We just got back from one of my favorite family getaways—a little jewel of a beach town called Pacific Grove. Pacific Grove is a bastion of small-town America that bills itself as “America’s Last Hometown.” It’s nestled between the city of Monterey, Pebble Beach, the Pacific Ocean, and Monterey Bay. One of my kids’ favorite spots in Pacific Grove (or PG, as the locals call it) is Asilomar State Beach. The white sand beach is the perfect place to build sandcastles or to splash at the shore. There’s also a great walking path that follows the shore on and off throughout Pacific Grove. Along the walkway are a numerous small beaches where children can explore tide pools and see starfish, crabs and anemones. Aside from the beautiful beaches, there are a couple of really nice parks in town for the kids to play in. There is Caledonia Park in downtown Pacific Grove and Dennis the Menace Park in Monterey. Another great outing for the kids, which we didn’t get to do this time around, is the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is literally right on the border of PG and Monterey .
When we are out and about in Pacific Grove, we always go to the family-friendly restaurant called Toasties. Toasties is right on PG’s main drag, Lighthouse Ave., and you have your choice of sitting inside or outside in the patio area in nice weather. The friendly servers will always offer a selection of toys for children to play with while waiting, including Magnadoodles, games, and more. As an added bonus, Caledonia Park is just around the corner, so kids can either work up an appetite before lunch or burn off some carbs on the play equipment after you eat.
PG is also known as “Butterfly Town, USA,” but I’ll write about that in a separate post, so check back soon.
