Audio Adventure Walks

Starting from the magnificent Monterey Bay Aquarium, take a short and easy walk and do a deep dive into the interesting history of Monterey Bay on an audio tour along the paved and popular multi-use Monterey Coastal Recreation Trail. The Monterey History Walking Tour is a nice way to get an overview of the beautiful bay and its diverse history.

On your phone, listen to the audio tour narrated by Jim Covel. It’s just half a mile, so you can take your time listening to six segments telling the stories behind historic sites that you’re seeing, including the American Tin Cannery and the Hopkins Marine Sanctuary.

There’s a second audio tour, this one along the lively and famous Cannery Row. It also starts just outside the Aquarium and goes for one mile, with 11 audio segments. You’ll get loads of interesting information at Cannery Row, including John Steinbeck’s relationship to the area and how it inspired his novel of the same name.

BONUS EATS: Along the Cannery Row History Walk you’ll encounter an old redwood box, and an original FishHopper—a rare relic of an erstwhile fishing system where mass volumes of sardines could be dumped into the box and moved into the canneries. You can also dine at a restaurant whose name is an ode to FishHoppers. The Fish Hopper Seafood & Steaks restaurant is right on the bay, and a patio seat often gets you up close to views of wildlife like sea otters lounging in the kelp. Popular dishes are the clam chowder (of course it’s famous!), crispy jumbo prawns, and crispy halibut and chips.