The Central Coast State Parks Associations presents the Adventures with Nature series. Adventures with Nature are docent-led hikes, classes and workshops open to all ages and generally free! WIth over 150 programs offered throughout the year, there is sure to be something for everyone. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed. Some adventures are wheelchair accessible, please look for the "WA" designation.

Go back in time to the lonely and blustery life of the lighthouse keeper with a visit to the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse. First lit on February 15, 1875, to guide ships along the Central Coast of California, the 100-foot-high lighthouse operated for 100 years. In 1975, the tower was automated and the station went unmanned. In the fall of 2001, the Bureau of Land Management began restoring the light station and grounds.

Piedras Blancas Light Station has been congressionally designated an Outstanding Natural Area. Teeming with wildlife, the surrounding area is home to elephant seals, otters, peregrine falcons, harbor seals and California sea lions; and if you go during whale season you might spot a mother and calf as they make their way north.

Tours of the light station are offered Monday through Saturday, except federal holidays. Meet at the former Piedras Blancas Motel, located 1.5 miles north of the light station, at 9:45. Do not wait at the gate to the site!

Offered only in spring and fall, this special tour enables you to experience the Castle illuminated at night. Longer than the daytime tours (100 minutes), docents in period dress being the 1930s to life as they move through the extravagant rooms of Casa Grande. A vintage newsreel in Mr. Hearst's private theater rounds out the evening.