Monterey Bay Aquarium's Cannery Row Walking Tour
Summary: Join us for a walking tour of famed Cannery Row, starting just outside the Aquarium. Our Director of Interpretive Programs, Jim Covel, supplies fascinating insight into Cannery Row, inspiration for the famous John Steinbeck novel of the same name. The complete one-mile walking tour (all 11 segments) takes about an hour.
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- Artist: Monterey Bay Aquarium
- Copyright: 2011-2012, Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation
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This walking tour begins at the main entrance to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, site of the famed Cannery Row.
Learn about the La Ida café—now a restaurant—made famous in Steinbeck"s “Cannery Row.”
Hear about the Wing Chong store, a popular hangout for characters in the two Steinbeck novels set in this area.
If this building could talk! Learn about Doc Ricketts lab, where he lived, did scientific work, and entertained the most colorful and famous characters of the Row.
Learn about McAbee beach, where Portuguese harpoon whalers watched for their prey and a Chinese village once stood.
Hear how the simple concept of a wooden “fish hopper” revolutionized the sardine business and helped bring in 70 tons of fish each hour.
Learn how this spot became the site of an elegant family estate — until the “fragrance” of the canneries drove the residents away.
Hear about the tragic death of Doc Ricketts, which took place on this spot, and where a memorial stands today.
Learn about the Del Monte Express. In the 1880s, this train helped move sardines from the canneries to points across the country in just a day or two.
Hear about the canning business, how it changed over the decades, and how it all came to an abrupt end in the early 1950s.
Learn about the lives of typical cannery workers, who stayed in unassuming shacks.
