Mondays are for dreaming: Pacific Grove

Many moons ago, in our pre-child days, Matt and I drove up Route 1 from Los Angeles through Big Sur. We spent a few nights at the end of our drive in Pacific Grove, a little less touristy than its flashier neighbors Monterey and Pebble Beach but an excellent spot for doing all the things the area has to offer.

I’d love to take the kids to Pacific Grove. Now that they’re a bit older, I think we could find an appropriate bed and breakfast from among the many Victorian beauties the town has on offer. While visiting, we’d be sure to:

• Rent bikes and ride them for miles along the coast, stopping to explore tide pools and watch the many adorable sea otters at play in the water.
• Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium, one of the best you’ll find anywhere, including a hands-on area with 45 exhibits (they even have stuff for babies here).
• Check out the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the West coast at Point Pinos

An added attraction that I know my boys would love is the chance to see thousands of Monarch butterflies that spend the winter in Pacific Grove. We’ll be sure to visit between October and February, prime butterfly-viewing season at the sanctuary the town has created to protect these fragile insects.

So no Carmel, no Cannery Row, no Pebble Beach golf for us – it would be all about nature, animals, and hopefully a great meal at Taste Café and Bistro, which I remember as having fabulous eats all those years ago that I was there.

My posts this week are going to be a bit shorter than usual, because I’m working quite hard behind the scenes to get my new blog up and running. I’m planning a big, blog launch party in the middle of next week – be sure to tell your friends!

Photo of Pacific Grove sign courtesy of uzvards.

Photo of butterflies courtesy of Tolka Rover.

Photo of Pacific Ocean courtesy of Vicki & Chuck Rogers.