Cannery Row

Cannery Row runs along the shore of Monterey Bay between downtown Monterey and Pacific Grove. In the first half of the 20th century it was a mile of sardine canneries and reduction plants, connected by conveyor bridges over the street and full of noise and fish smell. The sardines disappeared in the late 1940s and the canneries closed one by one. The street, then called Ocean View Avenue, took the name of John Steinbeck's 1945 novel in 1958. Today the old cannery buildings hold hotels, restaurants, wine bars and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Our Monterey Bay Aquarium guide covers tickets, feedings and aquarium parking. This page is about the rest of the Row: the drive, the literary history, the trail, tasting rooms, food and a sample day.

Getting there from Palo Alto

Cannery Row is about 80 miles from Palo Alto. Plan on 1.75 to 2 hours each way. The usual route is US 101 south through San Jose to Prunedale, Highway 156 west and Highway 1 south into Monterey. Take the Del Monte Avenue exit and follow the waterfront past the harbor, or continue to the Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach exit and drop down to the Row from above.

The scenic route goes over Highway 17 to Santa Cruz and around the bay on Highway 1. It adds time but lets you stop at Moss Landing on the way. There are no tolls either way. Leave Palo Alto by 7:30 a.m. on weekdays to clear San Jose before the worst traffic.

Steinbeck, Doc and the old Row

Steinbeck lived in Pacific Grove in the early 1930s in a house owned by his father. He spent long days on the Row. His closest friend there was Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist who ran the Pacific Biological Laboratory at 800 Cannery Row and sold specimens to schools and labs. Ricketts became "Doc" in Cannery Row and its 1954 sequel, Sweet Thursday. The two men also sailed together to the Sea of Cortez in 1940. Steinbeck had studied at Stanford in the 1920s, a story our John Steinbeck page tells.

A few places to look for:

• The lab at 800 Cannery Row, a small, plain wooden building between larger cannery structures. It is owned by the City of Monterey and usually closed, though the city opens it for occasional tours.
• The Ricketts bust, at the corner beside the Monterey Plaza Hotel, near where Ricketts' car was hit by a train in 1948. He died of his injuries days later.
• Steinbeck Plaza, the small square in the middle of the Row, where the business association hosts free live music on some holidays.
• Sidewalk can labels. Sixteen historic packing labels are set into the sidewalks along the Row.

The Cannery Row Business Association's free walking map app adds 27 history displays and a scavenger hunt for the can labels. It is the easiest self-guided tour.

What to do on the Row

• The Monterey Bay Aquarium, at the west end of the Row, with adult tickets at $65 in November 2026. Plan at least three hours. You can book aquarium tickets ahead.
• The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail, a paved path for walkers and cyclists that runs behind the Row. Head east about a mile to Old Fisherman's Wharf, or west along the rocky shore into Pacific Grove.
• Treasure Hunt: The Ride, an interactive ride built for the Row and themed on Monterey's pirate legends, popular with kids.
• Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop, 660 Cannery Row, the company's first store outside San Francisco, known for its eight-scoop Earthquake sundae.
• Whale watching. Boats leave from Old Fisherman's Wharf, a short walk east. Gray whales pass in winter and spring and humpbacks feed in the bay from spring into fall. Book with an operator on the wharf and expect cold, bumpy water.

Tasting rooms

Cannery Row is a handy place to taste Monterey County wine without driving between wineries. The business association's wine page lists:

• A Taste of Monterey Wine Market and Bistro, 700 Cannery Row, a wine bar and shop pouring from more than 95 local wineries, with small plates and bay views.
• Bargetto Wine Tasting Room, 700 Cannery Row, an outpost of the Soquel winery that has made wine in the Santa Cruz Mountains since 1933.
• The Wine Experience, 381 Cannery Row, with tastings, wine classes, blending and winemaking sessions.

Fees vary by flight and room and change often, so check before you go. Everyone tasting must be 21 or older with ID.

Plan the drive home before the first pour. California's legal limit for adult drivers is 0.08 percent blood alcohol and the trip back to Palo Alto is two hours of highway. Choose a sober driver, share flights or stay the night within walking distance of the Row.

Where to eat

• The Fish Hopper, 700 Cannery Row, a seafood restaurant over the water. Its site lists daily hours of 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• The Sardine Factory, 701 Wave Street, a block uphill, open since October 2, 1968. Its site lists dinner Sunday to Thursday from 4:30 to 9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 4:30 to 10 p.m., with happy hours in the lounge.
• Coniglio Brothers Italian Deli, 750 Cannery Row, Suite 108, listed by the business association as a quick lunch stop.
• Bubba Gump Shrimp Company, 720 Cannery Row, a family-friendly chain with bay views, also on the association's dining list.

Restaurant hours change by season, so check each site before you go. For coffee before the aquarium opens, our aquarium guide lists a downtown roaster that opens early.

Parking

The Cannery Row Parking Garage at 601 Foam Street is the largest option, a few blocks uphill from the waterfront. City lots and metered spaces on Foam Street, Wave Street and the side streets fill in around it. Rates are posted at each lot and the City of Monterey accepts the ParkMobile app. On summer weekends and during Monterey Car Week in August, lots near the aquarium can fill by late morning, so arrive early or park near Old Fisherman's Wharf and walk the trail in.

Best time to go

Weekdays outside school holidays are the calmest. September and October usually bring the clearest weather. Summer mornings are often foggy and cool. Winter is quiet, with lower hotel rates and the chance of gray whales offshore. Avoid Car Week in August unless you are going for the cars. Our weather guide explains why the coast is so much cooler than Palo Alto.

A sample day

1. 7:30 a.m. Leave Palo Alto on US 101 south.
2. 9:30 a.m. Park at the Foam Street garage and be at the aquarium when it opens.
3. 1 p.m. Lunch at The Fish Hopper or a deli sandwich on the trail.
4. 2 p.m. Walk the Row with the app: the lab at 800 Cannery Row, the Ricketts bust and the sidewalk labels.
5. 3 p.m. A tasting at A Taste of Monterey while your driver walks the trail toward Pacific Grove.
6. 4:30 p.m. Early dinner, then the drive home.

To make a weekend of it, you can compare hotels on Cannery Row and add 17-Mile Drive or Carmel-by-the-Sea the next day. Our Monterey and Carmel guide puts the whole peninsula in one plan. See all our day trips from Palo Alto.

Frequently asked questions