Pacific Grove’s Sites and Stories: A Monterey Peninsula Drive

Remember that you set your own pace on VoiceMap, so you can stop wherever you want, stay as long as you want and resume whenever you want. Whenever we ask you to pull over, that's because we think it's a special part of Pacific Grove's incredible story. I would visit, at least, one of the four Inns we point out. Lovers Point is a must. But, I love Berwick Park, just before it, as the perfect place for a picnic snack. Don't miss stopping at the Sea Palm turnout and hear the wonderful story of Hayes Perkins and the purple covering of Pacific Grove. Listening to stories of Robert Louis Stevenson's visits and Keeper, Emily Fish's parfties at Point Pinos Lighthouse is only the beginning there. It has beren completely restores to its early state and is beautiful! I love Asilomar Conference Center and the profile of Julia Morgan, the architect who designed it in 1913. Just a few minutes there is like going back to a very beautiful time. It goes on. The Monarch Butterfly Grove is astounding. The Butterfly Kids sculpture at the Post Office is impressive. Then, one of my favorite moments in the whole tour is standing in front of the Museum of Natural History and looking out at Jewell Park where thousands sang together under a giant tent. And visualizing the giant amphitheater to the right, that fused into the spot of the beautiful library. Don't miss coming back for a multi hour visit to the Museum. It is impressive! And, to end it all is the trip down Ricketts Row and the John Steinbeck house and cabin where he and Doc wrote the very successful book, Sea of Cortez. And, worth the trip itself is the Butterfly House. Wait until you see this incredible creation near the end of the tour!

I would hesitate to go on the tour on Saturday or Sunday morning as our starting location (Andrnoico’s) is near the Aquarium on Cannery Row, and traffic is heavy in the area, especially in the summer. Traffic is much less during the week than on weekends, but, a little later in the day, is not as bad. Parking spots are much less on the weekends, although where we ask you to stop is pretty doable most of the time. And, places like Point Pinos Lighthouse and Kethcham's Barn are open on some weekend hours, even in the winter. On Monday, the streets in front of the Museum of Natural History are blocked off for Farmer’s Market from 3 to 7. (we do provide an alternate route if you do run into that). There's also some work traffic during the week. Getting to the starting spot will affect you more than the tour itself. Best time in the winter is after 10 and before 3 Monday through Friday. If I were taking the tour, and had the time, I would take it on Friday after 1pm,, then return Saturday afternoon and spend extensive time at the Lighthouse and make sure I got time at Ketcham's Barn to talk to a member of the Heritage Society who is hosting there.

Depending on your carrier, phone internet can be spotty in Pacific Grove, so if possible, download the VoiceMap app before you go, where you have good Wi-Fi. It's good to bring something to drink and eat, as there are stretches where we are out at the beach and there are few food sources. Before you start, there is a Starbuck’s in Andronico’s and they also have a great deli. And, there is also Carl’s Jr. There are snacks and coffee at Lovers Point, as well. Anywhere you drive, even in town, watch for deer. They are everywhere and in their own world. That goes for people also, who are in vacation mode and not watching for traffic. Also, the bike path runs out at Lovers Point, so watch for bicycles to suddenly emerge in the street wherever you are as well. One more good tip is, if possible, spend a little time to get familiar with the VoiceMap app before you go. On your screen, you have a map of where you are. On occasion, there can be blockage from construction or other temporary events. If so, you can put the tour on pause and detour around to the next location, then restart the tour again from there. If you miss any important instruction, just pull over and hit the back button to hear the audio again. Then drive forward and it will trigger the next location. The most important precaution is to drive slow. That will take care of most of any problems that could arise. There are two big celebrations in Pacific Gove that block off much of the streets. There is the Good Old Days parade and celebration the first weekend
in May and Butterfly Days parade and celebration, some wekend at the beginning of October.