Hwy 1 at Big Sur
The Monterey Harbor
The Monterey Coastline
The Lone Cypress on 17-mile Drive
Rent a quad to explore the Monterey Coastline
Enjoy a quiet moment at Monterey Harbor
Cannery Row, Monterey
Pull into any turnout, and chances are you’ll see the largest mammal on earth, the Blue Whale. At the junction of Partington Ridge and Highway 1 a deep submarine canyon exists and the Humpback Whale is seen here on a regular basis. You’ll also find elephant seals on the shore in southern Big Sur near San Simeon, where they come ashore for their annual breeding in the winter months.
You’ll find everything from four-star restaurants to pubs along Highway 1, but whatever you do, don’t rush this breathtaking drive, which is California at its best.
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Point Sur Lighthouse
831-625-4419
This ghost town housed families while working on the lighthouse from 1889 to 1974. Now totally automated, this lighthouse still guides ships in the night. Take the Moonlight Tour and learn about the ghosts of lightkeepers past, or enjoy the scenery on a day tour. Dress warm!
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Also visit the California State Park's website for
Point Sur State Historic Park.
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Molera Horseback Tours
831-625-5486
Horseback riding on the beach is a great way to learn about Big Sur. Choose from a variety of rides including day rides and sunset rides. Minimum age 6.
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Nepenthe Restaurant
831-667-2345
Spectacular views (when it's not foggy) and even better foods have made this a favorite stop in Big Sur for over fifty years. Chances are if you are a native Californian, you have some of your own stories to add to the folklore and legends of Nepenthe.
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MONTEREY PENINSULA
Located within five hours of Santa Clarita Valley, this paradise offers fabulous family fun. The renovated streets of Cannery Row provide an entertainment and dining Mecca the entire family will enjoy. The kids will want to build a house at the MY Museum, Dad will want to rent a roadster at Monterey Rent-a-Roadster for the tour of 17-Mile Drive, and Mom will want to pop into Monterey Soap and Candle Works where she can pick up gifts to take home. When everyone is hungry, check out Bubba Gumps, where you can relive various scenes of the movie, “Forrest Gump.” Ready for some outdoor fun? Explore the tide pools, kayak in the Bay, rent a bicycle or a surrey and explore the coastline together.
Set time aside to stroll the quaint streets of Carmel-by-the-Sea. This village has been virtually untouched by the passage of time. Recognized as “one of the top 10 destinations in the U.S." by Conde Nast Traveler and MSN City Guide, the town is packed with unique shops, restaurants, bakeries, coffee houses and pubs. Relax on the sands of “one of the five best walking beaches in the U.S.,” as rated by National Geographic Traveler magazine. And when you head to Carmel, bring Fido; they'll roll out the red carpet for him.
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Monterey Bay Aquarium
800-840-4880 or 831-648-4880
Children ages 8-13 SCUBA dive with instructors in the Great Tide Pool under the decks of the aquarium when they sign up for the Underwater Explorers Program. No experience necessary. Call ahead to avoid disappointments. While at the aquarium, check out the special exhibit, “Jellies: Living Art.” You’ll find rare flower hat jellies as well as nine other domestic and exotic species. You’ll love walking through the moon jelly swarm tunnel!
Tropical fish from “Finding Nemo” come alive in Splash Zone. Kids can climb through a coral tunnel or inside a giant clam, create their own waves or touch sea creatures.
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Monterey Community Labyrinth
Patterned after the labyrinth on the floor of Chartres Cathedral in France about 1220 A.D., it is always available and free to the public. Located on the grounds of Community Church of the Monterey Peninsula. Each labyrinth walk takes about thirty minutes.
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Pt. Pinos Lighthouse
831-648-3116
The oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the west coast. Interior tours are offered. Located in Pacific Grove.
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MY Museum
A real hands-on place where kids can play in a mini medical office with real crutches and neck braces, operate their own pizza place, put on a performance in the theatre, weave on the giant loom, put together a super-size puzzle or play with the jumbo kaleidoscope.
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Monterey Bay Chocolate Factory Tour
800-648-9938
Your tour takes you through the kitchens as you watch the candy making process. It winds up at the Chocolate Buffet, where you may purchase your selections and pack them to take with you or arrange for shipping.
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Culinary Center of Monterey
831-333-2133
Mom and Dad can sign up for cooking class with the kids (ages 6-12). Depending on the class you choose, you can work together as a family to create a buffet for the class or the kids can attend their class on kitchen basics while mom and dad learn everything from quick and elegant appetizers to “magazine cover” pasta dishes.
