Located 2 hours south of San Francisco and just north of the infamous Big Sur Mountains of the Central Coast, is beautiful Monterey, California. With farms to the north and the mountains to the south, it’s like a world of its own. The Monterey Peninsula is a great place to hike, bike, sight see, explore world class beaches, and dine at incredible restaurants. With a seemingly endless array of things to see and do, Monterey is both a terrific family vacation destination and a great place to call home.
Here are my top 5 picks for tourists and local families alike:
BEST PARK – El Estero Park
El Estero Park is the largest playground for young and old in the Monterey County. It encompasses 45 acres of fun, fun, fun. In the middle of Lake El Estero you will find the impressive Dennis the Menace Park. It houses 3 play structures, a suspension bridge, climbing wall, hedge maze, bumpy slides and tunnels, as well as a Southern Pacific steam engine. There are also grass areas for picnics and a few picnic benches. Bring along some sand toys because the majority of the park is one giant sand pit, perfect to keep little ones entertained while their older siblings are off playing. You can also enjoy paddle boating on the lake, fishing, and barbecues. For the fitness enthusiast there is a 1.2 mile parcourse around Lake Elstero with three exercise station clusters. The older kids will enjoy the youth center, ballpark, and a skate park. There is also a snack bar and rest rooms.
BEST HIKE – Garland Ranch Regional Park
Garland Ranch Regional Park in Carmel Valley is a 4,462-acre park with about 50 miles of trails. It is extremely popular for hiking, biking, horse-back riding, dog walking, bird-watching, painting, and photography, and is home to a wide variety of plants, birds, animals, and insects. Some of the beautiful sites to be seen include the Carmel River, a waterfall, and reminders of Carmel Valley’s past – Rumsen Indian Habititation Sites. There is a visitor center on- site with maps of the area, and the hikes are marked according to intensity.
BEST INDOOR ACTIVITY – The Monterey Bay Aquarium
The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of our favorite days out. There is something so serene about watching ocean creatures moving majestically through the water. The exhibits are absolutely amazing. There are feedings throughout the day, touch tanks, educational activities, and many interactive exhibits that will keep children and adults wanting to come back time and again. My favorite exhibits, and the ones I highly recommend, are the Kelp Forest Feeding, The Secret Lives of Seahorses and the Outer Bay. For parents who need a little break, there is a Splash Zone for little ones with water activities, dress-up, and many areas for kids to explore. Children will especially love the walk-through wave crash experience. If you don’t want to eat in the Café, then bring a picnic lunch and sit outside at the on-site picnic area overlooking the bay, where you will most likely see sea lions and otters playing in the water or get a stamp on your hand for re-entry and head out to one of the many restaurants on Cannery Row.
BEST BEACH – Lovers Point Park and Beach
When you drive along Ocean View Boulevard through Pacific Grove, you will initially see 4.4 acres of parkland overlooking Monterey Bay. Pull over and head to the north side of the park where you will come across a staircase leading down to Lovers Point Beach. Although small, it is perfect for tidepooling, surfing, kayaking or just enjoying a good book while the kids build sandcastles. In the parkland above you will regularly find families enjoying picnics, flying kites, and biking or walking along the Coastal Recreation Trail. This is also a popular spot for photographers and you will often find visitors climbing out onto the rocks to get a better view of the bay or playing beach volleyball. A rest room and a snack bar are located within the park.
BEST FOR EATING: Cannery Row & Fisherman’s Wharf
Fisherman’s Wharf and Cannery Row are connected by the Coastal Recreation Trail and it is only a short walk between the two. Both have some amazing restaurants and seafood is abundant. Walk out onto Fisherman’s Wharf where you can see taffy being made in a store window or enjoy a cup of clam chowder. be sure to stop and look out at the boats, sea lions and otters floating around the bay. Further south on Cannery Row families will find many restaurants (our favorite being The Fish Hopper for it’s child friendly environment), boutique stores, and magnificent views over the bay as the sun is setting. There is also the Ghirardelli Café for those with a sweet tooth, the IMAX theatre, a small beach, the Mirror Maze, and of course, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. However, please check that the restaurants you go to are participating in the Seafood Watch, which means they are making environmentally responsible seafood choices. Not all seafood is farmed or purchased in ways that protect the ocean that helps shape Monterey into the incredible community that it is.
Related:
- Activities for Kids Around Monterey and Carmel
- Kid-friendly Hotels Around Monterey and Carmel
- Perfectly Divine Weekend in MOnterey and Carmel with Young Kids
Tonya Staab is a mother to adorable twin toddlers and one handsome teenage son. She was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia and moved to California in 2003, when she married into the military. She is a crafter, photographer, party planner and explorer. She makes my attempts at decoupage and party throwing look absolutely pathetic because let’s face it, she is the master. Mud puddles and glitter don’t scare her and she will tell you how to handle both like a pro on her website, This and That.
