San Francisco Bay Area is unique in a sense that it offers multiple fabulous weekend getaway and family vacation opportunities just 1,5-2 hours away from the city. If you go North, you will hit Sonoma and Napa. If you go West – you can have a lot of fun in Sacramento and if you go South, there is no better place than Monterey Bay Area.
There are a LOT of things to do around Monterey Bay so I decided to split all possible itineraries in 3 groups: attractions and activities in and near Monterey (this story), Things to do in Carmel Valley and Carmel by the Sea and Walking Tour of Carmel. You will be able to use each itinerary for a Monterey weekend getaway or Carmel weekend getaway or combine them into a longer Monterey family vacation – it’s up to you.
Monterey Family Vacation: Day 1
No Monterey family vacation will be complete without a visit to its most iconic attraction – Monterey Bay Aquarium. How would I describe it? It is huge, very educational, unique in many ways (combination of outdoor and indoor areas, play spaces for younger kids, exciting rotating exhibits, volunteers engaging with kids in a meaningful way) but it is rather expensive and at times can be very crowded.
Our favorite exhibits are plenty: tide pools, sea otters, penguins, kelp forest – just to name a few. You can easily spend a whole day here and not get bored.
I love everything about Monterey Bay Aquarium except the ticket price. I understand, of course, that this money goes to nature conservation efforts but I have seen many splendid aquariums in my life which pursue the same noble goal but charge 15-20% less. This Aquarium does not offer any coupons for discounts, ever, so the only way to save is to buy their membership (if you plan to visit more than once a year) or buy your tickets through AAA (if you are a member) – they offer $6 off from adult tickets and $3 off kids’ tickets.
After a visit to Aquarium, take a hike along the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail (that passes right by the Aquarium) towards Lovers Point Park. The Trail goes along the ocean and in addition to fantastic views you may be able to see seals and sea otters in their natural habitat.
If your Monterey family vacation occurs in November-February it makes sense to proceed 1 mile further from Lovers Point to Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. It is a small park in Pacific Grove where about 45,000 monarch butterflies come to spend winter every year. The entrance is FREE. We visited in October and the butterflies have not arrived yet but we still thought it was worth our time. It is a beautiful tree grove of eucalyptus, pine and cypress with a small flower garden and educational information stands about the butterflies.
Monterey Family Vacation: Day 2
Another must-do for your Monterey family vacation is a whale watch boat tour. Monterey Bay is unique in a sense that whales are almost always roaming around it in search of nutritious food. At different times of the year the visiting whales species will be different but you are almost guaranteed to encounter one or another and dolphins too. In addition to those you will be able to see tons of sea lions and sea otters. I am not good at making pictures of fast moving marine creatures on a boat that is constantly rocking up and down and side to side but lazy sea lions close to the pier are a pretty easy shot 😉
Morning tours are typically 4 hours long and afternoon ones are 3 hours. I would strongly suggest the morning tour as the ocean is typically calmer. That said, expect some level of a “roller-coaster ride” at any time. If you are prone to motion sickness be prepared ahead of time. I have terrible motion sickness but I found a solution that helps me almost 100% of time: it is a combination of Sea-band Adult Wristband
and Motion Sickness Patches
. Both, the patches and the wristband, are non-toxic and good for children. Wristband is, obviously, reusable (Sea-band produces kids size bracelets as well) and the patches are good for a couple of days (and then you need a new one, but you have 10 in the box). However, for this boat tour it was not sufficient. I also had to take oral medication – Meclizine
. All this saved me and my family. We were pretty much the only family on board who did not have a member hanging over the boat rails in unseemly condition.
There are several companies that organize whale watch tours. Four our Monterey family vacation we chose “Monterey Bay Whale Watch“. They were friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. We did see whales and dolphins, as we were promised. It gives you a feeling of complete awe and amazement to see these giants of the sea right next to you, so close that you can even smell their breath. We did not see any breaching this time, just some tail flukes, water spouts and flat backs. Still, the whole experience was fantastic. The boat was not too big, which was a little scary for me personally but it did not affect overall quality of the trip. I suggest you pack some food and water with you, something that you feel comfortable eating/drinking when the sea may be rough.
Since your boat tour will depart from and arrive at Fisherman’s Warf it makes sense to stroll around the Wharf after the tour and have a lunch there. I love how almost all restaurants on the Wharf offer you to taste a bit of their clam chowder for free before you decide where to eat. After lunch you can grab a dessert from one of the candy stores on the wharf: chocolate truffles, caramel apples, taffy, jelly beans, etc. – the choice is endless.
In the second half of the day I suggest you reward your kids with a trip to Dennis the Menace playground (725 Pearl St, Monterey, CA 93940). This is the most awesome playground in the world! When we went there it made me wish I were a kid again! The photo below only shows may be 1/5 fraction of what is available in the park. There are many more structures, a climbing wall, a skateboard park and a lake where you can rent pedal boats.
If you would like to add some relaxing beach time to your Monterey family vacation, Monterey and Pacific Grove area has ample options. Our favorite beach is Asilomar State Beach in Pacific Grove. It is a beautiful tranquil place offering wide sandy areas, rocky coves and a walking path along the beach.
Monterey Family Vacation: Day 3
For a cool education experience with a “Time Travel” flare I strongly suggest visiting Monterey State Historic Park. It is absolutely FREE to visit but I guarantee both kids and adults will love it. Check the provided link for details – I have a detailed itinerary in that article.
Additional tips for your Monterey family vacation
Where to stay in Monterey. Wherever you stay it will be much more expensive during the weekend than during a weekday. In Monterey we typically stay at Hampton Inn by Hilton, where rooms are big and clean and FREE full breakfast in the morning is delicious.
Where to eat in Monterey. Here are a couple of places in the area that we enjoy eating at when we are in the area:
The Sardine Factory – upscale, seafood
IL Vecchio – rustic Italian
Resources you will find useful for your Monterey family vacation
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