Trip Guide: Pacific Grove, CA
Growing up in the Central Valley of California, Mike and I have both respectively made our Fair shares out to the Pacific Grove/Monterey area. We both have our loves and dislikes. Over the past few years, we've really developed our hands-down favorites of places we love to visit in Pacific Grove and wanted to share with you what we highly recommend visiting when you come out.
Pacific Grove
Lover's Pointe
Lover's Pointe has an amazing scenic area and restaurant you can enjoy all at once. Grab a bite to each at Beach House Restaurant at Lover's Pointe, preferably early dinner. They've got a great budget-friendly menu for those who dine before 5:30 PM. I highly recommend the firecracker shrimp, and their steaks are fantastic! When you're done eating, check out the park right next door. There's a rock area that you can climb to look out to the water, but exercise extreme caution! I'm not 100% sure it's even legal to do so, so be sure to look for any caution signs and wear appropriate shoes if you do. Your safety isn't worth the 'gram, my dudes.
Asilomar Conference Grounds
If you're looking for a place to stay that that really takes you out of everyday distractions and into nature without being completely cut off, Asilomar is a great stay and experience. Wifi works well, fireplace keeps you warm, and the lack of TV makes for a great reason to get out and enjoy the walk with a view. Check out my blog post all about our stay for more info! After your dinner, grab a Starbucks and enjoy a walk around the grounds with a scenic view whether you stay there or not.
Pizza My Heart
Mike and I first had a pizza from Pizza My Heart when we went back in 2017, and we looked forward to going back during our 2021 trip! They have a beautiful hand painted mural inside the restaurant that makes for a really cool photo opt, too!
Monterey
While these areas aren't in Pacific Grove, Monterey is actually only about a 6 to 8 minute drive. If you're looking for stuff to do that isn't the Aquarium, check out the places listed below!
First Awakenings
Make a special point to have breakfast at First Awakenings during your trip, and thank me later. But make sure you reserve a table on Yelp first! Mike and I came across this restaurant in 2017 by chance when 2 other places were over booked. These guys do breakfast right! They're now at a new location that's even bigger than the original with even more outdoor seating. Be sure to check these guys out but, again, be sure to book in advance. These guys are popular amongst the locals.
Cannery Row Antique Mall
From Antique home decor to vintage toys, the Antique Mall always has the coolest finds. During our Monterey trip in 2019, Mike and I found a ton of Star Wars Micro Machines sets that we've slowly been opening and introducing to Miles. While we didn't bring home any scores this time around, Miles had an absolute blast checking out all of the Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. He even brought a few home!
San Carlos Beach
This small beach is just at the end of Cannery Row and is typically deserted. Maybe we've just gotten lucky, but we've never seen large crowds here. It's a very small, narrow beach which makes it great for families with small ones just experiencing their first feel of ocean water, or for a calm afternoon picnic by the water.
Hopefully this little trip guide gives you some ideas on what you can do in this little area. I had a lot more planned for this guide, but sadly many of the businesses I planned to recommend either moved out of the area or had to close their doors entirely. My heart goes out to those who had to end their businesses and I hope they're out there thriving in new adventures.
Let me know in the comments below if there are any locations in Pacific Grove or Monterey that you love visiting whenever you're there! We're always looking for new places to visit and restaurants to try when we go out there. We're even thinking about trying out an AirBnB next time, so who knows!
It seems you enjoyed your trip a lot. Thanks for sharing your experience!!!