If you would like to stay near the hotel, the Madonna is bursting with activities! It's located on a horse ranch and offers group rides, you can go for hikes, taste some pastries at their renowned bakery, have a spa day and go shopping at three different on-site stores!
Eve Vigil a student in Ornamental Horticulture at Cal Poly in 1989, was unable to find examples of and information on Mediterranean climate plants for her senior project, she researched the possibility of starting a botanical garden that would showcase these plants. Eve Vigil found support for her idea from local government, including the County Parks Department, as well as inspiration from a lecturer at the University, Joseph Donaldson, who developed the concept of creating a botanical garden based on the five Mediterranean climate zones of the world. The garden strives to be a treasured local, national, and international resource; to delight, educate and inspire people to embrace nature, outdoor recreation, community interaction, celebration of the arts, creative endeavors, and health and wellness; to showcase and support world-class botanical collections, horticultural research, plant propagation, local history, indigenous culture, and universal access to the outdoors.
There are many beaches and wine tasting options to explore in San Luis Obispo.
In 1865, George Hearst purchased 40,000 acres of ranchland that included the mexican ranchos of Piedra Blanca, San Simeon and Santa Rosa. In 1919, his son, William Randolph Hearst, inherited the land from his mother, Phoebe Apperson Hearst. He eventually expanded it to encompass 250,000 acres. Originally known as “Camp Hill,” its wilderness offered a magnificent campsite for family and friends, but Hearst envisioned more comfortable accommodations. His simple instructions to famed San Francisco architect Julia Morgan in 1919 were “Miss Morgan, we are tired of camping out in the open at the ranch in San Simeon and I would like to build a little something.” Hearst renamed the hilltop that crowned his huge ranch “La Cuesta Encantada” – The Enchanted Hill. By 1947, Hearst and Morgan had created an estate of 165 rooms & 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools & walkways – an American castle that was destined to become one of the world’s greatest showplaces for his art collection. Book a tour!
Northern Elephant Seals gather on the beach at San Simeon State Park every Winter for mating season. The drive is less than an hour away from the Madonna.