Great place for interesting and unique photo opportunities. Very colorful and fun. It exists for…read moresuch a touching and loving reason; gives one a sense of love and caring between a couple. I'm so glad the people who have this property now have kept it up.

This was such a wonderful place to finally visit, especially after all the trips we've taken to the…read morearea. First off, this eclectic house was created out of the love a husband had for his wife while she was losing her eyesight. It's a really beautiful story, and I'll include the link if you want to read more: https://www.pacificgrovebutterflyhouse.com/ Because of J's love for his wife, Sonja, this brightly colorful home covered in mirrors and butterflies still stands today. It exists for such a touching reason and really gives you a sense of the love and care they had for each other. I'm so glad the current owners have continued to maintain it. During their life together, Sonja and J supported the Blind & Visually Impaired Center of Monterey County with donations from people who came to admire the Butterfly House. You can donate as well if you feel moved to do so (blindandlowvision.org). Just keep in mind that this is a private residence. We actually saw the homeowner heading inside and waited until they were in before taking a look. I'm sure they're kind and happy to share the story, but it's also important to respect that this is someone's home and daily life. Sadly, J passed away in 2020 and Sonja in 2022.

A cute experience to walk through! Lots of fun lights and displays. The community does a great job…read moreof lights and displays

Went there this year with out of town guests. I haven't been in a few years myself. I remember it…read morebeing so busy that they had to make the streets one way. This year it was easy to get into and easy to find parking. The park was definitely the most popular part of the experience. I appreciate those that still participate and put up lights at their homes. I'm not sure if it's my imagination but I could have sworn that in the past there were more participants. I remember carolers and every house light up. But anyway, it was still nice, and was fun for the kids to see, especially for the three year old when she saw the Frozen house.

Something truly amazing about this rock. I went there to check it out, and sure enough, i got…read morekissed! Don't know what it was but it was happening to other people too. Maybe something in the air there. Rock is on the path near lovers point. Easily reachable by bike from hotels from cannery row to Asilomar. Walkable from the aquarium as well. The rocks below are great for kids to scramble. Lots of tide pools. You can find hermit crabs, anemones, and more. That day we saw a pod of dolphins loitering nearby, but my phone camera couldn't get a good enough snap. Picnic area across the street. Lots of benches trash cans and parking. Poop bags for the pups, so dog owners have no excuse. Keep Monterey beautiful!

Retaining the moniker of "Kissing Rock" since Victorian times, these two massive slabs of granite…read morealong Ocean View Boulevard look very much like a couple kissing and was at one point dubbed by Life magazine as the most romantic spot in America. The view here is quite gorgeous and it's very peaceful with the waves crashing in the background. Plus there's a bench here as well if you want to sit for a spell. Public parking is available along designated areas of Ocean View Blvd.

What to do with that extra hour when we "fall back", especially when it is a beautiful warm…read moreNovember day? Go out to brunch down at Pacific Grove and enjoy it at a leisurely pace when there are more locals than tourists. The weather was beautiful to enjoy a flavorful corn beef hash with poached eggs and Eggs Florentine Benedict outside under the Victorian facade of the house. The food and service were excellent and so enjoyable, returned just a few months later for the crab cake benedict from their special's menu and a meatball sandwich from their lunch menu under beautiful blue skies once again. Only note is I didn't see a price for the crab cake benedict so was surprised that it was over $30 when the receipt came. But I would definitely return, just maybe not for the crab cake benedicts unless I want a splurge. This spot is definitely worthy of my 1400 review and to take my childhood friend from back East for her favorite meal, brunch, the third time dining indoors. They must be doing something right if I am here 3 times in less than 6 months.

OUTSTANDING SERVICE & FOOD. I had the Salmon special & my husband had Seafood Spaghetti…read more My salmon was cooked to perfection, the capers on top of the salmon were amazing. The vegetables were cooked perfectly with a nice crunch & grilled. My husband had Seafood Spaghetti, a nice huge portion with a lot of delicious seafood in every bite. We haven't been to Pacific Grove in years, we were very delighted with our food, service & the music in the restaurant was great.

What a beautiful city to visit. Filled with cute shops and places to eat. Lots of beautiful views…read moreof the ocean. Lighthouse ave has a lot of lovely restaurants and stores to check out. They have parking all down the street. We checked out the Vintage finds antique shop. They had these tiny hand painted scenes of the local area painted by a local artist. I thought they were beautiful. There is a farmers market taking place today down Forest Ave that we are going to check out. There is a lot to do any many things are close by, like Cannery Row and fisherman's warf.

