Monterey
Museums & Historical Sites
Monterey, CA
THINGS TO DO
Museums & Historical Sites in Monterey
Our guide to Monterey Museums and Historical Sites will help you explore Monterey' history.
Click here to search Half Moon Bay (90 miles north) or Santa Cruz (40 miles north)
Featured Monterey Hotels & Resorts
West Cliff Inn ─ Click for b&b review or to book online
174 West Cliff Drive
Situated on a bluff across from the beach West Cliff Inn was originally built In 1877 as a private home. This stately three-story Italianate Victorian with its spacious wraparound porch was completely renovated and features a breezy coastal decor with fabrics in crisp blues and whites
California Views Historical Photo Archives
469 Pacific St., Monterey, (831) 373-3811
351 Pacific St., Monterey (831) 646-5640
5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey (831) 373-2469
425 Washington St., , Monterey (831) 649-6444
This 8,500 square foot museum is packed with a variety of hands on exhibits, making each visit unique and exciting.
559 Pacific St., Monterey (831) 372-7591
The Museum’s important collection of early California paintings and works on paper celebrates the Monterey Peninsula’s legacy as an influential art colony.
Memory Garden Custom House Plaza, Monterey (831) 649-7118
Monterey State Historic Park is a collection of significant historic houses and buildings interspersed throughout Old Monterey. The inside of the Stevenson House, Larkin House, Cooper-Molera Adobe, and Casa Soberanes can ONLY be viewed with a State Park Guide. These four guided house tours, the Guided Walking Tour of Old Monterey, the Pacific House Museum and Custom House are all FREE. Guided Walking Tours begin at the Pacific House Museum in Custom House Plaza – a great way to start your discovery of Monterey.
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History – Pacific Grove
165 Forest Ave., Pacific Grove, CA (831) 648-5716
The Pacific Grove Museum is your living personal field guide to the California Central Coast. Explore the birds and wildlife, plants, geology and cultural richness that make this region unique in the world.
Corporal Ewing Road, Bldg. 113, Monterey, CA 93944 (831) 646.3456
The Presidio of Monterey Museum exhibits lead visitors through Monterey's various stages of military development – from the indigenous period which highlights the area's native populations; through the Spanish and Mexican periods; and up to present day.
The Maritime Museum in Monterey
5 Custom House Plaza, Monterey (near Fisherman's Wharf). Call (831) 373-2469
One Main Street Salinas, CA 93901 (831)775-4721
TThe Center is located in John Steinbeck's hometown of Salinas, a scenic 17-mile drive from Monterey, California in the heart of Steinbeck Country. The Museum offers three distinct visitor experiences in literature and history, agriculture and art, as well special events and educational programs.
The Stowitts Museum and Library
591 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove (831) 655-4488
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Monterey Area Historical Sites
Carmel Mission – Carmel
San Carlos Borroméo de Carmelo Mission: The Site of Carmel Mission Basilica and National Shrine of Blessed Junipero Serra
San Carlos Cathedral – San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey
500 Church St Monterey, CA (831) 624-3600
San Carlos Borromeo de Monterey was founded by Father Junipero Serra on June 3, 1770, on the shores of Monterey Bay, as the cornerstone of his Mission. A year later, Fr. Serra moved the Mission to Carmel.
Monterey State Historic Park (Historic Adobes) – Monterey
Memory Garden Custom House Plaza, Monterey (831) 649-7118
Please note that due to State budget cutbacks, many of the free tours are limited or canceled. Please check with the State Parks for the latest information.
Monterey State Historic Park is a collection of significant historic houses and buildings interspersed throughout Old Monterey. The inside of the Stevenson House, Larkin House, Cooper-Molera Adobe, and Casa Soberanes can ONLY be viewed with a State Park Guide. These four guided house tours, the Guided Walking Tour of Old Monterey, the Pacific House Museum and Custom House are all FREE. Guided Walking Tours begin at the Pacific House Museum in Custom House Plaza – a great way to start your discovery of Monterey.
Be sure to pick up a map for the walking tour at the Custom House near the Fisherman's Wharf.
The park has an active US Coast Guard lightstation that sits 361 feet above the surf on a large volcanic rock. The facilities were established for the safety of seagoing vessels moving up and down the Big Sur coast.
Point Piños Lighthouse – between Pacific Grove and Carmel
Asilomar Avenue, just north of the intersection with Lighthouse Ave. (831) 648-3176
Point Pinos is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast. Since February 1, 1855, its beacon has flashed nightly as a guide and warning to shipping off the rocky California coast.
Big Sur Area (831) 625-4419
Historic buildings and spectacular views are found at Point Sur.
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