|
See photos & get ideas for an awe-inspiring Central California Coast Road Trip! Updated August 9, 2007. Related info--- HOME :: Latest News :: USA Road Trip Ideas :: California Coast Road Trip section :: San Francisco road trip ideas and attractions :: San Francisco Area Outlet Malls :: Monterey Bay Area Outlets :: Northern California Outlet Mall Index :: Central California Coast Road Trip :: Big Sur Camping Central California Coast Road Trip
As you leave the San Francisco/San Jose metropolitan area and head south, you'll enter California's beautiful Central Coast area. After passing through lettuce and vegetable fields, you'll come to the towns of Monterey and Carmel, California. And then next...you'll head into the wilds of Big Sur territory, known for its stunning, rugged coastline.Before you begin your daydreams of a Central California Coast vacation, perhaps you'd like to view a roadmap of the area to refresh your memory about the "lay of the land." As you'll be able to see, California Highway 1 hugs the ocean's coastline almost all of the way through Central California---and that fact will give YOU the chance to relax and enjoy the area's stunning ocean views. It's an overwhelming feast for the eyes! Follow this link to the
"detail" map of Central California.
Central California Coast Attraction: Monterey Bay Aquarium
Driving southward from San Francisco, you'll reach the seaside town of Monterey, California.A major Monterey tourist attraction...that you may not want to miss...is therenowned Monterey Bay Aquarium, a large aquarium that features exhibits of all kinds relating to marine life. In fact, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is rated as being on of the very best aquariums in the USA! Since the USA has many good aquariums, that's quite an honor! For one thing, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has exhibits of larger marine animals that smaller aquariums don't have, such as sea otters and penguins (seen the penguin picture on your right, just below.) For another thing, the Monterey Bay Aquarium has half a dozen different live "animal cams" so that you can watch your favorite creatures from your computer once you get back home. For another, this aquarium sits right on the bay, and includes the natural environment in its exhibits. And, lastly, the Monterey Bay Aquarium is very active at staging educational programs, both for local school kids and for the general public. In other words, you really "can't go wrong" if you decide to take your family to the Monterrey Bay Aquarium! Monterey Bay Aquarium ticket prices are as follows (as of Summer 2007)--- $24.95/adults, $15.95/children ages 3 thru 12; both seniors 65+ and students ages 13 thru 17 have admission fees of $22.95. Military discounts are available on post. Children ages 2 and under are free.
Central California Road Trip -- Monterey's Cannery Row
Another family-friendly Central California activity is strolling along Cannery Row, a shopping, dining and entertainment complex which gets its name from the fact that it used to be a real, working complex of fish canneries...busily putting up the harvest of fish brought in by the Monterey fishing fleet. But...those days are gone. These days, you'd come here, instead, for checking out the shops and dining at one of the fine restaurants on the pier. (Check out the photos to your left and below.)I heartily recommend that your family pays a visit to Cannery Row. There's so much here that's new and different...so many things that can appeal to all age groups, from toddlers to teens to senior citizens! You may enjoy a quick one-hour "overview tour" of Cannery Row...but, don't count on being able to leave so soon! There are too many unusual shops to snoop through, and too many activities in which you can get involved. You're quite likely to get caught up in Cannery Row's charm, and stay for much longer than you originally planned! Cannery Row Shopping & RestaurantsThe Cannery Row shops are quite varied. Many of them are one-of-a-kind. You can buy boat-themed merchandise, movie memorabilia, souvenirs of Monterey and central California. Or, you can buy upscale clothing, such as at Geoffrey Beene and Izod, and several others. You even buy fine art!
