Monterey
A local perspective.

Monterey, following the historic places beyond the waterfront

Old Monterey’s historic sites are woven through the present-day city rather than enclosed in a single museum campus. California State Parks describes Monterey State Historic Park as a collection of houses and other significant buildings near Custom House Plaza and Fisherman’s Wharf. The area records Monterey’s role as a political and commercial center under Spanish, Mexican and United States military rule. Monterey State Historic Park overview

Use the Path of History to connect individual sites

The Path of History follows a roughly two-mile route through downtown, with yellow-tiled markers helping visitors recognize the connection between buildings, gardens and streets. It can be joined at different points. That format makes it possible to focus on a particular historic place rather than treating the route as an obligation to enter every building. Path of History and current tour information

Buildings and interiors have different stories

State Parks describes the Stevenson House as an 1840s adobe where Robert Louis Stevenson stayed in 1879. The Larkin House represents another chapter: a home from the 1830s that also served as an American consulate in the following decade. Their present-day interpretation and visitor access are separate from simply viewing their locations on a city walk. Historic-house interpretation and tours

Read the historic city within a longer landscape

State Parks acknowledges the ancestral territory of Esselen and Rumsen-speaking First Peoples and their continuing connection to this land. The preserved nineteenth-century buildings represent particular periods within that longer history. Check the park’s current schedule for interiors and guided activities; following the outdoor route does not itself establish that every historic house is open. Land acknowledgment and park visitor resources

Editorial review: 2026-11-07