History Seeker…read more Monterey State Historic Park is quite possibly the most under-the-radar CA State Park in existence; located directly adjacent to Monterey's Old Fisherman's Wharf, it's literally been under our noses this entire time. Admittedly, it's not the sexiest State Park in existence, as it's mostly compromised of historic buildings and museums, and that's not to mention it's not what most would imagine when you say the words "State Park." But that's what makes this place even more interesting, in my opinion. The Good: *It's free! My favorite price. :D *The Pacific House and Custom House are full of fantastic relics and information about this area, and you'll soon quickly realize why this place is a State park. *Free tours are given (Thu-Sun 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.) *Lots of historical "secret" gardens to explore, including the Memory Garden, Custom House Davis Garden and many more! Check out this link for more info: https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=952 *Located adjacent to the Old Fisherman's Wharf, so no need to pack a lunch. :) *One can also access the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail from here, as well. The Meh: *Semi Dog-friendly (allowed outside but not in the buildings) The Ugly: *Parking can be a bit of a hassle, as the adjacent paid City of Monterey Lot fills up quickly on weekends, and the street parking is limited to two hours (read the signs carefully). TLDR: Great place to visit, especially if you're already in the area. It's definitely a must-see for all fans of history, and especially CA history.

Nice little bit of history here. Very nice volunteers and knowledgeable. There's a store where…read moreyou'll find gifts, books and trinkets.

The Soledad Mission is a beautiful place to stop and explore CA history. I especially enjoyed the…read moregardens and old trees. The ruins in the back were fascinating. My only suggestion is that they clean the fountain and add water plants so that the koi fish can survive. The Santa Barbara Mission did that with their koi fountain and it looks beautiful & healthy.

I really enjoyed my visit Mission Soledad. Although this mission is much smaller than many of the…read moreother missions in California, there is still plenty of beauty to see along your visit. I also wanted to mention that the two women that worked the gift shop works extremely welcoming and treated my wife and I and our son like family. The view surrounding the mission was also breathtaking hills and mountains of luscious California farmland. It definitely made me proud of being born and raised right here in the central Valley of California.

This is a privately owned home so there is no tour. It sold to a new owner I believe in 2023. You…read morecan see the exterior from the road. It is worth a visit if you are a Frank Lloyd Wright fan. You can park nearby for free and walk over and see the exterior of the home overlooking the water. It is a pretty area. Hard to rate when you are unable to see the interior. So it is worth seeing but the experience isn't ideal since there is no interior access nor tour. Glad I saw though.

You can see the house from the street through the gate, but also from the beautiful white sand…read morebeach. It's a lovely neighborhood and no problem parking and the beach is BIG. Prepare to walk a lot if you want to see more of the house. It's on a promontory rock, and you have to walk out to the water to really see it. I walked all through the neighborhood--there's a historic home from a famous poet among other things. A nice trip even if you cannot get a tour because it's a private home. I also recommend the drive down the coastal highway. Makes a great stop on a scenic drive. I drove all the way down to the Esalen Institute where the road was barricaded about a mile further down and it was worth driving down there for the smell alone, let alone the absolutely stunning scenery and views. Just a tip!

I love taking the 17-mile drive in Monterey, California…read more Unfortunately for us, the thick fog started rolling in just as we began our drive, so by the time we reached the Lone Cypress, it was hard to see. Despite the low visibility, many other drivers, including tour buses, stopped to snap pictures and record videos as best they could.

What an amazing sight. A cypress tree growing on a rock in an almost inhospitable environment…read more Can walk down stairs for great photos.

Nice little area to walk with loads of wildlife to watch. Starfish all over, seals, otters. If you…read morelike to fish, this is a spot for fishing. Nice spot to stretch your legs and take in the ocean air.

Great spot to watch sea lions sunbathe!…read more Parking: Paid via app We found this spot randomly while exploring Monterey. We came on a weekday and it was fairly empty. We saw several people fishing off the pier. We walked along the pier and saw one sea lion and got super excited until we walked further and saw a TON of sea lions napping on the rocks. They were so cute and it was very cool to see them up close. I would definitely bookmark the spot for future visits!

