Monterey offers coastal beauty, great music

Monterey Bay Aquarium

What: Local aquarium that concentrates on sea life conservation.

Where:: 886 Cannery Row, Monterey.

Hours: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 9:30 a.m.-6 p.m. during major holiday periods.

Admission: $39.95, $24.95 children, $34.95 students and seniors.

Information: 831-648-4800, www.montereybayaquarium.org.

Cannery Row

What: Many shops, hotels and restaurants.

Where: Along Cannery Row.

Hours: Varies for each business.

Information: www.canneryrow.com.

Fisherman’s Wharf

What: Dining, shopping, whale watching and other ocean activities.

Where: Wharf 1, Monterey.

Hours: Varies for each business.

Information: www.montereywharf.com.

California’s coast offers plenty of treasures, but few are as steeped in history as the city of Monterey.

Where else could you see the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium and also explore Cannery Row, where John Steinbeck drew the inspiration for his iconic novel of the same name?

Today’s Cannery Row, with its hotels, shops and restaurants, bears little resemblance to the rough-and-tumble neighborhood that once dominated California’s sardine canning industry.

But there’s still plenty to see.

Harbor seals, sea otters and pelicans are frequent visitors to the area and the city also has a scenic recreation trail leading down to Fisherman’s Wharf and the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium contains more than 35,000 creatures with nearly 200 exhibits. The aquarium is a bit pricey at nearly $40 per adult, but the experience is well worth it. When you step up to the large aquarium windows, it feels like you’re right there among the sea creatures.

And the sanctuary is, well, really big.

As a federally protected marine area off California’s central coast, it runs from Marin to Cambria, encompassing 276 miles of shoreline. At its deepest point it plunges 12,713 feet — more than 2 miles down.

The sanctuary contains the nation’s largest kelp forests and one of North America’s largest underwater canyons.

But you don’t have to dive all the way down there for fun because there are plenty of things to do closer to the surface, like diving, kayaking, boating and surfing. You can also go fishing, whale watching, sailing or embark on a harbor cruise.

And when you leave the water, a great two-wheeled adventure awaits. The 29-mile Monterey Bay Coastal Bike Trail runs from Monterey north to Castroville. Along the way, you’ll pass by Fort Ord Dunes State Park with stunning views of the Pacific.

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Sections of the trail run parallel to Highway 1, however, so pay close attention and stay in your lane.

All of this would be more than enough to draw anyone to this beautiful seaside community. But how about a world-class jazz festival?

A friend and I visited Monterey in September for the 58th Annual Monterey Jazz Festival. This year’s headliners included jazz legend Herbie Hancock, and Booker T. Jones, who rose to fame in the ’60s as the leader of Booker T. & the MG’s.

It was a great event with lots of other amazing musicians, including Davina & The Vagabonds, the Billy Childs Quartet and drummer Eric Harland. Some of those might not be household names, but I assure you they can play.

The people who live in Monterey swear by the place and say they wouldn’t be anywhere else.

“My wife and I moved up here probably 25 years ago and we love it,” a fellow cyclist said as my friend and I were cruising along the bike path. “It stays overcast a little too long sometimes but this is just a great area to live. And San Francisco isn’t that far away.”

The general manager of Chart House Seafood Restaurant, Ellen Marconi, described the town as “quaint, eclectic, historical and peaceful.

“We had the U.S. open here in 2010 and it was crazy busy, but people were blown away by how beautiful it is,” she said. “The coast is unspoiled and very majestic … and the people are genuinely kind here.”

Monterey offers coastal beauty, great music