Get wet

Kayak

I usually go to Kayak Horizons along the Embarcadero in Morro Bay.  There are several other places along the Embarcadero and out in the back bay to rent kayaks from, but last time I checked, Kayak Horizons was as cheap as any of them, and I like where you start from.  Be sure to paddle over to the sand spit, where you can get out and explore around the beach.

You can kayak around the bay any time, but mornings are less windy, and planning it with the tides is wise.  Check the tides here: tideinfo.com.  The absolute best time to go is an hour or two before high tide, so that you can ride the tide in, and then when the tide is going back out, you can ride with it back to the kayak place.  However, the most important consideration is not going into shallow areas right before low tide.  You really don't want to get stuck.  

Tide pools

There are several places to check out all the little critters in the tide pools.  My favorite spots are just north of the Cayucos Pier, Hazards Canyon Reef in Montana de Oro, and on the north end of Morro Strand Beach in Morro Bay.  These are all easily accessible.  There are also tidepools along the Bluff Trail in Montana de Oro, but you have to hike in a ways to get to them. 

For all of them, make sure you go at the lowest tide you can.  You will see lots of crabs and sea anemone, and perhaps small fish, octopus, and starfish.

Spooner's Cove

At some point on this site, I would like to go through and review many of the beaches in the area.  Until I do that, I wanted to recommend Spooner's Cove, at Montana de Oro State Park.  This is such a unique beach.  It has a small creek coming into it, and the entire beach is covered in smooth peebles of different sizes and colors.  And it has a spot where you can climb up the rocks to a cool rock arch.  The ocean water is very steep with large waves, but where it meets the creek is a fun spot to play in the water. 

Swimming Pool

The SLO Swim Center in San Luis Obispo has a great outdoor pool for small children that is VERY warm.  They have lap swimming in the other pool for adults at the same time, so if you have two parents, you can even take turns lap swimming and kid-wrangling.  They are open for time periods every day all year round.  I don't recommend weekends in the summer because it gets really crowded.  Check the hours because it is different during the school year than in the summer.

Avila Hot Springs is another outdoor swimming pool.  Also, Cayucos also has a swimming pool that is open during the summer, but is a little chilly and crowded for nervous young swimmers.

Ravine Waterpark

Ravine Waterpark in Paso Robles in open during the summer and has great areas for kids young and old.  It's $11-$20 per person.  If you are coming from some other metropolitan area in California, I would recommend going closer to home.  However for those of us around here, this will check the box on waterpark for the summer.