Top 7 Things To Do In and Around Monterey

Top 7 Things To Do In and Around Monterey

If you’re looking to purchase San Jose real estate, some of the most valuable homes in the country with the average home prices at over $1,000,000 and often selling above the list price, you’re probably looking forward to the wealth of things to do throughout the region, including day trips to the Monterey area. Just a little over an hour from San Jose, the beautiful city of Monterey itself, neighboring towns and parks are filled with coastal charms and all sorts of opportunities for both indoor and outdoor adventures.

Top 7 Things To Do In and Around Monterey
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Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is home to more than 35,000 animals and plants and over 550 species of fish, reptiles, mammals, birds, and plants. Often ranked at or among the top aquariums in the U.S., the aquarium sits at ocean front in the city of Monterey and features more than 175,000 square feet of exhibits as well as ocean-view decks. 

It’s the first and only to exhibit and release great white sharks. The sea otters are always a big hit – you can watch them underwater and above the surface from two different levels. Visitors can also enjoy watching divers and trainers feed animals like penguins and the otters along with fish in the Kelp Forest and Open Sea exhibits.

Carmel

Carmel is the town famous for having a celebrity mayor, Clint Eastwood, but it offers a whole lot more than that with its streets lined with a wealth of art galleries, shops and upscale eateries with fairytale-like cottages tucked in between. 

Just minutes south of Monterey, you can also visit the Historic Carmel Mission, hike scenic bluff paths, spend the day at Carmel River State Beach or nearby Point Lobos State Natural Preserve with its gorgeous coves popular for swimming.

Pfeiffer Beach

This fantastic beach is about an hour south of Monterey in Big Sur. Not only is the drive to get there considered one of the most spectacular in the nation, but the beach itself has rare purple sand that results from the minerals in the cliffs that surround it. There are tide pools where you can find starfish, hermit crabs and other sea creatures too.

Cannery Row

This waterfront street in Monterey, and historically the site for a number of sardine canning factories, the last of which closed in 1973, has been transformed into shops and boutiques, high end and casual dining eateries, wine tasting venues and other attractions.

Fisherman’s Wharf

Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf is renowned for its tasty clam chowder samples and offers fun shopping opportunities for the whole family. Toy stores and candy shops are a hit with the kids, while parents will enjoy the gift, souvenir and jewelry shops. Many tour companies work here on the wharf, making it a popular jumping off point for whale watching, sailing, and fishing trips.

Whale Watching

Whale watching is available year-round in Monterey. There are two seasons: April to December for blue whales, humpback and orcas, along with dolphins; and December to April, which is the time to watch the migration of gray whales as well as orcas and dolphins. Tours are available daily from Fisherman’s Wharf or Cannery Row.

Santa Cruz

Less than an hour north of Monterey is Santa Cruz, made famous by several movies, including ‘80s hits like The Lost Boys and Sudden Impact. It’s best known for its Beach Boardwalk with the country’s oldest wooden roller coaster, the Giant Dipper, along with many other rides, carnival games and a massive arcade. The beach itself is a wide, sandy stretch popular for wading and swimming in some areas, with some of the best surfing around available nearby at the north end.

  

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