<p>For those of you that have been to this, is it worth spending all 3 days there if you are really interested or have committed to CP? Is it more geared for prospects for the next year or toward admits? We have just done the regular tours - is this the event that would help seal the decision? Missing a couple days of school prior to AP tests is sorta a pain, any thoughts on the event?</p>
<p>YES! It is worth every day. The Open House was transformational for us as an admitted students event. Cal Poly went from almost dead last on our list to first in the first two hours and then it was all fun from then on. Go to the guided tours of your major. Make sure that you attend the general assembly with the marching band and the president. Go to the monster robot wars and view all the cool projects. Hike Poly Canyon and see the architectural graveyard. Go to the Rodeo!! It is really cool and very competitive – it is a real intercollegiate championship event. Go into town and enjoy SLO and DON"T forget to arrive on Thursday so that you can enjoy the evening farmer’s market in SLO itself and visit the Cal Poly booths there.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for putting an agenda together for me, we are also looking at the club list ahead of time to see what to check out. I think it will be a full 3 days! A rodeo, how cool is that!</p>
<p>I agree that it’s definitely worth going for at least most of the time (more than one day if you can). There’s a great energy around campus and all of SLO really during Open House weekend. It’s geared a lot towards admits, more so than next years prospects in my opinion.</p>
<p>The rodeo is cool. Bull riding, bronco riding, calf roping, a Rodeo Queen in all her glory with flags and hand tooled boots. All the pageantry and excitement of a professional event. Oh yeah, if you like that sort of thing, the tractor pull is in the field right next door. “Tractor Pull” sounds like a quaint farming event like a haystack ride. But, noooo – these "tractors’ look more like drag racers and one of them looked as if it had a jet engine strapped to it (I think it WAS a jet engine, actually.) These are screaming examples of racing technology that can be heard miles away. Crazy stuff. Again, although it is a city of SLO event the farmer’s market on Thursday night can not be missed. Go HUNGRY!! The food is awesome. Amazing BBQ, all kinds of festival foods and local produce, street musicians, acrobats, jugglers, dancers, lot’s and lot’s of people.</p>
<p>With regards to club booths, no worries. They will be out in force. My kid found his club on the first day.</p>
<p>Open House sealed the deal for my son, last year. So I agree, it’s a must do.</p>
<p>Definitly planning on attending the open house w/son ~ sounds like fun and a way to get more information.
Questions for those that are familiar with the area and have stayed locally ~ any suggestions on where to stay?</p>
<p>Book your reservations now! If you wait too long there will not be a room left in the area and you will have to bed down in Santa Maria or Paso Robles. The farthest away that I would go is Pismo Beach or if there are no other alternatives Morro Bay. Most motels in town are adequate. You should plan only to rest your head there. You will be out and about most of the time. The Holiday Inn Express near the campus entrance is way over priced but clean. The Travel Lodge across the street is quite reasonable and more than adequate. The Best Western in Arroyo near Pismo is good and has a surprisingly good breakfast. The best deal in the entire area is the Kon Tiki in Pismo. Clean, good breakfast, breathtaking views and the best value of all accommodations in the area. Book at least two months in advance, but call anyway because you could get lucky. Stay here only if you have a car. From the highway it looks like an old fashioned motel that would not raise an eyebrow. Up close the architecture beacons from another era, but the rooms are spotless with expensive top of the line beds. It is run by an efficient and friendly Mormon family that prides itself on good service. There are few “bad” places in the area. Just bad deals if you do not take care and book early. Sycamore Springs is great and you have the advantage of a hot tub with real sulfur mineral water right on your room’s deck. However, expect to pay over $200 a night. The best deals run from $60 a night in the cheapest no star motels to hundreds in the Dolphin. I’ve never stayed at Madonna – the pink buildings and over the top architecture scares the daylights out of me from the highway. However, many seem to love the experience and each room is unique. I was too intimidated to set foot on the property and expect to pay top dollar for the area. The Apple Tree near campus seems to get rave review too. Feels like a B&B.</p>
