The classic California town of Pismo Beach

PISMO BEACH, Calif. – For 72 years, folks here have celebrated the town once known as the “Clam Capitol of the World” with a parade, visiting dignitaries and a big Clam Festival.

So what if clams dried up here in the 1990s, when fishing enthusiasts caught so many that local restaurants specializing in clam chowder had to resort to importing ingredients from Oregon and Washington State?

That hasn’t stopped little Pismo from continuing the tradition with a big two-day October festival devoted to clams.

“It’s a historical celebration, and people look forward to it all year,” says Gordon Jackson, the executive director of the Pismo Beach Conference and Visitors Bureau., which staged the weekend festival.

Pismo has a lot going for it beyond the history of clams.

A jewel of central California, about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco and just down the road from San Luis Obispo and Hearst Castle, Pismo has some of the widest, un-developed beaches on the coast.

The aggressive tides allow for wide walks, and even the ability to drive your car on the sand. Pismo (population 8,000) boasts dramatic cliffs and caves, and if you look up in the skies, you’ll notice many large pelicans cruising for lunch and dinner in the ocean. While the clam is the town mascot (a statue of a clam welcomes visitors when they get off the 101 freeway to enter town), one of the most photographed images is the long, majestic Pismo Beach Pier, at the end of Pomeroy Avenue.

First built in 1924 and re-built in 1985-86 after a massive storm washed much of it away, the pier has been closed for the last 18 months for reconstruction. The restored pier re-opened to the public Saturday.

Join us on a photo tour of the town city boosters call “Classic California,” by clicking the gallery above.

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