They have moved their office closer towards Downtown. Jennifer was amazing and set me up for…read moreinteresting places to explore in the surrounding area. I definitely recommend stopping by to get the vast amount of brochures available.

If you never visited Monterey, I would advise a day trip anytime.....follow the signs for the…read moreVisitor Center cause by the time you get there, a bathroom break is needed....... Patti and Richard helped us with the Trolley route, a free Trolly that rides throughout the Monterey Pier, on and off anytime til 8pm......didn't know this prior to coming...... We got our map and decided to park on Cannery Row, where all the little shops and restaurants are......parking meters til 8pm.......so get your quarters ready......1.50 per hour.....now that is cheap..... So when you are there at the Visitor Center, you will see a packet of surverys and a pencil, just fill it out, I did, and to my surprise she brought out a weaved basket with tons of items, such as golf ball lip balms, postcards and lint cloth for glasses.......she offered each of us to choose one.......thanks again for all your help..... Our friends from NY had a wonderful time and so did us San Franciscans.....

Visiting a new town that is known for its different side streets and courtyards?…read more Carmel Visitor Information office is your first stop. Extremely friendly staff who quickly was able to assist us with all the useful information and maps

I just had to write about this little office in the Town Center Mall because they helped out with…read moremy travels when I needed it. They were there for me. They are the nicest people for this job; all smiles and welcoming. I needed schedules and had lots of questions that they patiently ANSWERED and helped with a few other details, called for a cab for me to make it to the airport because I lost my phone. There is a nice little selection of souvenirs and those fancy glossy magazines. They couldn't have done anymore for me. By the way, the cab came just as fast as an Uber and the cost was the same. If you need help with your travels in and around Carmel, this is the place that is there for you.

Good stop on 17 mile drive. Snacks, refreshments, golf apparel. As well as Pebble Beach…read moresouvenirs. Some are expensive. Clean restrooms. Center has golf history for fans. Tables outside to relax and have a bite. Three charging stations. Across the street is a larger shopping area.

Not at all what we were expecting as our #14 STOP. when we…read moresaw visitor center my kids and i were so excited to learn about nature, animals , etc. We have done many activities at other visitor centers (Junior Ranger Badges are something we collect) We got here while doing our 17 mile drive and its a GOLF center. Golf everything. If you are a gold fanatic its for you. For us Nature people this was a waste of visitor center. everything in here was so expensive too.

I don't like to give bad review because it's a waste of my time and energy but this place is an…read moreexception. I have never encounter The RUDEST and INCONSIDERATE information center. I have two toddlers and one of them is currently potty training and the guy didn't even allow us to use the restroom and told us he needs to call the plumper. There were no greeting or eye contact. Felt like I was talking to a wall. This place needs to close down because the guy is useless, unfriendly and completely lazy. He's by far worse than a robot. Avoid this place if possible. Best to do your research online and if you need to use a restroom for your kids just go any place beside here. This will save you from having a bad day.

Such a beautiful spot to lay a picnic out and walk around catching beautiful scenery of the sun set…read moreand wildlife. We saw many chipmunks, seagulls, and otters! I will say if you bring food, beware of the very brave and bold seagulls and chipmunks who are not scared of humans! We lives how accessible it was as we were able to stroll around with our stroller very easily.

This park is great for a first stop before heading out for an adventure or watching the sunset…read morewhile dining on some pizza from Gianni's. Lover's point offers plenty of opportunities for the kids to get worn out, like a public beachside swimming pool, beach volleyball, an actual beach area just inside the cove, and a grassy area for picnicking. even though this beach/park was packed, the vibe was still super chill and didn't feel overcrowded. This beach also offers some great opportunities for people to enjoy tide pools, watch wildlife, and take-in gorgeous views. There is a public bathroom here, but if you can avoid. Not the most clean.

Dennis the Menace Playground, Monterey…read more August 2026 I've been here a few times with my family. This is an awesome park and it's pretty big! This park is great for all ages even for adults too! I highly recommend going on the weekends, although there are a lot of people, I think they close during the weekday since there's a preschool nearby. Right next to this playground entrance, there's a baseball field and there's a small snack bar, it's called El Estero Snack Bar, they sell hamburgers, fries and drinks. We ordered the nacho cheese fries with jalapeno peppers on the side. It came out piping hot! Although it seems so basic, it was really good on a cold day! Highly recommend this playground and would come back if I'm in the area. This place is awesome!

