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Paso Robles, CA Area guide

El Paso de Robles, or Paso Robles to the locals, is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California whose name means “Oak Pass” or “The Pass of the Oaks”. Paso Robles is the fastest growing city in San Luis Obispo County with a population of 29,297 as of the 2007 census. The city itself is located on the Salinas River north of San Luis Obispo and is known for its hot springs, majestic wineries, and for its role as host to the California Mid-State Fair. Do not let El Paso’s size fool you; this city is all about community, hospitality, and quality of life.


Paso Robles History

The city of El Paso de Robles has always been renowned for thermal springs. The Salinan Indians, who were here thousands of years before the mission era, knew the area as the “Springs” or the “Hot Springs.” The Indians (and later the Mission Fathers and their congregations) found relief from various ailments in the therapeutic waters and soothing mud baths.

The area was originally part of a Spanish land grant that was purchased by James and Daniel Blackburn in 1857. The land was a rest-stop for travelers of the Camino Real trail and Franciscan priests from neighboring Mission San Miguel, who constructed the first mineral baths in the area. During this period, Paso Robles began to attract the pioneer settlers who would become the founding members of the community. They would later establish cattle ranches, apple and almond orchards, dairy farms, and vineyards.

In 1886, after the coming of the Southern Pacific Railroad, work began on laying out a town site. Two weeks after the first train arrived on October 31, 1886, a three-day celebration was held including a special train from San Francisco bringing prospective buyers, who toured the area and enjoyed the daily barbecues. On November 17, the “Grand Auction” was held, resulting in the sale of 228 lots.

Opened in 1891, the new prestigious El Paso de Robles Hotel featured a seven acre garden, nine-hole golf course, a library, a beauty salon, a barber shop, and various billiard and lounging rooms. The hotel offered a 20 by 40 foot improved hot springs plunge bath as well as 32 individual bath rooms. The hotel was host to a number of famous guests throughout its existence. Unfortunately, in December 1940, a fire completely destroyed the "fire-proof" El Paso de Robles Hotel with all guests escaping unharmed. Within months after the blaze, plans for a new hotel to be built on the site were drawn up and by February 1942 construction was complete and the new Paso Robles Inn opened for business.

The City of Paso Robles experienced significant growth throughout the 1960’s and 70’s. Paso Robles's wine industry flourished, the California Mid-State Fair expanded into a regional attraction, local lakes, such as Lake Nacimiento, became family vacation destinations and the city’s reputation as a charming and friendly community grew.

Paso Robles Parks and Recreation

Cycling
Paso Robles is the perfect place for cycling, with open roads and picturesque vineyards out of town and smooth roads for cycling downtown. Avid cyclists enjoy the 39-mile Vineyard Drive Loop and the 21-mile Star Farms Loop. Paso Robles has been home to the Great Western Bicycle Rally for the past 34 years. In 2005, Paso Robles was the finish line for stage 5 of the AMGEN Tour of California.

Golf
Golfing is a popular pastime in Paso Robles. Paso Robles is home to four golf courses, two of which are leisure golf resorts. These four golf courses are The Links at Vista Del Hombre, Hunter Ranch Golf Resort, Paso Robles Golf Club, and the River Oaks Golf Club.

Lake Nacimiento
This 18-mile long lake is home to recreation seeking visitors and water-sport enthusiasts. Lake Nacimiento provides more than enough room for waterskiing, wakeboarding, jet skiing, and other water-related activities, in addition to fishing and swimming.

Barney Schwartz Park and Recreational Area
This one-of-a-kind park is home to several group picnic areas, four large event pavilions, grassy picnic areas, two concession stands, two large playgrounds, and a one million gallon lake. The park can and often does host large-scale tournaments for baseball, softball, and soccer.

Centennial Park
Centennial Park is a multi-use park located next to Daniel Lewis Middle School. The park consists of an indoor section that hosts such sports as basketball, volleyball, and gymnastics, as well as many classes and activities. The park also hosts a 200,000 gallon swimming pool and wading pool with waterslides, two large group barbecue areas, grassy picnic and pavilion areas, an amphitheatre, walking paths, two outdoor half-court basketball courts, a 1.2 mile long paved trail, four lighted tennis courts and two playgrounds. There are also several meeting and banquet rooms available.

City Park
This popular park lies in the heart of downtown and is home to all types of events ranging from Pioneer Day and the Mid-State Fair Pancake Breakfast to national holidays such as the 4th of July. City Park hosts “Concerts in the Park”, Trading Day, bi-weekly farmers markets, The Wine Festival, and several car shows.

Sherwood Forest and Park
Sherwood Park is all about youth sports, with a newly renovated Little League field, a basketball court, horseshoe pits, restrooms, a sand volleyball court, family barbecue areas, one regulation size soccer field, two smaller soccer fields, a softball field with bleachers, and four tennis courts. Adjacent to Sherwood Park lies Sherwood Forest with a newly constructed playground that is designed with a medieval theme complete with a large mist-breathing dragon, winding cobblestone paths, castle ruins with a moat, and two playground areas.

Paso Robles Events and Attractions

Amgen Tour of California
The Amgen Tour of California is a professional bicycle stage race that brings all the drama and excitement to the California coast. Top professional teams from all over the world compete over eight days on this 650-mile racecourse that includes the California redwoods, wine country and Pacific Coast. The race helps profit Breakaway from Cancer, the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, and The Wellness Community. To find out more about this fine event, please click the following link: http://www.prcity.com/AmgenTourofCA/.

Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival
The Zinfandel Festival is for Zinfandel producers and enthusiasts alike in this two day, three event celebration. On Friday evening, the RESERVE event is held, followed by the Wine Country Auction and the Zinfandel Grand Tasting on Saturday evening. This festival of wine, food and celebration of California's heritage variety donates a portion of the proceeds to causes benefiting health, education and community services for the vineyard worker population in the local community. For more information about the Paso Robles Zinfandel Festival, please visit: http://www.pasozinfest.com/.

Paso Robles Festival of the Arts
The Festival of the Arts is a fun, community-oriented event in which attendees can learn about art in a casual setting, take in art demonstrations, and enjoy live performances at downtown Paso Robles, all for free! The beautiful Downtown City Park offers free scenic tours of the Salinas River, while river-themed art is displayed at Studios in the Park, and a public mural project are all open to participants of all ages. Downtown restaurants and tasting rooms become part of the fun offering artful dining options and fine wines. To find out more about this fantastic event, please visit the Festival of the Arts website at http://www.prcity.com/FOTA/.

Pioneer Day
Pioneer Day was an event started on October 12, 1931, organized by the community as a way to say “Thank you” to all of the people who support the area’s business and professional community throughout the year. The goal of Pioneer Day is to provide a day of community and remembrance of the heritage of the Paso Robles area. Most businesses close so that their employees can enjoy and participate in the event. There are no charges for any of the events, no commercial concessions, and lunch is provided at no cost. For more information visit: http://www.pasoroblespioneerday.org/.

For a complete list of events in Paso Robles, please visit the following link.
http://www.prcity.com/visit/events_an.asp