During the 1950s Pismo Beach billed itself as the "clam capital of the world", with clams so abundant that they were harvested with plows on the beach. Over-harvesting led to a massive decline, but the town still celebrates its yearly clam festival every year in mid-October. The weekend festival includes live music, a clam dig, clam bake, parade, chowder cook-off, and other festivities.
Each year thousands of beautiful butterflies migrate to stay in Pismo Beach. Between 2010-2014 an average of 25,000 butterflies spent the winter in the grove. Butterflies arrive in the winter months, starting in late October and ending in February. Docents are onsite to answer questions.
A fun place to go to the beach for all kinds of tourists. They offer beach bike rentals, surf board rentals, and ATV rentals for the Pismo Beach dunes.