We had a hard time finding this spot as the Yelp pin was in front of a house across the street…read more I almost gave up after looking near the beach side, but just as I turned around I saw it! It's very small, and very insignificant! I wasn't sure exactly what I was expecting, but it wasn't this. *sad face* The memorial is definitely weathered and had tons of rocks, shells and other misc items around it. While I still was glad I stopped to find it, and I got to see it, it made me a bit sad that it's really not much of anything. But again I don't know what I was expecting?

Admittedly, I was disappointed with this memorial. The fact that John Denver is such an icon in…read morethe mythos of Americana, is incongruous with the little rock memorial that is here. I knew I'd be coming to a rock, but the memorial was so small, dificult to locate based on my map location, and it seems like no one pays much attention to the site. I'm still glad that I came, because the walk in the surrounding park area was amazing and more than made up for the disappointment of the memorial. The coast is simply beautiful, and evokes such emotions that are truly hard to articulate. I walked along the trail here for a while up to the Beach Point Vista Point as labled on google maps. From here I was able to see whales breaching so close off the shore. I never imagined I would see this here, and I was rapt by the feeding show that was happening just before sunset. So even though the memorial itself isn't as grand as I had hoped, the immediate area is a beautiful place to stroll and enjoy the nature John Denver so fervently advocated for!

These enchanting homes, often called the Comstock cottages, are a hallmark of Carmel's unique…read morecharacter. They were designed and built primarily in the 1920s by Hugh Comstock--initially to showcase his wife Mayotta Brown's popular "Otsy‑Totsy" rag dolls. One of the most famous ones is Hansel and Gretel, created in 1924, and located Torres Street, between 5th and 6th Avenues. Enthralled by the first cottages, Carmel residents began commissioning Comstock to build similar homes. Over time, this blossomed into a small architectural movement--by the late 1920s and into the 1930s, around 21 Comstock cottages had been built across the town. Absolutely stunning!!! Suggested route -- and the route we took is: 1.) Go to the Carmel Visitor Center on Ocean Avenue between Junipero Street & Mission Street. Park your car nearby and do a self-guided walking tour. 2.) Pick up a map at the Visitor Center, take a "fairy-tale cottages" handout or take a picture of the handout. 3.) The walking tour is about 1-1.2 miles only. Very enjoyable walk. Small elevation. Wear comfortable shoes. Enjoy!!!

While in Carmel by the Sea we did a nice stroll into the neighborhood looking for the Hansel and…read moreGretel Cottages. I am giving 4 stars for the peaceful and scenic walk away from the hustle and bustle of the main street tourist area. I would give the walking tour 3 stars as the houses are not clearly marked and difficult to determine what we were looking at. That being said the cottages we stopped to look at were beautiful and very well maintained. Its worth the effort and time to go on this adventure. There are a few dramatically modern homes built in the neighborhood as well which seem out of place considering we were looking for fairy tale cottages. The walk is a bit hilly so plan accordingly. Nice and peaceful, be considerate as people do live in these adjacent homes.

Stop #6 along the historic 17-Mile Drive, China Rock was once home to a small community of Chinese…read morefishermen and their families. Living in lean-tos built against the rocks, the Chinese community here endured much hardships from both their harsh environment, as well as rampant discrimination. Many were pushed into a life of fishing after being driven from the goldfields by discriminatory taxes. These small communities along the coast of California were a significant contributor to the fishing industry during the late 1800's and early 1900's. And smoke stains from their fires can still be seen caked into the rocks here today. There is a small, turn in road that you can pull into and park to the side of once you see the China Rock marker. After which, you can come out of your car, stretch your legs, enjoy the fresh, salty sea air, and take lots of beautiful shots of this small stretch of this magnificent coastline. If you're lucky and come during the right time of the year, you might even spot a herd of seals resting on the large rock just off the beach.