20 Great See & Do Ideas for Families
In the Monterey Peninsula, California

1. Pet starfish and bat rays in hands-on touch pools at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

2. Explore the times and places where John Steinbeck lived and wrote through interactive exhibits and multi-sensory stage-set activity centers at the National Steinbeck Center.

3. Drive the famed and fabulous 17-Mile Drive and picnic in the company of seals, otters, and other marine life at Seal Rock Picnic Area.

4. M.Y. Museum -Let curiosity and creativity flourish at this engaging children's interactive museum.

5. At Pt. Lobos State Reserve hike to the cove that inspired Robert Louis Stevenson's "Treasure Island" and visit the Whaling Museum.

6. Rollerblade, bike, or ride a red-striped surrey along the waterfront recreation trail in Monterey.

7. View our national symbol, the bald eagle, at Lake San Antonio in Southern Monterey County.

8. Climb a real, full size 1956 steam engine or rent a paddle boat at Dennis the Menace Playground, designed by Dennis the Menace creator Hank Ketcham.

9. Go on a whale-watching or site-seeing cruise off Fisherman's Wharf.

10. Take a walk on the wild side with lions, tigers, birds and reptiles at Wild Things exotic animal facility in Salinas.

11. Build sandcastles at Carmel's famed white sand beach.

12. Fly a kite among the sand dunes of Seaside and Marina at the Edgewater Family Fun Center.

13. Take a ride on Cannery Row’s "Fastest Carousel in the World."

14. See thousands of migrating Monarch butterflies at their temporary winter home in Pacific Grove between October and March.

15. Also in Pacific Grove visit the Museum of Natural History and pet Sandy the Whale, a life size bronze sculpture located outside the museum's front doors.

16. Discover adventure on an Elkhorn Slough Safari nature tour in one of California's largest coastal wetlands.

17. Explore Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse still in operation on the West Coast.

18. Get a taste of what life was like in the early days of old Monterey on Monterey’s "Path of History", a walking tour of over 40 restored buildings.

19. For high-speed action and historic auto events, check out the racing schedule for Laguna Seca Raceway.

20. Take to the trail on horseback in scenic Carmel Valley or Big Sur.

For more info see MontereyInfo.org.