Monterey State Historic Park “Path of History”

"Fun with the Family"

In the oldest part of the city, historic buildings and museums are close together in a pleasant, gardeny network of streets. Plan on a leisurely half-day’s exploration to do the complete 2-mile walk, with plenty of time for rest stops at little parks along the way. Children particularly enjoy the Colton Hall Museum at Madison and Pacific, a century-old school on a grassy knoll, with little wooden desks and photos of the pupils from days gone by. Behind the school and around this part of town are small adobes, some of the first homes built in California. Every April, you can take a narrated tour of more than twenty-five adobes and see courtyard gardens inhabited by docents in period costumes. The Cooper Store at Munras and Alvarado Streets sells antique toys, postcards, and souvenirs. Walk through the store to another museum and to gardens beneath a huge cypress tree.