fun to do kids monterey california   Travel for Kids
  | California | Central Coast
     
   

Monterey

monterey bay aquarium

In May, 1770, when Spanish explorers reached Monterey, they were amazed to see "thousands of sea lions were about, so close to one another that they looked like a pavement." Today Monterey Bay is a marine sanctuary, traveling with kids you'll see tons of barking sea lions, harbor seals lolling on the rocks, adorable sea otters swimming through the kelp beds though deep blue waters of the bay.

Monterey Photo Album
monterey photo album
 

Cannery Row - Monterey Bay Aquarium

 

Historic Monterey

 

Fisherman's Wharf

 

Pacific Grove

 

Monterey day trip – Pinnacles National Park

Read our blog post about a lovely Christmas tradition and living history event in December: Monterey Christmas in the Adobes.
   

Fun food

     

In June every year is the Artichoke Festival – family fun activities, amusement park rides, artichoke sculptures, live music and shows (dancing artichoke), try artichokes cupcakes, ravioli, and ice cream.

     

Summer is time for u-pick berries at Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville, just north of Monterey. There's nothing like fresh-picked strawberries, blackberries, boysenberries!

family hotels monterey

Travel for Kids has so many fun things to do with kids in Monterey, but you'll need a fun place to stay.

Here's our own Travel for Kids hand-picked list of family hotels in and around Monterey, all styles and price ranges, in neighborhoods near to places you'll want to explore:

Monterey family hotels
monterey vacation rentals

Family vacation rentals in Pacific Grove, all styles and price range, walking distance to the beach, close to cafes, bakeries, markets.

Monterey family vacation rentals
kids books monterey california
     
 
Sea Otter Pup
Victoria Miles, Elizabeth Gatt

Delightful story to read before going to look for sea otters in Monterey Bay. Cycle of life for a sea otter mother and her pup – the mother feeds, washes, and snuggles the pup, and soon pup dives down to find food for himself. Beautifully illustrated! (Picture book)

 

     
Sea Otters
Laura Marsh

Fun facts about sea otters – a tail to steer through the water, thick fur to keep warm, hind legs to swim and dive, grooming for hours every day to stay clean, pouches to hold their food. (Easy reader)

 

 
     
a sea otter to the rescue  
A Sea Otter to the Rescue
(Tails from History)
Thea Feldman, Rachel Sanson

Read about Toola, sea otter that became a mother for rescued sea otter pups at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Toola taught pups how to swim, how to dive to find food and open a hard shell. With her tender care, the pups successfully returned to the ocean! (Easy reader)

 

     
Monarch Butterfly
Gail Gibbons

Before you view the monarch butterfly grove in Pacific Grove, learn out about the life cycle of the monarch, and migration of adult butterflies in fall and spring. (Picture book)

 

 
monarch butterfly
     
 
Little Whale
Jo Weaver

Going whale watching on Monterey Bay, read about amazing gray whales. A baby gray whale follows her mother on a long journey, through seas that shimmered and danced, to their home in the north. Gorgeous artwork portrays wonders of gray whales and their yearly migration. (Picture book)

 

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