PLEASE place updated schedule on website/Yelp!!!!!…read more Went on a Tuesday and it was closed. Other than the aquarium this was the main reason we chose to come to Monterey and stayed an extra night just to have the day to visit the park. Lucky (I guess) I saw a worker and asked why it was closed. He said if kids are in school, then Tuesdays is when they close for maintenance.

Absolutely beautiful park! If you love hiking and walking, I recommend spending a full day here…read morebecause you can explore the entire park on foot If you're short on time, drive to the end and walk to the last viewpoint -- the view is absolutely stunning

One of our favorite places in the world and a place I'm certainly glad is in our proverbial…read more"backyard." Ok, so it's like 3-4 hours away, but wow, really pretty here. The natural landscape is just phenomenal. God's fingerprints all over this place. Pros: - not a bad drive down here from the touristy parts of Monterey and Seaside where we usually reside for the weekend - a bit windy, but a truly lovely and incredibly scenic twisty, turn-y road that keeps me on my toes - once you're here it's just breathtaking. - trail walk/stroll is pretty easy, nothing real rigorous as long as you're still in decent health. - more challenging "hikes" available for those who are looking for more, I've not stepped up to that (huffing and puffing doesn't sound fun), so I'm not sure where those trails are, but easy to find online. - so much fauna and flora to look at. - the coast here is just so rugged and ridiculously jawpdropping. - kids love this place too. There's a ranger station/little nature stop/house of sorts, not quite a "museum", but it's got the history, the nature, the strange facts you'd not otherwise know about unless you stopped by. - very kind and dedicated volunteers that will tell you all you want to know about Point Lobos - the nature, the creatures of sky, sea, and land, the past, present and future, whatever you want. - Plus they often have binoculars they will let you use to look out at the coast for seals and sealions and otters and more galore, oh my! Cons: - parking is the suck here. It's not too expensive to get in, but most people seem to park along the main road/highway that leads to Point Lobos which is kind of dangerous and a good trek to get to the State Reserve, so you've got your exercise before you even start exploring. That could be a plus? All in all, a magnificent and marvelous natural state reserve, well preserved, more than maintained, must see to appreciate.

Neat little walking spot, we knew butterflies wouldn't be around but spotted a blue jay and walked…read morethe path. Interesting how many non natives are planted, but then again so are eucalyptus, so maybe that's not the focus. Limited street parking on the grove acre road side, please be respectful of the surrounding apartments.

Not to much to hype up. Recent visit was Early October - way too early in season. Best time is…read moreduring Thanksgiving weekend - super crowded with butterflies and people. LOL.... Nice trail and a cool place to check out when visiting the Monterey Pacific Grove area....also cool rocks and tide pools nearby...Will be back later on this season.....

Took my two dogs here today. It's nice and shady great parking and ok facility. Lots of tall grass…read morewith foxtails. Bark covering dirt. Secure fence on both the small and big dog fenced areas, trees, benches for humans. Too bad people don't pick up their dogs' poop. Watch where you step. Trash cans on site,

This park could be so great. The views of the lake are really lovely. But the park itself needs a…read morelot of improvements. 1) There's no fresh water provided. This is pretty standard at every other dog park. Why would you not have a faucet and some bowls available? 2) The park doesn't seem to be maintained at all or at least not frequently. The trash can was completely overflowing, and there was a ton of old dog poop all over the park. Weeds were growing up in several spots through the wood chips. 3) The wood chips. Wow. There's a lot of them. For the big dogs, I'm guessing it wouldn't be too hard to navigate, but smaller dogs would have difficulties wading through such a thick layer of substrate. My sheltie did not look particularly comfortable as she tried to walk through it. 4) Other reviews have commented on this as well, and I have to agree. There is definitely a creepy element to the people who are hanging out in their cars next to the park. One guy was parked right next to the entrance to the small dog section, and he stared at us the entire time we were there. It wasn't pleasant. I really wanted to like this park, the location is so great and the view of the lake is really nice. But the park feels so neglected and forgotten. It wasn't enjoyable for me or my pup.

Haven't been here in over a year since moving away. It was fantastic to see the regrow th from all…read morethe rain in CA this past year. And the pond at the top of the trail looks like it did from years ago when I first hiked here. They had done some major work around the pond and sort of landscaping. The view at the top is a still gorgeous! Views of Carmel Valley sand the white sand beach. A new building with restrooms is at the front too. Nice change from all the port a potties. Enjoy nature and get out there. Cheers and happy yelping.

So beautiful, full of a variety of wildlife and sweeping views of the ocean and surrounding…read morelandscape. Highly recommend.