Monterey State Historic Park
Monterey State Historic Park
Monterey State Historic Park
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A state park in Monterey that operates tours of its gardens and historic buildings dating back to the 17th century.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
169 reviews
Excellent
77
Very good
64
Average
21
Poor
4
Terrible
3
Bartholomew2
Monterey, California, USA68 contributions
Aug 2012 • Solo
California history is at its best in the preserved buildings and guided walks of Monterey State Historic Park. Pay for the walking tours!!! They are so worth it!!! Plan on it taking you "all day" but you will have places to eat within easy walking access. Leave you vehicle in the Fisherman's Wharf parking lot for the day or take the local bus from your hotel area if you can. Plan on being overwhelmed with history. What happened in the area from the time of the Padres on through California becoming a state was fascinating. You would be doing yourself a favor to read up on it some before going. The Park website is excellent and gives you plenty to preview and think about before going.
Written July 29, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bfarly
San Francisco, CA68 contributions
Nov 2017 • Couples
This place has such incredible history. Tours are given by park rangers and are offered on Thursday, Friday Saturday & Sunday at 10:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2:00 p.m. Tours are $5 for adults, children 12-and-under are free. Our park ranger was Aaron, who had been there for two years. It was about an hour and 15 minutes total, and he was so wonderful at telling the stories, responding to questions, and pivoting on the information he provided based on our interests. Did you know that they used whale bones to create the sidewalks?! Very much worth the visit.
Written November 29, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Brenda G
Fresno, CA71 contributions
Jul 2014 • Friends
The tour guide was very knowledgable about the details of early Monterey, all three peoples: Native Ohlone, Mexican rulers and modern Californios. Took time to explain and show pictures of how the bay and beach areas used to be, before industrialization. Tour guide was also very knowledgable about early families, their backgrounds, and ultimate influence on the modern State of Calif. Museum is small but has enough to make it worthwhile-- especially if you also take time to see the nearby Art Museum. We were also luck enough to be there on the July 4th weekend when the community put on a 2 hour re-enactment of "Sloat's Landing" and placed the first U.S. flag over the Custom's House. They say it is a yearly event, very worthwhile with a great Emcee/Narrator.
Written July 6, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Suzelle
San Luis Obispo, CA37 contributions
Apr 2014 • Friends
We signed up for the 45-60 minute tour, $5pp, and very much enjoyed learning much more about Monterey than we anticipated. No tour, just browse on your own is $3pp. The tour definitely enhanced our stop in this historical city. Some others have referenced the walking aspect to the tour. It's really not that much, and feels good to move some about the area rather than be contained to 1-2 buildings.
Written April 22, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Steve N
Lodi, California, United States114 contributions
Aug 2019
Worth checking out to find out about early California history. An easy stroll will add to your enjoyment of the natural beauty nearby.
Written August 30, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
hiking-har
Berkeley, CA632 contributions
May 2016 • Friends
It is nice to see how the history is preserved and you can enjoy it all for free. Grab a map and follow the stone path in the ground and you will learn a bit about the history of the area and will pass through several nice gardens.
Written July 6, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
djne11026
Gateshead, UK498 contributions
Aug 2015 • Couples
We did this self guided tour using information from the Visitors centre . Although we would have loved more houses to be open it was still great to wk on the trail and read the information provided. The locations were good and , knowing nothing before we came, we now know about the history and lives of people in Monterey.
Written August 20, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TimSamsTravelUSA
Viera, FL339 contributions
Jul 2015 • Couples
Take the the tours at each part. We paid $5.00 for each person. The guide spent one hour for just the two of us. I learned a lot about the start of California.
Written July 18, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Canoso
California71 contributions
Oct 2014 • Family
Near the spot where the USA seized California from Mexico, in the shadow of the Presidio Chapel (well, nearly), in the city of the colonial capital, and Mexican capital of Alta California, you have 3 museums clustered around a single plaza. Check them out! Food is available nearby in abundance.
Written November 13, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LoriH63
Tulare, CA62 contributions
Sep 2014 • Business
Step back in time and explore the diverse and rich cultural history of Californias' first capital. Recommend the weekend walking tour of three musuems guided by state park historian. Also the park features art and craft fairs on weekends. When we visited it an Italian festival with local food and wine was taking place with a live band.
Written September 12, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Can you tell me the opening hours for a weekday in August please?
Written June 16, 2019
The museums are open from 10 am to 4 pm each day, except Monday when the Pacific House Museum is closed.
Written October 13, 2019
Sophie L
Saint-Felix-de-Valois, Canada
How much is parking on week days? Thanks in advance :)
Written August 6, 2018
There are several lots around Fishman's Wharf, the historic park is at the base of the wharf. If you take the walking tour, you walk along many streets with parking, if you get the route map in advance, you can start the tour anywhere. The Presidio Chapel is at the end of the walking tour and there is plenty of street parking. We left the parking lot with the car on the back of a two truck and they just let us go. The parking fee is not high.
Written August 16, 2018
How far from cruise ship landing
Written October 14, 2017
From the cruise ship a tender will take you to Fisherman's Wharf. Walk to the end of the pier, 600 ft., and you will walk into the Historical Park which is about 500 ft square. Total distance round trip is about 1/2 mile of flat walking. Enjoy!
Written October 15, 2017
Bisogna prenotare? L'ingresso al parco quanto costa?e' obbligatoria la visita guidata?
Written September 22, 2015
No.
Mi pare che abbiamo fatto una donazione.
Se sei informato non ti serve la guida.
Written September 23, 2015
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