Experience the Unconstrained Santa Maria Valley
Art, Nature and History Beckon Visitors
By Dave Hoffman
The beauty of unconstrained nature awaits visitors to Santa Maria Valley. The region is filled with magnificent walkable vineyards, shape-shifting dunes, rolling hills for cycling and Oso Flaco Lake for bird watching. Nature calls to those who listen and Santa Maria Valley is a naturalist’s paradise, all within a short drive and well within budget.
The Santa Maria Valley also boasts a fine taste for the arts and visitors discover the genuine culture of the Valley and people through our art. This combination of nature and art make Santa Maria Valley a must stop on any vacation agenda.
Visitors to Santa Maria Valley benefit from the stewardship and encouragement of visionaries who preserve and highlight the area’s unique natural, historical and artistic resources and talents. Driving through the environs gives intrepid tourists the ability to enjoy the natural Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center, experience the historical DANA Adobe and Cultural Center and explore the artistic landscape of Santa Maria Valley’s public murals and sculptures.
NATURE
Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes and Center
A short drive away lies the largest intact coastal dune ecosystem on the planet, the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, an 18-mile coastal preserve of protected wildlife and natural landscape. Kathleen Goddard-Jones used to visit the dunes with her family in the 1960s. She was a conservationist for the Sierra Club and an accomplished High Sierra hiker. Goddard-Jones, now known as “the mother of the dunes,” fought to establish the sanctuary and wildlife preserve after learning dune land had been acquired for a nuclear power plant.
Goddard-Jones also helped found the nearby Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes Center. The center educates visitors on what goes into conserving the dunes ecosystem and tells the long history of the dunes. Starting with the Chumash people who lived at the dunes 10,000 years ago, the story includes early Eastern European settlers. Film buffs may also be aware the dunes were the filming location of the original silent version of “The Ten Commandments,” Cecil B. DeMille’s film from 1923.
There are five miles of beach in Oceano used for recreation, including four-wheel vehicles (which are prohibited elsewhere on the protected land). Visitors to the area can enjoy rare animals while exploring microhabitats and investigating archeological remnants. The center offers hikes and walks for private groups and school groups, as well as field trips on which visitors can learn about the ecosystem in more depth. There also is an annual walk-through of the dunes in homage to founder Goddard-Jones.
HISTORY
The DANA Adobe and Cultural Center
The Santa Maria Valley has a storied history and visitors benefit from preservation-minded residents who have preserved some of the man-made environment, allowing people to experience history with all their senses. The DANA Adobe and Cultural Center is home of the original “Casa de Dana,” which is one of the oldest houses in San Luis Obispo County (just north of Santa Maria Valley). The original owner, Sea Captain William Goodwin Dana, lived there with his wife, Maria Josefa Carillo Dana, and their 13 children. The cultural center in Nipomo sits on a 130-acre property, known as the “Rancho.”
Today, visitors can learn first-hand what life was like in the early 1800s when the house was built. Children and families can take guided hikes, sketch the more than 200-year-old sycamore tree on the premises, learn about local wildlife and ecology, prepare hand-made tortillas, try their hand at roping while riding a wine-barrel pony, or take part in traditional dances.
There also is a system of trails for hikers to explore on their own. The Heritage Trail follows along the same path as the landmark El Camino Real, or “The Royal Road,” a 600-mile trail that connected 21 Spanish missions across the state. The Danas were famous for their hospitality to travelers who stopped there on their journey. The Railroad Trail follows along where the Pacific Coast Railway, which ran from Port San Luis to Los Olivos, used to run. Visitors also can walk along the Nipomo Creek and see what birds they can spot.
For more information visit www.santamariavalley.com/things-to-do/arts-culture/
www.dunescenter.org
www.danaadobe.org
PUBLIC ARTS
Once back from the beauty of the surrounding natural and historical attractions, visitors are treated to one of the unique aspects of Santa Maria Valley – the murals and sculptures found throughout the city. They bring an artistic sensibility to the streets and encode the town’s history and culture in a way appreciated both emotionally and intellectually. Visitors can enjoy the artwork casually as they go about town or follow their curiosity down a rabbit hole that will let them vicariously experience the values, experience and inspiration that has shaped the essence of Santa Maria Valley through the years. It allows visitors and residents alike to go beyond the present day façade of the city and dig deeper into the vision that drives artists and community members alike.
“It’s been a great year for public art in Santa Maria Valley,” said Dennis Smitherman of the Santa Maria Recreation and Parks Department, who oversees the city’s public art. “We’ve added additional murals and sculptures around the Valley. We recently received an allocation for more public art, and that was decided by the city council, so we’ll be seeing even more of an increase in the next two-year cycle.”
Murals have been going up across the city since the council approved the Public Art Master Plan in 2019. The city added three murals last year.
“Past, Present, and Future of Santa Maria” is a 512-square-foot mural depicting the past, present and future of Santa Maria Valley. Kim Cochran and Jonathan Smith of The Environment Makers painted the mural with the help of local teens.
Elks Baseball Field hosts a mural from local artist Aaron Cribbs and represents the history of baseball in Santa Maria Valley. Cribbs also painted a large, bright, colorful graphic mural that is located in Machado Plaza. Also in Machado Plaza is a new kinetic sculpture purchased by Leopold Gallery.
“Public art reflects the culture and environment that is all around this beautiful area,” Smitherman said. “It creates a more vibrant city and tells a story about the residents and community in California’s Central Coast. In addition to being great for the city, it’s good for tourism and the visitors can tell a lot about what Santa Maria Valley is and who we are by looking at the art.”
Upcoming projects include a plan to paint 15 new utility art boxes, where local artists paint the boxes that control traffic lights, and continuing to work with local artists to add sculptures and murals to the city.
For additional Art installation visit: https://santamariavalley.com/things-to-do/arts-culture/