We are spending a few days with our friend Mechelle in Pacific Grove. this is a cute town that has…read morea classic Main Street, USA, and has been nicknamed by some........"America's Last Hometown." With a historic downtown, beautifully curving coastline, and even a romantic spot affectionately named Lovers Point, Pacific Grove is the place to be in any season. We enjoyed the many small mom and pop businesses, boutiques, antique shops, bakeries, gourmet stores, gyms, banks and more. There's free street parking everywhere and you are almost always within blocks from the ocean...or....you can easily see if from many of the houses and street corners.... Many parks like Lover's Point and Perkins Park allow anyone to get close to the water and sit on benches overlooking the waves any time of the day... Just a breathtaking town...

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!

This wasn't on our todo list for Monterey, but we just happened across the market as we were…read morestaying in the area. It was a lovely little artsy market with a wide variety of items for sale. Some of the variety included: CBD based products (including for pets), dog leashes made from recycled climbing ropes, painting, photographic prints from the Monterey bay area, clothing, handbags, jewelry, beef jerky, custom hats from seemingly most cities in the Monterey Bay/SF Bay & Tahoe regions, soap and other various fun bits and bobs. There was also a food truck if you were hungry and kettle corn. Sign said it opens at 10, certainly were people setting up before hand but I wouldn't target to be here right at 10. Even after there was still some setup going on. We found some lovely jewelry at a good price, along with some tasty treats to take home from out trip.

Visiting the area and had to see Monterey outdoor Market to check out all the vendors and support…read moresmall business artist. Love that it's so closed to the Monterey Warf as well, there were plenty if activities besides shopping & eating.

This is one of the best street fairs I've attended. It wasn't the biggest, but it did have a lot of…read morelocal vendors and organizations. As a dog owner, it was great to see 5 different dog rescue or dog advocates booths. Also plenty of music stages. It seemed every other block had a stage. The food area had a nice variety of food. Maybe next year the organizers will try to bring in some vegetarian options.(Yes there some people who had 1 vegan option). Not a complaint,but as with all street fairs. Get there early to find parking. You may have to walk a few blocks. Final thought, it was nice to see a large police presence

Nice free family themed festival. It can get really crowded and wouldn't recommend strollers…read more Lots of artists from all over, some really nice pieces available for purchase. Huge amount of vendors with all sorts of things for sale. Live Music and other entertainment through out the event on different stages. Childrens carnival area at the end of the street. Dog friendly. Everybody and their cousins bring their dogs. It's nice to see all the different breeds. Everything here is Pretty pricey but if you look really hard you might be able to find a good deal. Only 3 stars because it's so expensive most families probably can't afford much. Lots of food and drink booths. Parking is always challenging as it's primarily street parking so you have to fight for a space among the residents.

Vivolo's was a godsend! We made the mistake of going to the heart of Cannery Row for brunch and it…read morewas slammed. Every dog friendly restaurant was packed and those we thought were dog friendly weren't. Enter Vivolo's, who only has 3 patio tables but saw us super quickly. Huge shoutout to our server Andrew A who was extremely attentive and went above and beyond. I ordered the pan roast which was delicious -- get it with the garlic lid. My husband had the fish and chips, which I loved as someone who doesn't like fish and chips. Can't wait to come back!

Amazing service! Food was good! Large portions! Cute little spot. Very cozy and family friendly…read more We also had clam chowder but forgot to get a photo of that. Tasty clam chowder. We should have gotten the bread bowl. Next time! Will come back again when we're back in town!

Monterey Bay is always a nice getaway. Love the wharf, even if it's touristy, but I like that vibe…read more The shops are cute to browse and get souvenirs and gifts, it's never crowded, the views are incredible, you can spot some Marine life. It has an old-school vibe which is more than OK with me. Not a lot to do, but it can be a good stop on a road trip or you can kill time if you spend the night in town.

The views are nice of the Monterey Bay and the boat harbor. Otherwise, the wharf area has become a…read morevery touristy / borderline junky collection of souvenir shops, plus a few restaurants hanging on. It feels like an area that's trying too hard to get attention and extract dollars from visitors. Dear Hubby and I normally wouldn't be visiting the wharf when in the area. Especially because I have a dear friend who lives in Carmel and knows all the best places to go from a local's perspective. We rolled in to town just as the sun was setting, and we wanted to get something simple and have a view of the water. I had Googled "clam chowder, water view" and there was a listing for the Grotto, and it was close to our hotel, so off we went. I hadn't been to the wharf in probably twenty years, and I was surprised at the transformation. I remember it as being more of a place to find / buy freshly caught fish, with a few restaurants serving tasty seafood dishes. It was more about buying and enjoying food, with only a few options for other kinds of shopping. Now it's about all the kitschy shops full of forgettable souvenirs that line the foot of the wharf. There were a number of families walking around with young kids begging and pleading for their parents to buy them stuff they didn't need. We did end up having a good meal, and the weather was pleasant with no wind or fog. That made enjoying the views out over the Bay and the boat harbor very pleasant. Paid parking is required until 8 p.m., seven days a week. I think it was $1.25 an hour. There are pay stations readily available to use with a credit / debit card to pre-pay for parking.