Do you know the way to Monterey?

17 mile drive

Quick Tips:

Best Way To Get Around:

Based on the movie Forrest Gump, this restaurant features shrimp, shrimp and more shrimp. Get the pail of shrimp in garlic butter and go to town! It's a lot of shrimp, plenty for two or three people.

Clam chowder was average. They have sandwiches and other standard fare, but stick to their specialty - the shrimp.

Servers were sure to keep your drinks refilled and they were kind of funny too.

Check out their website.

Probably one of the largest aquariums in the U.S., if not the largest, Monterey Bay Aquarium was one of the film locations for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Remember George and Gracie, the whales and when they were at the aquarium? This is that aquarium.

They have a great kids' area called "Flippers Flukes and Fun." It offers lots of activities and interaction.

They have an outdoor area where you can look at the Pacific Ocean. If you're lucky, you'll catch a few sea lions sunning themselves and the rocks below and if you're really lucky, you may see a whale or two as they make their way up the coast during their migration.

If you haven't already figured it out, my favorite exhibit is the two-story Otter area. They're so cute and adorable, so playful. I could watch them all day long.

To see more about the Aquarium and to view their Bay Cam, go to: www.mbayaq.org.

Cannery Row is right along the water and features plenty of shops and restaurants for locals and tourists alike. At one end is the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, and as you make your way down Cannery Row, there are plenty of restaurants to choose from for your dining pleasure, as well as lots of great art shops and places to buy trinkets and bric-a-brac. Stopping at Cannery Row is a must if you're in Monterey.

What a great little shop! Located on the famous Cannery Row, all the soaps and candles sold in the store are made right there. You can even see them making the soaps and candles from time to time. Lots of exotic scents and blends, these soaps are great for gifts or for yourself! I bought several of their smaller soaps (just a tad smaller than the avg. bar of soap) and loved the fact that the price was reasonable too!

If you're in the area, you must take this scenic drive. We started in Monterey and just took in the various viewpoints (all marked on a handy map when you enter) as we drove through.

Bird Rock doesn't have many birds on it, but it does have literally hundreds of sea lions and harbor seals sunning themselves on the rock. There are plenty of binoculars to see them.

We drove by a golf course on our journey and saw several deer standing along the course! Hope they weren't winged by a bad swing!

There's also the Lone Cypress, probably one of the most famous, if not the most famous tree in the world. It's said to be between 200 to 300 years old and seems to cling to bare rock.

This is just a great drive to take it a beautiful seaside community.