Monterey Bay, California - A Wonderful coast-side for Whale Watching, Grand Aquarium, Sea food and lot more

Recently we were driving to Bir Sur from San Francisco and had one of our stop at Monterey Bay for lunch. Monterey Bay is a popular place to spend time with friends and family, which offers various kinds of food options along with things/activities to do. This blogpost shares more about Monterey Bay, how to reach Monterey Bay, things to do around this place and some tips to make your visit even more special.

Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean in California state of USA. The bay is south of the major cities of San Francisco and San Jose, which is quite a drive around coast-line. Santa Cruz is located at the north end of the bay. The city of Monterey is on the Monterey Peninsula at the south end. Monterey Bay has many species of marine mammals, including sea otters, harbor seals and bottlenose dolphins, as well as being on the migratory path of gray and humpback whales and a breeding site for elephant seals. There is also a huge conservation effort in this part of the ocean and there is a very impressive museum in Santa Cruz, which is worth exploring if you are interested in knowing sea life & how vast these conservation efforts are.

Killer whales are also found along the coast, especially when Gray whales migrate, as they hunt the whales during their migration. Many species of fish, sharks, mollusks such as abalone and squid, birds, and sea turtles also live in the bay. Several varieties of kelp grow in the bay, some becoming as tall as trees, forming what is known as a kelp forest.

You get to see lot of these big birds around Monterey Bay, especially the area where boats are parked or restaurants. These gulls can be seen flying around the piers, grabbing food from nearby areas.

Monterey Bay is popular place in San Francisco bay area for weekend and tourists from other parts of the world, especially in summers.

Montereye Bay Aquarium is one of the most popular places to explore here.

Monterey Bay Aquarium has sea turtles, sharks, jellyfish and plenty of other kinds of fish. There are approximately 45 interactive exhibits featuring reptiles, octopi, birds, fish and invertebrates, as well as a variety of tours, there is no shortage of things to see and do for people irrespective of the age.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is located at the end of Cannery Row. Entry ticket for Monterey Aquarium costs $39.95 for adults, $34.95 for teens ages 13 to 17 and $24.95 for children ages 3 to 12. I have been to the aquarium once and it's one of the best I have seen. If you are in San Francisco Bay area there are other aquariums as well, including the one on Pier-39 in San Francisco but Monterey Bay Aquarium is found better in comparison.

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The drive from San Francisco to Monterey Bay is awesome which exposes you to various things like - beautiful beaches around the coast, some wonderful towns, farm-lands with lot of machines rolling over and some industries. Above photograph is clicked while driving towards Monterey Bay from Santa Cruz.

Old Fisherman's Wharf is known for costly restaurants and souvenir shops which attracts most of the visitors for their meal break. This is a nice place to have a meal and some of the restaurants have nice views of the harbour. Above photograph is clicked from the restaurant where we had our lunch. This is also the place to go if you're interested in a whale-watching tours or a kayaking excursion on the bay.

A quick stroll on Old Fisherman's Wharf offers panoramic views of the bay, not to mention the seals that sunbathe on the nearby rocks and boats. The clam chowder is popular thing to try when you are on Old Fisherman's Wharf. Many of the restaurants serving it offer samples to passersby, so you can have the equivalent of a small cup by simply making sample rounds :) .

Cannery Row is the core of Monterey's tourism industry and quite popular on internet when you start looking for happening places around San Francisco Bay area. Boutique hotels, shops and restaurants line this seaside avenue and attract thousands of travelers each year. Over the period of time, Cannery Row has become very expensive and tourists don't find it as charming as it used to be.

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Cannery Row Antique Mall is relatively more popular get an idea about this place and it's speciality. The small McAbee beach offers panoramic views of Monterey Bay.

Above photograph shows standard view around the Monterey Bay. There are some beautiful parks maintained around this area. So at times, if you feel bored of the hustle bustle of the core touristy areas, these are great places to walk around and some of these parks are close to the beaches. While you are around the beaches of Monterey Bay, make sure you carry a good jacket as it's quite windy around the bay.

Parking can be an issue during weekends. Lot of people drive to Monterey Bay during weekends and there can be moments when you have to drive around to find a spot & do it multiple times till you find a parking spot.

Carmel-by-the-Sea is another sea-side town with a few small shops and cafes. This pricey town has plenty of designer stores, gourmet eateries and upscale art galleries that cater to its wealthy residents. It's a place to walk around and especially long walk during sunset/sunrise around the coast.

While driving to Monterey Bay from San Francisco Bay area, there are various stops on the way which can expose you to different experiences. Some of the common ones are -

1. Half Moonbay
2. Santa Cruz
3. Point Lobos Natural Reserve
4. Cyprus Grove Trail
5. Bird Island Trail
6. 17 Mile Drive
7. Lone Cyprus
8. Pebble Beach
9. Bixby Bridge
10. Andrew Molera State Park
11. Pfeiffer Beach

I am sure I am missing lot of other interesting place one can explore on the way. There are various coast-side towns on the way and during the weekend there are various activities which keep happening, so worth checking what's happening around Monterey Bay to plan your day/weekend well.

There are good restaurants around Monterey Bay to enjoy sea-food. It was a break for us at Monterey Bay before we head towards Big Sur. We had our lunch at the Old Fisherman's Warf, walked around a bit and then started towards Big Sur.

Monterey Bay remains one of the most popular weekend destination for folks in San Francisco Bay Area and 2 core activities remain on the top - a visit to Monterey Bay Aquarium and Whale Watching Tours. I am yet to do a Whale watching tour and hopefully will do it soon and come back with more interesting Photo Journey from Monterey Bay.

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