Central Coast Railroad Festival

Dates: October 7-11

Location: SLO County

 The Second Annual Central Coast Railroad Festival will focus on rail excursions, modeling of all types of historical programs. The Festival is set for October 7-11, 2010, in the heart of the California Central Coast. Activities will take place at numerous railroad, historical and educational locations throughout San Luis Obispo County. Don’t forget- if you are heading to the area by train, you can get a 20% discount on the Amtrak Surfliner and San Joaquin lines if you register with SLO Car Free! Click here for more details.

The Central Coast Railroad Festival is designed to please both the casual train buff and the avid rail fan. Attendees will be able to celebrate rail’s history and future while experiencing all types of modeling, rail excursions, concerts, films, exhibits, ceremonies, historical presentations and special programs. Most Festival events will be free and all will be fun and very family friendly.

For more information on the Festival, including a list of events and sponsors, call 805-773-4173 or visit www.ccrrf.com

Sustainable Tourism Summit

Dates: October 14-15

Location: Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe

SLO Car Free is attending the 2nd Annual California Sustainable Tourism Summit this coming October! We are partnering with the Santa Barbara and Napa Car Free programs to spread the word about the “California Car Free Movement.” The summit is being held this year at the Ritz Carlton Highlands in Lake Tahoe. We would love to see you there.

CTTC will hold the 2nd Annual California Sustainable Tourism Summit on October 14-15, 2010, at the new Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe. Based on feedback from last year’s attendees, this year’s Summit has been expanded to a day and a half, and will bring industry partners together for educational and networking opportunities. The inaugural summit brought education on what is sustainable tourism. This year learn how to market sustainable tourism and convert sustainability into tourism dollars. The Summit will present information about resources available to market your programs to draw in this growing demographic, and provide new and exciting options to current customer bases. Register now!

New in 2010!

• Discover sustainable marketing resources in the extended Marketplace.
• Network with industry partners during the Sustainable Tourism Summit Reception.
• Venture out on experiential tours of the Lake Tahoe area’s best practices for preserving the High Sierra! Explore Lake Tahoe’s sustainable accomodations, retail, wine and food, attractions and recreation, or view sustainable tourism development from a city government perspective.

The Summit will include top industry partners presenting on sustainable tourism best practices  to maximize marketing budgets to promote sustainable efforts. Click here to see who will be speaking at the Summit and the agenda.

Dates: October 3
Location: Hearst Castle

Visit the Hearst Castle® Visitors’ Center parking lot for a special alternative fuel car show. Then partake in live music, gourmet cuisine, and Central Coast wine and microbrew at this enchanted venue.

Alternative Fuel Car Show
Hearst Castle® Visitors Center Parking Lot
1:00pm – 4:00pm
Free Event
Come see new alternative fuel technology vehicles including electric, natural gas, propane, biodiesel, ethanol and hybrids! Adults and children are welcome to this free event.

Meet the Members Reception
Hearst Castle® Neptune Pool and Adjoining Terrace
5:30p.m-10:00p.m.
Adults Only – $95 Preferred Members – $125 Non-Members
Celebrate alternative fuels and enjoy an evening of live music, dancing, gourmet cuisine, Central Coast wine and mincrobrew, and a silent auction at the top of Hearst Castle®.
For more information, visit www.C5.org.
To purchase tickets call 805.305.5491

Savor the Central Coast

Dates: September 30 through October 3

Location: Santa Margarita Ranch

See Amtrak’s advertisement mentioning SLO Car Free on the Sunset Magazine website!

Don’t miss Sunset Magazine’s Savor the Central Coast, located right here in San Luis Obispo County. Indulge your tastebuds with wine from over 200 Central Coast wineries and local food being prepared by over 30 chefs!

It is easy to get to all of the Savor the Central Coast events without your car. First, where are you coming from?

Southern California areas–Try Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner. It’s one of the most beautiful rides in the world, and with several daily trips from all over Southern California to San Luis Obispo County and 20% discount for visitors who register on our website, it’s convenient and inexpensive too. Click here to see the Amtrak discount and schedule. There’s also frequent service on the greyhound coaches, or flights to SLO Airport from LAX on American Eagle or United.

San Francisco Bay or Valley Areas– Try Amtrak’s San Joaquin Rote. Twice a day in each direction they operate Amtrak Thruway bus service from Hanford to San Luis Obispo County. This is a mixed mode service contracted through Orange Belt Bus lines. Mixed mode buses are operated in conjuction with regular intercity bus carriers or transit districts providing intercity service. It is also possible to take Amtrak Thruways North from San Luis Obispo to San Francisco, Oakland or Emeryville and connect to San Joaquin Route trains at Oakland or Emeryville. Thruway Amtrak ticketing and fare structures apply to the bus portion and the rail portion together. If air travel is what you desire,  you can also travel car free to San Luis Obispo on flights from SFO.

Next- here’s how to get from Amtrak or the Airport to local hotels:
Once you have arrived, there are many options for traveling around SLO without your car. Taxis can be very inexpensive for short trips. Click here to see “Almost Car Free” alternatives.   Local buses are also a great option. There are transit lines that run from both the Amtrak and Greyhound stations, however if you are coming from the Airport there are limited bus routes. Ride-on Transportation is a great shuttle that, for a fee, they will pick you up at the Airport and take you to your destination. Many hotels that are participating Car Free hotels offer shuttles to and from the Airport and Amtrak station, make sure you check with the hotel prior to booking.

Getting around once you are here:
The Savor the Central Coast event is offering shuttles from many locations in SLO County. To see the one that is closest to you, click here.

SLO Car Free would love to answer your questions if you have any. Please feel free to give us a call at 805.781.5912 or email us at info@slocarfree.org. Also visit our testimonial page and let us know how your trip to San Luis Obispo was!

Visit the Savor the Central Coast Website

 Thousands showed up at the Union Station to join in on the celebration.  Attendees were able to see old model trains, various educational booths and of course, SLO Car Free! SLO Car Free, the SLO County Air Pollution Control District and the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce hosted a booth dedicated to showing people all of the pleasures San Luis Obispo has to offer.