Things to do nearCannery Row

Cannery Row takes its name from the sardine canning industry that dominated this stretch of Monterey, California, through the first half of the twentieth century. At its peak, the row housed nearly two dozen canneries processing millions of cases of fish each year, drawing workers from across the region and shaping the character of the entire town.

John Steinbeck immortalized the street and its residents in his 1945 novel of the same name, and a bronze statue of the author now stands near the waterfront as a nod to that legacy. Walking the row today, you can still spot rehabilitated cannery buildings alongside marine research facilities that carry on a scientific tradition dating back to the early 1900s.

The Monterey Bay Aquarium, opened in 1984 inside a former sardine cannery, anchors the northern end of the row and draws visitors with its kelp forest exhibits and sea otter program. Beyond the aquarium, the street offers kayak rentals, whale-watching departures, and tide-pool walks guided by local naturalists.

Cannery Row rewards a slow, curious visit, where the layers of industrial history, ecological richness, and Pacific scenery combine into something genuinely distinctive along the California coast.