change. Until then the Landing is open, and the Cayucos History Museum inside it is open on weekends.
- Late spring or summer 2027: Supervisor Gibson's estimate for when pier construction begins, once designs are final and a contractor is hired.
- By June 30, 2027: Caltrans' expected completion of the Toro Creek Bridge project, which closed Dog Beach parking and access for the length of construction.
- No date yet: Hardie Park Pool. The County still has to hire structural engineers and get their report, which is expected to take about nine months, before it can set a repair or replacement plan.
That puts a few of these overlaps on the calendar. In spring 2027, the Landing may be closed while pier construction is starting. The bridge project's expected completion falls around the time pier work could be underway. The pool has no date at all yet.
If you need a pool before then, Cooper pointed Estero Bay News readers to the County pool at Shamel Park in Cambria, the nearest one. Closer to home, the Morro Bay Recreation Department runs aquatics programs at the Morro Bay High School pool.
If you own a home within walking distance of the tree at Ocean and D, and you've wondered what that location is worth while the pier is being rebuilt, The Mike Oliver Group knows these Cayucos blocks and is happy to talk it through. Request Your Home Valuation, and we'll put together a number based on where Cayucos stands right now.
