Monterey, CA Road Trips

Monterey was once the capital of California. Today it is widely known for its beautiful coastline, and from the many John Steinbeck novels set there, including Cannery Row and Tortilla Flat. Rugged terrain and vicious Pacific currents made much of the California coast virtually unexplorable to European ships. After a disastrous attempt to explore this new territory by sea, Spanish missionaries in Mexico launched a series of overland expeditions from San Diego. Monterey was established in 1770 by Father Junipero Serra and soon became a Spanish military base with a small fort or "presidio" located near a calm harbor that could provide shelter to supply ships. The military presence eventually gave way to a thriving commercial trade that brought in many enterprising foreign merchants. Once Mexico gained its independence from Spain, Monterey became the capital of Alta California under Mexican rule. From this era come many classic stories of flirtation, fashion, and politics in the Mexican colonial era. Lands once owned by the government began to come into private hands, and local families began to consolidate their property and power into business enterprises based on the ranches or "ranchos," where they raised cattle or invented the famous Monterey Jack cheese. Monterey soon fell under American power in the Mexican-American War and remained the capital of the territory. A delegation of writers drafted the constitution which marked the entrance of the State of California into the United States of America.

1 Monterey Bay Aquarium, 886 Cannery Row, ☏ +1 831 648-4888. 9AM or 10AM to 5PM or 6PM, depending on time of year and day of week. This large aquarium specializes in exhibiting local sea life in typical local habitat displays and has many spectacular exhibits. It is particularly known for its Kelp Forest exhibit, three stories high, filled with several varieties of giant kelp and a wide variety of marine animal species, and also for its million-gallon Open Sea exhibit with large blue fin and yellowfin tunas, mahi-mahis, sharks (including an occasional Great White Shark as a very temporary visitor, before being released back to the ocean), ocean sunfish (mola-molas) and sea turtles. The best exhibits include a large tank of silver sardines that swim around and around above one's head, and one of rescued sea otters deemed unreturnable to the wild and therefore kept at the aquarium. (The aquarium has rescued and released back to the wild over 500 sea otters.) Quite expensive, but for a good cause (the aquarium is privately funded, and much of the money goes for conservation research), and most visitors will consider a visit well worth the charge. $65/adult, $50/youth and seniors, $45/child. (updated May 2024) 2 Monterey State Historic Park, 20 Custom House Plaza, ☏ +1 831 649-2907. Gardens open daily 9AM–5PM summer; 10AM–4PM winter; museums vary. This park is the historic downtown area known as Old Monterey, containing a number of historic buildings and gardens.

1 Dennis the Menace Park (10 minutes walk south from Fisherman's Wharf). W-M (closed Tu). A giant kids' park that includes a full sized train, numerous bridges, ducks and geese you can feed and paddle boat rentals. One of the better free municipal parks in Northern California. Monterey Bay Sailing. Monterey Bay Sailing offers sailing trips on Monterey Bay and the chance to see sea otters, sea lions, and harbor seals. This is a safe and eco-friendly activity for all ages. Play on the dunes and the shore at one of the city's five public beaches. Enjoy a romantic or family style Monterey bonfire on the beach. Monterey Bay Coastal Trail. 29-mile-long (47-km-long) walking/biking trail. Bikes available for rent at several places along the path (and at some other places, e.g. Monterey Transit Plaza). Multi-passenger surrey bikes are particularly popular and available for rent. 2 Monterey Bay Kayaks, 693 Del Monte Ave. Offers kayaking equipment rentals as well as guided kayaking tours, classes, and fishing trips. 3 Wharf Theater (Bruce Ariss Wharf Theater). Shows often include local interpretations of hit musicals. 4 Golden State Theatre. This refurbished theatre offers diverse, family-friendly shows centering around the themes of classic cinema and musical theater. It's worth a trip just to see the ornate interior of the theater. 5 Monterey County Fairgrounds, Fairgrounds Rd. The fairgrounds hosts the annual Monterey Jazz Festival and hosted the one-time Monterey Pop Festival in 1967.

