MB10 - Cannery Row

They're all still here: Doc Ricketts, Mac and the boys, Miss Ida, and the man who immortalized them: celebrated author John Steinbeck.

The spirit of Steinbeck’s classic 1945 novel, Cannery Row, permeates the waterfront where all of those characters really existed when Monterey was known as “The sardine Capital of the World.”

Many of the original cannery buildings, with all of their history, still stand today as restaurants, hotels, shops, galleries, and, of course, the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, a must-see that attracts almost 2 million visitors every year.

The aquarium exhibits 35,000 plants and animals representing 623 species, including sealife that includes stingrays, jellyfish, sea otters, sharks, and barracudas, and a 50-year-old lobster that weighs 11 pounds.

There are also thousands of sardines, the fish that made the area a centerpiece of the world’s fishing industry through the mid-1950s, when Doc Ricketts toiled in the tide pools of what is today a marine sanctuary and in his lab at 800 Cannery Row.

They no longer can fish on Cannery Row, but you can sample the flavor of the era by walking the famous streets or enjoying the delectables at renowned eateries like The Fish Hopper, The Duck Club Grill at the Monterey Plaza Hotel, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, among others.

The Row comes alive after dark, with a variety of venues featuring live jazz, blues, rock, and pop acts for those who enjoy dancing, listening, shooting a game of pool, or just putting their feet up beside a fireplace and chatting.

Other popular stops range from The Spirit of Monterey Wax Museum, Oceans 18 Miniature Golf, Doc Wenzel’s Old Time Portraits, and Mrs. Laurie Palm and Card Reader.

Cannery Row is the perfect place to find a gift, a souvenir, gourmet chocolate, or just something you might have forgotten when you packed the suitcase. The locally owned shops and boutiques and the American Tin Cannery outlet stores offer a cornucopia of choices.

Sightseeing should leave you famished and ready for a beautiful meal at the C Restaurant and Bar at Intercontinental’s The Clement Monterey.

The perfect way to discover most of the Row is by taking a picturesque walk along the Coastal Recreational Trail, which runs over the old Southern Pacific Railroad lines that once served the sardine canneries. The sights, smells, and fresh sea breezes are invigorating.

OLD FISHERMAN’S WHARF

Historic Monterey Harbor has been a port of call for whaling ships, Navy cutters, and, of course, scores of fishing boats that worked the waters of Monterey Bay in its heyday.

Explorer Sebastian Viscaino of Spain named the location after the Count of Monterey in 1602. Another Spaniard, Gaspar de Portola, located the harbor and founded the City of Monterey in 1770. After the war between the United States and Mexico in 1846, Commander John Drake Sloat claimed California for the Union. Thus, Old Fisherman’s Wharf and neighboring Municipal Wharf II lie in some of the most historic waters in California.

Today, the wharf, is simultaneously a humbling stroll through maritime history — much of which can be discovered at the famous Maritime Museum of Monterey — and a tantalizing seduction of great seafood restaurants, shops, theater, whale watching, and recreational fishing.

All of it is experienced over sparkling waters where otters and sea lions play, and chubby elephant seals lounge lazily on the rocks and bobbing buoys.

Views of the harbor enhance the superb dining experience, a quick snack, or a cocktail at venues like the warm and intimate Café Fina & Domenico’s on the Wharf — a great choice for lovers and families. Old Fisherman’s Grotto serves up fresh, sustainable seafood, and Isabella’s on the Wharf offers delectable cuisine and breathtaking views of the harbor.

Need something for a special person back home? You’re guaranteed to find the perfect gift at any of the multiple shops, including Balesteri’s Wharf Front, Carousel Candies, Ethnic Arts Gift Shop, and Let It Bead.

If you want an adventure on the bay, visit one of several fishing or whalewatching fleets or take a leisurely ride on a glassbottom boat. Or simply wander over to Wharf II to watch the commercial fishermen roll in with their daily catches and enjoy a picturesque dining experience at The Sandbar, made famous from a scene in Clint Eastwood’s Play Misty For Me.

Finish your day with a relaxing walk along Del Monte Beach, a place where the waves will soothe your soul as you gaze at the sailboats floating on the horizon and wonder what Viscaino, Portola, or Sloat must have experienced when they caught their first glimpse of this American paradise.

More Monterey Bay Attractions Information »»