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Dennis The Menace Playground
Near Lake El Estero, Monterey
Created by cartoonist Hank Ketcham in 1956, this playground offers a life-size hedge maze, a real steam train engine, a swinging rope bridge and fanciful play equipment like the drinking fountain inside a lion’s head.
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Carmel Mission
831-624-3600
Built in 1770, the Mission still operates today. Bring a book and enjoy relaxing on the tranquil grounds. Rio Road, Carmel-by-the-Sea.
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Carmel Walks
831-642-2700
This famous walking tour has been featured in USA Today and on HGTV. You’ll stroll through secret pathways, courtyards, gardens and fairytale cottages.
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Outdoor Forest Theatre
831-622-0100
Peformances are set in a truly enchanted location. Trees surround the stage and audience, the sound of the mighty Pacific crashing against the shore, and two large fire pits surround the stage.
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The Holman Ranch
831-659-6054
Hit the trails of Carmel Valley for one or two hour rides or let the kids ride the ponies. Advanced reservations required. Week-long day camps are also available for children throughout the summer.
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Monterey Movie Tours
831-372-6278
An imaginative way to tour the Monterey Peninsula, you'll view clips from your favorite movies while parked in front of the very location it was filmed. Breathtaking scenery, humorous narration and a truly luxury motorcoach make this three-hour tour one you won't ever forget.
Wineries
Wineries and tasting rooms dot the peninsula and Carmel Valley. The 45,000 acres of premium varietal wine grapes create world-class wines.
Golf
This word is almost synonymous with “Monterey.” Here you’ll find seventeen golf courses including the famous Pebble Beach course. You’ll find details at both Carmel and Monterey web sites.
JUST OFF THE MONTEREY PENINSULA
Wild Things
831-455-9514, Salinas
Kids 7 and up can spend the day in Safari Camp where they will have full contact activities with the animals, play games and create crafts. Or, just tour this facility as a family, where you can get up close and personal with the animals trained for the movies. Spend the night and watch the sun set over the elephant pen. Continental breakfast is delivered to your room, often with the assistance of an animal friend.
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Bonfante Gardens Family Theme Park
408-840-7100
Mom and Dad will come to view the incredible gardens, but the kids will love the rides. The Circus Trees, the centerpiece for the park, began as the passion of Axel Erlandson in the 1920s. Through intricate grafting techniques, Mr. Erlandson created 74 trees; 19 of the rescued trees are still located to the park. These unusual trees appeared frequently on Ripley’s Believe It or Not in the 1940s and 50s.
Guests may choose to explore various areas of the park in a 1920s roadster or a 1950s Chevy Corvette, an authentic narrow-gauge railroad, paddle boats, or from an aerial view on the monorail. In addition to the gentle ride on the ornate Illions 1927 carousel, you can twirl around inside a giant garlic bulb, fly over the park on a swing, speed through dips and turns on the exciting mine train coaster, or float through a spectacular annual garden.
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The Farm
831-455-2575
Pick some produce, take a tour, check out the demonstration farm, learn about the farming process through the Giant Sculptures of farm workers and take home some produce from the produce stand.
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Casa de Fruta
408-842-7282
Ride the miniature locomotive; visit the animals in the petting zoo; taste the sweets, fruits, and specialty coffees; stroll through the grounds filled with waterwheels, antique farm machinery and fruit trees. (You'll want to fill up on gas in Coalinga, because Casa de Fruta is the only gas stop along Highway 156 once you head north on Interstate 5.)
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Mission San Juan Bautista
Search: Mission San Juan Bautista SHP
831-623-4526
Tour the 1800s village structures including The Plaza Hotel and stable, granary, blacksmith shop, jail, and several houses.
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National Steinbeck Center
831-796-3833
Young visitors may climb aboard a ‘pony,’ crank up a Model T, use hand lenses to study preserved specimens of Monterey Bay marine life, peer into a giant oyster, and take an imaginary trip aboard a large-scale replica of the Baby Flyer. This is no children’s museum, per se, but a recreation of the world of John Steinbeck. Exhibits are activity centers that combine stage sets, sounds, and films to bring Steinbeck’s books to life. Visitors explore Oldtown Salinas and Monterey in East of Eden; experience life on the ranch Of Mice and Men as they brush the mane and tale of The Red Pony; visit the tent city and migrant laborers’ cabins and sit on old bus seats as they watch clips from The Grapes of Wrath; walk through a 1920s setting of Cannery Row while encountering the sounds of seagulls crying as waves break on imaginary piles; and listen in on a short wave conversation between The Western Flyer and a fishing boat from The Log from the Sea of Cortez.
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