Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
guided walking tour portentously called the 'Path of History.' You can inspect dozens of
buildings, many with charming gardens; expect some to be open while others aren't, ac-
cording to a capricious schedule dictated by unfortunate state-park budget cutbacks.
Pacific House
MUSEUM
Custom House $3, incl walking tour $5; 10am-4pm Fri-Sun)
Find out what's currently open at Monterey State Historic Park, grab a free map and buy
tickets for guided walking tours inside this 1847 adobe building, where fascinatingly in-
depth exhibits covering the state's early Spanish, Mexican and American eras are on dis-
play.
Nearby are some of the state park's historical highlights, including an
old whaling sta-
Steinbeck's novel
Tortilla Flat
.
Custom House
HISTORIC BUILDING
tour $5; 10am-4pm Fri-Sun)
In 1822, a newly independent Mexico ended the Spanish trade monopoly and stipulated
that any traders bringing goods to Alta (Upper) California must first unload their cargoes
here for duty to be assessed. In 1846 when the US flag was raised over the Custom House,
voilĂ !
California was formally annexed from Mexico. Restored to its 1840s appearance,
today this adobe building displays an exotic selection of goods that traders once brought to
exchange for California cowhides.
Stevenson House
HISTORIC BUILDING
Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson came to Monterey in 1879 to court his wife-to-be,
Fanny Osbourne. This building, then the French Hotel, was where he stayed while re-
putedly devising his novel
Treasure Island
. The boarding-house rooms were primitive and