Though tourist visit Monterey throughout the year, there is a distinct tourist season, and visiting off-season (between November and April) has its rewards.
If you like to visit historic buildings and heritage gardens, springtime is a great time to visit Monterey, and to learn about the beginnings of California’s statehood.
In addition to being the first capital of California (under both Spain and Mexico), Monterey’s other “firsts” include:
- California’s first theater
- California’s first brick house
- California’s first public building and library
- California’s first publicly funded school
- and California’s first printing press and newspaper
The photos for this post were taken during the off-season months of March / April this year, and as you will see, there are not very many visitors…yet.
The gardens are fresh with new growth, and with many benches around town, it is easy to stop, sit and take in the beauty of the area.
A springtime visit will reward you with gardens fresh with new growth, and a variety of flowers emerging and expressing new life, and the beauty of the season…
A popular destination in Monterey is Fisherman’s Wharf, and off-season or springtime visits mean there is plenty of room to take a leisurely stroll, stop and watch seals (or people watch), and when you are ready to eat, wharf restaurants will have plenty of seating.
The average temperature in Monterey is 57 degrees and oddly (like San Francisco) the summer is often foggy and cold.
We moved to the Monterey Bay area during the middle of summer 9 years ago, and had the heater on pretty much all summer long! We felt very wimpy for doing so, but it really is cold during summer. Thankfully, we are now accustomed to the weather and do not need heaters until winter.
In addition to spring, the fall is also a great time to visit, and for me, the best weather, with many clear and sunny days.
Chart of Monterey Climate via Wikipedia commons
For more Monterey related post and photographs on LolaKo.com, click here.
This post is my entry for this week’s WordPress Photo Challenge theme “Off-Season”, hosted by Krista:
This week, we challenge you to show us what off-season means to you. It could be the shuttered ice-cream stand in the Southern Hemisphere where winter is drawing near. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere it might your snowmobile peeking out from beneath its tarp, or your Christmas decorations arranged neatly in the attic. Feel free to interpret this theme loosely — consider objects at rest and unmoved, places that are stagnant or abandoned.
See other entries for this theme from the WordPress blogging community here.