Weekend Family Getaway to Pacific Grove

One of our favorite places for a quick family getaway is the picturesque seaside town of Pacific Grove. Not as famous or flashy as Monterey, Carmel, and its other neighbors in the Monterey Bay Area, Pacific Grove makes up for this in charm, billing itself as "America's Last Hometown" and "Butterfly Town USA". With a close proximity to the Bay Area, plenty of things to see and do, and an amazing coastal location, Pacific Grove is an ideal place for a family getaway over a long weekend.

Winter can be an especially nice time to go, with fewer crowds and nice weather. Last week, we were there over New Year's and the temperatures were in the mid 60s!

Things to do

Located on the tip of the Monterey Peninsula between Monterey and Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove (known by locals as "PG") boasts not only natural wonders like Asilomar State Beach, but also a cute bustling downtown with plenty of dining options and a wide variety of places to stay. The city of Monterey and the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium are literally minutes away, the aquarium actually sited only a few yards from the Monterey-Pacific Grove border.

Since it's a seaside community, there are plenty of activities focused around the ocean. Asilomar State Beach faces the Pacific Ocean on the west side of town, and features a broad expanse of white sand beach, tidepools, and miles of walking paths. Watch for sea otters bobbing around in the surf, and look for whales passing by in winter and spring. On the north side of town in Lover's Point Park, with its own beach on the calmer Monterey Bay, a snack bar, kiddie pool, recreational facilities, and more. It's here that the annual Feast of Lanterns carnival, pageant, and fireworks take place. This popular event is held in late July every year; lodging fills up fast, so if you're planning on coming make your reservations early.

Every fall and winter, Pacific Grove becomes home to over 25,000 Monarch butterflies, many of whom reside in the city's Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary. You can view overwintering butterflies in the sanctuary from October through February. Admission is free, and there are often informative docents on hand to answer questions and let you have a view through a spotting scope. The Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History, at the corner of Forest and Central Avenues, also offers free admission, and present exhibits of local plants, animals, geology, and native peoples. A visit to Point Pinos Lighthouse, the oldest operating lighthouse on the West Coast (it was built in 1855) is always worth a visit, too. You can check the PG Museum website for hours and locations of all these attractions.

As we mentioned, the more tourist-oriented attractions of neighboring Monterey, including the aquarium, Cannery Row, and Fisherman's Wharf, are close by. We try to pay a visit to the Dennis the Menace Playground in El Estero Park, located right off Del Monte Avenue on Pearl Street, near the Fisherman's Wharf area. The playground was created in part by Dennis the Menace cartoonist and Monterey resident Hank Ketcham, and will keep kids busy for hours with numerous slides, bridges, a maze, a climbing wall, and other play structures. The park, originally buitl in the 1950s, has some cool old-school park features like a real metal slide (remember those?) and a genuine Southern Pacific steam locomotive to explore. There are also restrooms and a snack bar on-site.

Places to eat

One of our favorite family friendly dining spots in PG is the popular Toasties Cafe, downtown at 702 Lighthouse Avenue. It's a great spot for breakfast and lunch, and there are toys like Magnadoodles on hand to keep kids occupied while you wait for your food. Outdoor dining is an option on nice days. Right around the corner is Caledonia Park, which has a nice playground where kids can play afterward.

Other family friendly places we've tried and liked include:

• The Little Chicken House (1193 Forest Avenue) for barbeque and rotisserie chicken
• Peppers Mexicali Cafe (170 Forest Avenue)
• Allioti's Victorian Corner Restaurant (541 Lighthouse Avenue)
• Michael's Grill & Taqueria (in the Country Club Gate shopping center)

There's also a Trader Joes on Forest Avenue (across from the Little Chicken House) if you want to pick up snacks or stuff to make your own lunch.

Where to stay

We're lucky enough to have good friends who let us stay at their house when we're down in Pacific Grove. Of course this probably isn't going to work for you, but that's OK, as PG is chock full of lodging options ranging from quaint B&Bs to classic motels. Some good options for familes with children include:

• Butterfly Grove Inn, located near the Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, has a pool, and most rooms have fireplaces and whirpool tubs.
• Bide-a-Wee Inn and Cottages, which is pet-friendly and has picnic tables and barbeque pits available
• Andril Fireplace Cottages have full kitchens, wood-burning fireplaces; the motel offers free coffee and popcorn, a pingpong table, outdoor barbeques, and over 300 free DVD movies.
• Asilomar Conference Grounds, located a stone's throw from Asilomar State Beach, started life as a YWCA retreat in 1913 and has rooms available in its rustic buildiings, many of which were designed by noted architect Julia Morgan. There's a dining hall on the grounds, and Asilomar offers a pool and wireless Internet access.

The Pacific Grove Chamber of Commerce also maintains an extensive list of places to stay on its website.

How to get there

Pacific Grove and the Monterey Peninsula are about a 2-1/2 to 3 hour drive south of Marin, depending on the traffic.The most direct route is to pick up Interstate 280 in San Francisco and follow it to 101 in San Jose. Head south on 101 until you get to Prunedale, where you'll exit onto Highway 156 west, which will run into Highway 1 in Castroville. Follow 1 south and take the Del Monte Boulevard/Pacific Grove exit into Monterey.

Once in Monterey, head west on Del Monte Boulevard and follow the signs to Cannery Row and Lighthouse Avenue. Take Lighthouse through Monterey, then turn left onto David Avenue and then right again back onto Lighthouse which you can then take directly into downtown Pacific Grove.