<p>Open House (especially Friday, Admitted Student Day) sealed the deal for us too with my oldest in 2007. He graduated from Materials Engineering in 2011. He loved his department (smaller, and family-like) all the way through, starting with that day! In fact, we were so impressed with CP, that all 3 of his younger siblings had it as their first choice college when they went through the college application process. The last one will be starting at CP this coming fall! Definitely go to Open House weekend if you can!</p>
<p>My favorite place to stay in SLO is the Quality Suites. We have been staying there since 2010. They have 2 room suites, which is nice when you are traveling with your kids. They have a complimentary wine & beer happy hour, fresh baked cookies and made to order breakfast. The location and staff are great. The rooms are a bit dated and it is a bit more than other places in SLO, but it is my favorite place to stay in town. And I agree about Open House. I have 2 kids at Cal Poly and they both got a lot out of Open House. Make sure you go to the Farmers Market on Thursday if you can.</p>
<p>For the parents here, I would like to point out (hoping it doesn’t violate CC terms) that there is an incredibly active and informative Cal Poly Parent Community Group on Facebook. If you haven’t checked it out, I would strongly recommend that you do so. Not a question asked, that hasn’t been answered.</p>
<p>And, as OsakaDad said, book early. And, unfortunately, expect hotel rates to increase 25-30% for that weekend as with all major college activity weekends at SLO.</p>
<p>I’m going to attend all 3 days as an admitted transfer student. Going to SLO will involve moving my family with me while I attend, so I want them to come with me to open house as well so we can all decide if it’s the right school for us. I’m already strongly leaning towards SLO, but living in San Diego currently makes attending SDSU the much easier option. SLO’s open house advertised a kids fair, so that sealed the deal for bringing the whole family to attend. </p>
<p>Also good to see the Travel Lodge get a positive review in this thread, since that’s where we booked our room!</p>
<p>EVILteddie – I hope when you say move your family that you mean your wife and kids not your parents and siblings! College should be your chance to get away from family! (joke!)</p>
<p>The Travel Lodge is run by a nice Indian family and they are responsive and friendly. The rooms are adequate and clean, but not new. There is a complimentary breakfast, but it is nothing special. We’ve stayed there three times as it is one of the least expensive alternatives and minutes from campus. There is a nice creek at the end of the parking lot in the very back that you can trail walk if you want. The creek runs all the way into SLO downtown. Wear sturdy walking shoes if you plan to walk it for more than a minute or so.</p>
<p>How does Open House compare to SOAR? Do they offer the same kind of orientation events? If I had to choose one, which one should I go to?</p>
<p>@osakadad, wife and 2 kids. Can’t imagine bringing your parents to college with you would be much fun!</p>
<p>Thanks @osakadad for the suggestions of where to stay :)</p>
<p>Another question for those that are more familiar with the area (though we did drive there last spring break from the NW for a tour of CA colleges), flying in… direct to SLO is too expensive right now, good prices for us to San Jose and Fresno, is one drive “easier” then the other (traffic, etc), drive seems to be 3 vs 2.5 hours.</p>
<p>The drive from San Jose is pretty consistently 3 hours, except if you get stuck on 101 near Salinas going south during Friday rush hour. Any time other than 4-7pm Friday has been fine for us. Will you be flying home Sunday evening or Monday morning?</p>
<p>Driving back to airport Sunday evening ~ Really good airfare going to San Jose from PDX right now</p>
<p>I’m really excited about going to the Open House! 
My family and I planned a trip to Socal and have it worked out where we will end up in SLO on the trip back. We only intended being there on Friday though primarily for the welcome day for admitted students. Do you guys know what we will be missing by not being there Saturday? I’ve had several visits down to SLO during my decision process and have had the chance to go to the Farmers Market and downtown SLO so Im not too worried about missing Thursday this time around.</p>
<p>You might want to allow 4 hours to get back to SJC on Sunday if you’re driving up between that window of 4-7pm. The worst part is usually right around Salinas.</p>