The local specialties are artichokes and sanddabs. Artichokes can be found at nearly every restaurant - fried, grilled, broiled, boiled, in soup, on pizza and almost any other way you can imagine. The nearby town of Castroville is "the artichoke center of the world," and the local source for the wealth of artichokes. Sanddabs are a local seafood, often served fried. Clam Chowder in sourdough bread can be found at Fisherman´s Wharf. Abalone is available, too, but expensive. The area is notable for other seafood delicacies, including calamari and Dungeness crab. The Monterey Bay Aquarium runs a "Seafood Watch" program, and keeps a list of which sea life is overfished and which are safe, and environmentally friendly, to eat. Pick a copy of the list up at the Aquarium, or around town. Many local restaurants have signed on to the Seafood Watch program, including the aquarium's own on-site cafe. Monterey's status as a tourist destination have provided it with a wealth of restaurants beyond what might be expected in a community this size. Almost every cuisine, from oriental to occidental, may be found represented - and usually represented well - in the local area, including the neighbouring communities of Pacific Grove, Seaside, and Carmel-by-the-Sea and the Carmel Valley. 1 Ambrosia India Bistro, 565 Abrego St, ☏ +1 831 641-0610. Daily 11:30AM-2:30PM, 5-9:30PM. Authentic Indian cuisine from appetizer to dessert. Faults in the service are redeemed by the extraordinary flavors and presentation of the meal. $10-30. 2 Crystal Fish, 514 Lighthouse Ave, ☏ +1 831 649-3474.

Monterey has many superb vineyards located near the town. There are a number of tasting rooms located on Cannery Row, all within an easy walk. Some, such as 1 Scheid Vineyards and 2 Bargetto Winery provide wines from only one winery. 3 A Taste of Monterey allows visitors to try wines from throughout Monterey County, while taking in a spectacular panoramic view of Monterey Bay through their windows. Monterey-Salinas Transit's bus route Number 24, also called "The Grapevine Express", leaves from downtown Monterey and stops at all the wineries in nearby Carmel Valley. A daypass, which allows riders to hop on and off at will, is $10 as of May 2020. Maps and schedules, which detail the wineries that the route stops at, are available at Monterey County Visitors Centers. Alvarado Street has the densest collection of bars and pubs in the area. 4 Lallapalooza, 474 Alvarado St, ☏ +1 831 645-9036. 4PM–midnight. Has the widest selection of martinis. (updated Apr 2021) 5 Sovino Wine Bar and Merchant, 241 Alvarado St (Alvarado St brick walkway next to Portola Hotel), ☏ +1 831 641-9463, [email protected]. M Th Su 3–8PM; F Sa 3–9PM. Boutique wine shop and tasting room. Flight of 4 wines for $15; purchase bottles from $20 and up. (updated Apr 2021) 6 Indian Summer, 200 Olivier St (just across the Customs House Plaza, behind the Portola Plaza Hotel), ☏ +1 831 372-4744. M 7PM-midnight, Tu-Th 5PM-midnight, F Sa 5PM-1AM, Su 5PM-midnight. A hookah bar with an exotic atmosphere, Mexican food, and local brews. Non-tobacco smoking options available.