Today we are excited to be starting a new series on road trips with kids. The following post on a California Central Coast road trip was written by Carolina. Carolina’s son claims he hates long road trips, but she has plenty of photographic evidence to prove otherwise. When she is not busy exploring the Western United States with her trusty eight-year-old companion, she is busy writing about it at her blog, Kids Go West.
With 450 miles of some of the most beautiful coastline and hillsides in California, the area between San Francisco and Los Angeles creates the perfect setting for a family road trip. There’s so much to do that you could easily stretch the road trip out over a week. But less time on the road, means a more affordable family trip, so I’m going to give you some ideas for how to cruise California’s Central Coast in just three days.
Many would claim, that if you’re driving the California Coast, you should do it along the famously scenic Highway 1. Those people probably haven’t endured a drive with a crying baby, a vomiting toddler, or an impossibly whiny child. If your family can endure the winding two-lane highway, then by all means take that road less traveled. My suggestion is to stick mostly to Highway 101, which will still take you through some beautiful scenery, and then pick and choose when to hop on Highway 1 since the two highways meet up multiple times.
Day 1: San Francisco to Monterey
Estimated Time on the Road: 2- 2 1/2 hours
The first stop is the Monterey Peninsula, otherwise known as family
heaven. Here you can take your kids to visit the sea otters and jellyfish at the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium. If you can drag the kids away from the aquarium, rent some bikes or walk along the coastal trail that leads south to Pacific Grove or north to Fisherman’s Wharf (grab some clam chowder in a bread bowl while you are there!). The Dennis the Menace Playground is also an excellent option for those kids that need to burn off some steam with its multiple play structures and giant locomotive to explore.
Want advice for places to stay in Monterey from parents in the know? Be sure to read about family friendly lodging in Monterey Bay.
Day 2: Monterey to Cambria/Pismo Beach
Estimated Time on the Road: 3-4 hours
Here’s where you make the big decision: you can head along Highway 1 past Big Sur all the way to Cambria, or you can go back to Highway 101 to Pismo Beach. If you take Highway 1, you will want to hike at Point Lobos State Reserve or Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and make a stop at Hearst Castle. If you take Highway 101, you will want to spend some time exploring the sand dunes or pier at Pismo Beach or hiking along the coastal bluffs of Montana de Oro State Park.
Excited about a road trip down to Pismo Beach but don’t know where to stay? Check out family friendly lodging in Pismo Beach.
Day 3: Cambria/Pismo Beach to Los Angeles
Estimated Time on the Road: 3-4 hours
First, start with a small detour to the kitschy, recreated Danish town of 
Solvang for some ebelskivers treats. The head a bit further south to Santa Barbara. In Santa Barbara, you can spend some time cruising with your bikes along the beautiful coastal trails, with a stop at Chase Palm Park for a picnic and a ride on the carousel. Your kids will also enjoy a stop at the Santa Barbara Zoo. For the final stretch of road into Los Angeles, Highway 1 and 101 merge and hug the Southern California coastline with plenty of beaches such as Carpenteria State Beach and Pt Mugu to stop and take a stretch. My tip is to always have a beach bag packed and ready in the trunk. Play your Beach Boys tunes on the stereo, roll down the windows, and ignore the whining coming from the back seat. You’ve just earned yourself a California cruisin’ license.
Check out the Trekaroo site for more recommendations on hotels, restaurants and kid-friendly attractions for your California Dreaming road trip.
Did you make it all the way down to LA but don’t have a clue where to stay? Check out family friendly lodging in Los Angeles.
Travel with kids to: CA | CO | DC | FL | HI | IL | MA | NC | NY | PA | TN | TX | VA | WA
Let the fall festivities begin…
Pumpkin hurling? Oh yes! Where? In New Jersey at the Flying Pumpkin Festival , and Suffolk County Farm in New York. All over the US, kids are having a blast picking apples and pumpkins, catching an old fashioned hay ride or getting lost in a corn maze. Here are some of the best farms and festivals from Lydie at Trekaroo mom and keeper for Travel Is More Fun With Kids.
Pumpkin Patches:
- Pumpkin Patches that Kids Love in an Francisco
- The Best Pumpkin Patches Near Seattle
- The Most Popular Pumpkin Patches in the Tri-state Area (New York, New Jersey and Connecticut)
Harvest Festivals:
- Harvest Festivals and Oktoberfest Celebrations From San Francisco to Monterey/Carmel
- Fall Time Harvest Festivals in Washington State
- Popular Harvest Festivals in Manhattan and New York State
- Best Harvest Festivals for Kids in New Jersey
- Top Harvest Festivals for Kids in Connecticut
Photo by: www.flickr.com/photos/micahtaylor/1690423641
LiLing Pang is a contributing author on Trekaroo – a reviews site dedicated to exploring and traveling with kids.
Travel with kids to: CA | FL | HI | MA | NY | PA | TX | VA