When it comes to dining, you'll find that your choices are varied, as well. As you'd expect, you can find great seafood at Cannery Row. But, you can also find Pizza and Italian restaurants, and quite a few snack outlets (including Starbucks) for eating on-the-run. Amarin thai Cuisine, telephone number 831/373-8811; address, 807 Cannery Row.......Archie's American Diner, phone number 831/375-6939; address, 125 Ocean View Blvd (in the American Tin Cannery Mall).......Blue Fin Cafe & Billiards, phone number 831/375-7000.......Blue Moon East-West Cuisine, phone number 831/375-4155; address 654 Cannery Row.......Bubba Gump Shrimp Co Restaurant, phone number 831/373-1884; address, 720 Cannery Row.......Bullwacker's British Pub and Restaurant, telephone number 831/373-1353; address, 653 Cannery Row.......Cannery Row Pizzeria, phone number 831/373-8463; address, 685 Cannery Row (in Steinbeck Plaza).......Casa Cazuelas Mexican Restaurant, phone number 831/655-4419; address 638 Wave St.......Chart House Restaurant, telephone number 831/372-3362; address, 444 Cannery Row.......Cowboy Pizza Company, phone number 831/373-6827.......Crepes A-Go-Go Restaurant, phone number 831/375-4646; address, 601 Wave Street.......Duck Club Grill, telephone number 831/646-1706 (in the Woodside Hotel).......El Torito Restaurant, phone number 831/373-0611; address, 600 Cannery Row.......First Awakenings Restaurant, phone number 831/372-1125; address, 125 Oceanview Blvd (in the American Tin Cannery center); breakfast and lunch only.......(The) Fish Hopper Restaurant, 831/372-8543; address, 700 Cannery Row.......Jerseys Monterey Sports Restaurant, phone number 831/655-4947; address, 711 Cannery Row.......Jose's Mexican Restaurant, phone number 831/655-4419; address, 638 Wave St.......Louie Linguini's Seafood Shack Restaurant, phone number 831/648-8500; address, 660 Cannery Row.......Massaro and Santos on the Pier, telephone number 831/649-6700; address, 32 Cannery Row.......Monterey Jack's Fish House Restaurant, phone number 831/655-4947; address, 711 Cannery Row.......Pelican Tavern and Restaurant, phone number 831/647-8200; address, 125 Oceanview Blvd (in the American Tin Cannery building).......Pisto's Kitchen, phone 831/373-5960; address, 786 Wave st.......Sardine Factory Restaurant, telephone number 831/373-3775; address 701 Wave Street.......Schooners Bistro on the Bay, telephone number 831/372-2628; 400 Cannery Row (in the woodside Hotel)........Sly McFly's Lunch & Dinner House, phone number 831/649-8050; address, 700 Cannery Row.......Toyota Japanese Restaurant, telephone number 831/375-7024; address, 869 Wave St.......Trailside Cafe and Coffee House, phone number 831/649-8600; address, 550 Wave St For further information for planning your shopping and dining visit to Monterey's Cannery Row, use the following link to view the www.CanneryRow.com official website. Cannery Row Family Fun!As mentioned above on this page, you can visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium while you're at Cannery Row. What else can you do? At Cannery Row, there are bike rentals, kayak rentals, and replicas of old-time roadster cars to rent for a drive. You can play miniature golf on an indoor course featuring black lights. You can paint ceramics, buy a colorful kite to fly, get your kids' faces painted, or tour a wax museum. Along the bay, you can explore tide pools.Here are the names, contact numbers, and addresses of entertainment options that you'll find at Monterey's Cannery Row--- Adventures by the Sea Kayak Rentals and Tours, phone number 831/372-1807; address, 299 Cannery Row.......Bay Bikes, phone number 831/655-BIKE; address, 585 Cannery Row; kids & adult bikes, tandem bikes, and 4-wheeled surrey bicycle rentals.......Beach Bear Company, phone number 831-372-5810 (children's bear-stuffing).......Monterey Bay Kayaks, (rentals/lessons) phone number (800) 649-5357 or (831) 373-5357; address 693 Del Monte Avenue.......
Monterey Rent-A-Roadster, telephone number 831/647-1929; address, 125 Cannery Row.......Ocean's 18 Blacklight Miniature Golf, phone number 831/643-9215; address, 125 Ocean View Blvd, Ste 304 (at the American Tin Cannery building).......Steinbeck's Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum, phone number 831/375-3770; address, 700 Cannery Row/Basement.......Sinchronicity Studio Ceramics, phone number 831/333-1164; address, 125 Ocean view (in the American Tin Cannery center) If you have kids in your group, they'll surely enjoy visiting the Monterey County Youth Museum, filled with interactive exhibits to explore. If you're interested in paying a visit to the Monterey County Youth Museum while you're at Cannery Row, then use the following link to view the
Monterey County Youth Museum official website.
