Historic Monterey

Monterey, CA

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Monterey's long record of inhabitation--both prehistoric and in historical times--can be explored through an assortment of museums, preserved buildings, "Living History" events, and open-air walks. Whether you are a serious researcher studying early Spanish colonization of the Pacific, or a family pausing to absorb something of our locale's storied background on your way to the beach, Monterey has a resource to suit your needs and interests. Start with one of the museums, such as Pacific House, where the exhibitions begin with Native American village life in the Monterey Museum of the American Indian and continue up to days when the city served as the capital of Spanish and Mexican California. Pacific House is a cornerstone of Monterey State Historic Park; across the spacious plaza from it stands the Maritime Museum of Monterey, surveying every aspect of the region's relationship to life on the ocean wave, and Custom House, where a typical day's goods from ports around the world await inspection. Pacific House is also a great starting point for a walk along the Path of History, a somewhat circular route laid out by the Monterey History & Art Association and marked by brown and yellow round disks in the sidewalks of Old Monterey. Along the route: the Presidio of Monterey Museum, Colton Hall, first civic building of the American period and site of California's constitutional convention, plus dozens of handsomely restored adobe buildings of all periods. Content Provided By: Historic Monterey