Get a close-up look at two-ton seals at a coastal preserve.

With an enormous body and a giant proboscis-like snout, even one bull elephant seal would be enough to catch your eye. Now imagine the staggering sight of thousands of these beasts hauled up on a narrow beach adjacent to State 1 just south of San Simeon. That'll get your attention.

The Piedras Blancas Rookery  offers the amazing site of a huge herd of these pinnipeds 7 miles north of San Simeon (perfect for a stop after Hearst Castle). During breeding and pupping season (generally December through March), the beach is home to some 15,000 elephant seals, coming ashore to mate, give birth, and generally hang out--an impressive feat when you're 16 feet long and 5,000-plus pounds. Whether you catch the seals when they're feeling raucous, or when they're lolling in the sun and barely twitching a flipper, you'll never forget the sight of all that life. Admission is free, and on-site docents can answer your questions. Even outside the breeding season, seals can often be seen here, though in smaller numbers.

Our workshops offer a variety of interactive, hands-on formats at varying locations throughout Paso Robles, and feature presentations by growers, viticulturists, winemakers, and industry representatives; tours of vineyards and wineries; blending seminars; and classes on tasting, sensory evaluation, wine and food pairing, and more. Workshops are available on the following dates.

February 13, 2010
April 17, 2010
June 19, 2010