Atascadero town

Atascadero is often sunny and bright when the coast is socked in with fog. It's a great place to come if you are tired of the gloom! The downtown area is the best part of town and has a hundred year old City Hall with a large park called the Sunken Gardens in front of it. There is a fountain in the park, a fenced white sculpture, an assortment of amazing old trees including magnolia trees, and soft grass. Around City Hall are more sculptures and classic fountains. Atop the west side of City Hall there is a lovely quote, "Turn your face to the sun and you cannot see the shadows." Walk inside City Hall (weekdays only) to admire the ornate rotunda ceiling that has maroon alcoves- there isn't any glass in the rotunda ceiling so it's dark and a bit claustrophobic beneath it. It is extremely musty inside City Hall. 

In the downtown area there are some cute cafes on one block of Entrada Ave where it meets El Camino Real. Bramble Pie Co (closed Mondays) has mint green chairs and little plants in white pots, plus big windows with a colorful view of the street and the hillside with tall trees beyond. Their brisket or chorizo and potato empanadas and seasonal fruit pies/cobblers are very delicious, some of the best ever. The crust is really incredible. They also play good music! On warm days, sit outside in the afternoon shade on their front patio. Everyone is friendly in Atascadero so you can have a chat with people you meet.
Amstrdm Coffeehouse has a nice spot with picnic tables looking out on the Sunken Garden and magnolia tree. 
Other spots to try are: Dark Nektar Coffee, LOL Yogurt, Colony Deli, Cielo Italian, Ancient Owl Beer Garden, which has a cute outdoor area, and Bru Coffeehouse, which has outdoor seating. Back Porch Bakery does not have a back porch! It has a dark interior that is not very appealing, but its French bakery items are decent. The Pottery looks like a cute place to make clay items. Whiskey & June is a bar with a jukebox and pool table. Hush-Harbor Artisan Bakery has been popular for a long time, and is in a shopping plaza nearby. Malibu Brew is on the other side of the Sunken Gardens and has big windows. SloDoCo is a fun donut shop a little further down. A two minute drive further down El Camino Real is Thai Elephant- the pineapple red curry is delicious and the only good meal, so don't come unless you are going to order it.
Traffic Way, parallel to Entrada Ave, has a few stores, such as Traffic Record Store whose owners are very clued in about the music scene around town.
If you drive to Traffic Way Park (5599 Traffic Way), there is a playground behind the Colony Park Community Center, called Joy Playground. It has a fence and inclusive equipment, including spinner for four, baby swings, regular swings, zero-g swings with a back, a two-level treehouse structure with stainless steel double slides, twisty slides,  and leaf-shaped stepping stones, a dragonfly seesaw, a Rock N Raft that sways side to side, a wide canvas disc swing,  an egg and a log tunnel to climb inside, water guns, and splash pad features! The swings, Rock N Raft, and play structure are in the shade, while some of the other equipment gets too hot to touch in summer. 
Atascadero is extremely hot in summer so plan to visit on cooler days or early in the morning in summer.
For a lovely park with plenty of shade, lush lawns, a path around the lake, and a large playground, check out Atascadero Lake Park. It is six minutes drive away. A little past Atascadero Lake Park, check out Three Bridges Oak Preserve Trail, a wonderful loop trail in a spooky forest, with a gentle incline leading high up a hill.
If your child likes model railroads, drive over to Central Coast Trains, a small store with supplies and some model railroads to check out. It is four minutes from downtown, on El Camino Real.
A twisty forest walk to take is Jim Green Trail, a 1.6 mile loop hike, a bit stinky when the wind is blowing from the sewer district pond. It is a six minute drive away.
An even better two-mile loop hike, with sweeping views and lots of shade is the Stadium Park Hike, a seven minute drive away.
South of Atascadero is a tiny town called Santa Margarita, with a few cafes on El Camino Real, some wineries, a sweet chapel called Santa Margarita de Cortona, and pretty trees around the houses on I Street. It's a great place for kids on Halloween.
The Cuesta Grade, the steep part of Highway 101 between San Luis Obispo and Santa Margarita is a dangerous stretch of road, with trucks going very fast down the hill, crossing the lane lines next to you, while people tailgate you at high speed so that you can't slow down to save your life! It is fine on less busy days though.
Atascadero was founded in 1913 by E. G. Lewis, an entrepreneur who wanted to create a utopian colony and a town to carry out the work of his American Women's Republic voting rights organization (women could not vote legally until 1919). His vision for the town emphasized nature and open space, influenced by the City Beautiful movement. On the City Hall rotunda was carved: "For lasting happiness, we turn our eyes to one alone, and she surrounds you now. Mother Nature." He organized the construction of Highway 41, Boulevard to the Sea, connecting Atascadero to Morro Bay, so that it wouldn't take an entire day but only two hours in a Model T Ford to get to the coast. The road was narrow and could fit only one car, so you had to head west in the morning, and return east in the afternoon.

Directions

Atascadero City Hall and Sunken Gardens in front of it are located at 6500 Palma Ave, Atascadero, CA 93422.
Bramble Pie Co, 5945 Entrada Ave, Atascadero, CA 93422. In the cute main part of town. Open Tues-Sat 10-5, Sun 10-3, closed Mon. 
Amstrdm Coffeehouse, 6480 Palma Ave, Atascadero, CA. At the sunken garden. Open daily 7-4.

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