The Peninsula is a genuinely great place to have kids, and not only because of the obvious headliner. Beyond the Aquarium, the coast and the towns are full of low-cost, low-stress ways to burn a kid’s afternoon.
The Aquarium is the anchor, with its touch pools and otters, but the tide pools at Asilomar and Lovers Point deliver much of the same wonder for free. Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey, designed with the cartoonist who lived here, is a local rite of passage, and the recreation trail is flat and safe for little bikes and scooters. Add a beach afternoon at Del Monte and a cone on Cannery Row and you have a full day.
Dress kids in layers for the coast, pack water and snacks, and plan around nap and meal times, since the towns get busy midday. Many of the best options, the trail, the tide pools, the beaches, cost nothing at all.
See what family-friendly events are coming up on our events calendar, and our beaches guide points to the calmest coves. For more ideas around the region, See Monterey keeps a family guide.