1 Days Inn - Fisherman's Wharf, 1288 Munras Ave, ☏ +1 831 375-2168. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Affordable hotel accommodations with comfortable, clean rooms. 2 Monterey Bay Lodge, 55 Camino Aguajito, ☏ +1 831 655-1900, fax: +1 831 655-2933. Grungy location next to Lake El Estero and walking distance of the beach and wharf. Featuring on-site restaurant, heated pool, and other amenities. $75–100/night. 3 Casa Munras Garden Hotel & Spa, 700 Munras Ave, ☏ +1 831 375-2411, [email protected]. Seven room types and some with a fireplace. There is Esteban Restaurant & Lounge and Sano Spa. 4 Monterey Plaza Hotel and Spa, 400 Cannery Row. Next to the bay on Cannery Row. 5 Hotel 1110, 1110 Del Monte Ave, ☏ +1 831 655-0515. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. A European-style inn. $79-159. 6 Ramada Limited Monterey, 2058 N Fremont St, ☏ +1 831 375-9511. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. Offers clean comfortable accommodations with free wireless internet, free parking, and an expanded continental breakfast with fresh waffles. 7 Super 8 Monterey, 2120 N Fremont St, ☏ +1 831 372-6066. This property has a very friendly staff. 8 Days Inn Downtown Monterey, 850 Abrego St, ☏ +1 831 649-6332. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. 9 Old Monterey Inn, 500 Martin St, ☏ +1 831 375-8284, toll-free: +1-800-350-2344, [email protected]. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: noon. A historic bed and breakfast featuring fabulous gardens. Breakfast included. Pet friendly rooms available. $199 - 499.

1 Monterey Regional Airport (MRY IATA Monterey Peninsula Airport). It has regular flights from Dallas/Ft. Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles,Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and Seattle/Tacoma on Alaska Airlines dba Horizon Air or SkyWest Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Eagle, and United Express. From the airport it is a short drive west along Highway 68 and onto southbound Highway 1, where the two right lanes lead straight downtown. Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) runs local bus 93 between the airport and downtown a couple times a day on weekdays only. (updated Feb 2022) Due to the high fares and limited schedules, you may want to consider flying into San Jose International Airport (SJC IATA) or San Francisco International Airport (SFO IATA), and travelling by bus or car to Monterey. The Monterey Airbus provides scheduled service from both airports. (the Pacific Coast Highway) runs through Monterey, providing access from the north Santa Cruz (50 minutes), and from the south along the world-famous Big Sur coast. to From the San Francisco Bay Area, take US 101 south through San Jose and Gilroy to State Highway 156, going west at Prunedale (inland of Monterey Bay, 9 mi (14 km) north of Salinas). Go west 5 mi (8.0 km) on State Highway 156 (a two-lane highway that often gets congested on touristy weekends) through Castroville, at which point State Highway 156 becomes a freeway and shortly thereafter merges with southbound Highway 1. Monterey is then 15 mi (24 km) south along Highway 1.

4 Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST), 201 Pearl St, ☏ +1 888 MST-BUS1 (678-2871). provides convenient public bus service within town, as well as to the nearby towns of Carmel, Pacific Grove, historical Salinas and breathtaking Big Sur. Fares vary from $1.50-3.50 depending on whether you take a Local, Primary or Regional bus. GoPasses are available from $10/day, $25/week, $95/month. There's a 50% discount for children, seniors, people with disabilities, medicare cardholders, and US veterans. (updated Feb 2022) MST Trolley. daily Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. MST also runs a free trolley between Monterey's downtown and the Aquarium on Cannery Row daily during the summer months. free. (updated Feb 2022) For car drivers, garage parking is available, and street parking is often free for periods of two hours on weekends and after 6PM. Many hotels offer parking for an additional charge. The Cannery Row area (where the Aquarium is located) has an aggressive, expensive parking ticket policy. A few minutes over at a meter and you will be welcomed to town with a $35 parking ticket.

Monterey is a safe, low-crime town and you should have no issues during your visit. However, if you plan on scuba diving or surfing while you're here, a wetsuit is a must as the ocean tends to be very cold year-round. Additionally, while shark attacks are rare, they have occurred before. During the winter storm season, and occasionally even during the summer (due to distant Pacific hurricanes or southern hemisphere winter storms), the surf can be dangerous; since rogue waves can occur anywhere anytime, do not ever turn your back to the ocean and keep track of the tides. Stay vigilant while enjoying the ocean!