monterey california area guide

Cannery Row is home to Monterey Bay Aquarium and many local shops and restaurants. Originally home to 21 fishing canneries and first made famous by John Steinbeck’s 1954 novel of the same name, Cannery Row is where you’ll find various historic buildings and Fisherman’s Wharf. You can even see plays performed throughout the year at the Wharf Theater.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world. Located at the north end of Cannery Row, the aquarium has an annual attendance of 1.8 million visitors and is home to over 35,000 plants and animals, representing 623 species of aquatic life. With both hotels only minutes away, Ramada is the most convenient of all the Monterey Bay Aquarium hotels.

Take Highway 1 two miles south of Carmel’s Rio Road and you’ll find what has come to be known as “the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world”, Point Lobos State Reserve. The 550 acre park is teeming with scenic trails and spectacular views. For information call (831) 624-4909.

In addition to Point Lobos there is also the scenic 17 Mile Drive, Carmel-by-the-Sea and the pastoral beauty of Carmel Valley, which are all less than 10 minutes away. Ramada is centrally located to all of these transcendent locations, making us the most convenient of all the Monterey, California, downtown motels.