The Monterey County Youth Museum phone number is 831/649-6444. The Monterey County Youth Museum address is: 601 Wave St, Suite 100, Monterey, CA 93940.
California Coast Road Trip -- Scenic Carmel, CaliforniaJust south of Monterey lies the enchanting town of Carmel, California where your family can step back in time at the Spanish-era Mission, tour specatcular "17 Mile Drive" (fee), or just check out the town where Clint Eastwood used to be the mayor!For more information about touring beautiful Carmel, use the following link to visit the City of Carmel official website. For information about touring the lovely Carmel Mission, you may call the Carmel Mission phone number, 831/624-1271. Or, you may use the following link to visit the Carmel Mission official website. Still another website I'd like to recommend is a photo-filled website that will show you many pictures of both the Carmel and Monterey area. (You'll also find more area maps of Carmel at this site, as well.) Use the following link to view the "photo tours" page of the www.monterey-carmel.com website. Central California Coast Road Trip -- Incomparable Big Sur!
Heading south from Monterey and Carmel, you'll once again come to the choice of whether to take the inland road (US 101) or the shoreline route (California Hwy. 1). Let's assume that you choose the coast route---after all, this is a California COAST road trip!You'll head into Big Sur country...a region made famouse by its stunning views of waves crashing against rocky shorelines. In fact, the drive along the Big Sur coast of California is one of the most beautiful drives in the entire USA...if not in the entire world! I'd recommend that you plan to make a Big Sur road trip at some time in your life without fail. If you love travel, it's as simple as this: you'll love Big Sur! Though you may lengthen your stay in the Big Sur area by staying at one of its few inns or campgrounds, the actual drive itself doesn't take that long. You'll enjoy several hours of driving through this beautiful coastal wonderland. You may stop at one of the pull-outs along this 2-lane highway to admire the view and snap some photos. Perhaps you'll even spot a seal or two! Popular activities in the Big Sur area is hiking, picnicking or camping. (If you're planning on making a camping trip to Central California, you may wish to check out the "Big Sur Camping" page of this website. The Central California shoreline is rocky and the Pacific Ocean water is cold, so swimming is not a typical activity at Big Sur. However, there is an underwater scuba park near Big Sur that scuba enthusiasts (in wet suits!) can enjoy. The Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is one beautiful area for taking a hike through the lovely woods lining the coast, or doing some tent-camping. You may use the following link to view the
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park website.
Or, you may call the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State park, phone number 831/667-2315. Central Coast Road Trip -- South of Big SurAfter leaving the California's central coast, you'll come through the beautiful city of Santa Barbara on your way into Los Angeles. You can enter the LA metro area by continuing down the coast through gorgeous Malibu---an excellent way to enter Greater LA because Malibu is one area NOT noted for its traffic jams!
Backwards Links Back HOME :: Back to beginning of "California Coast Road Trip" section :: Back to top of "Central California Coast Road Trip" Select a different California Road Trip page: California Coast Road Trip section :: San Francisco road trip ideas and attractions :: San Francisco Area Outlet Malls :: Monterey Bay Area Outlets :: Northern California Outlet Mall Index :: Big Sur Camping
|
The Monterey Bay Aquarium address is 886 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940. The Monterey Bay Aquarium phone number is 831/648-4888. (This is the 24-hour recorded information line.) To speak with a live representative, use the other Monterey Bay Aquarium telephone number: 831/648-4800. The Monterey Bay Aquarium hours of operation: open 10 am, close 6 pm daily (except for Christmas Day, the one day on which the aquarium closes.) During the busy summer vacation season, the Monterey Bay Aquarium opens 1/2 hour earlier, at 9:30 am.
CANNERY ROW DINING---
Services are few and far between in this area, so gas up & fill your picnic basket ahead of time!
