This is one of the biggest tourist traps in the world. Most shops and are touristy, tacky and overpriced...But the kids will probably love this area with all the sweets, toys, and cheesy souvenirs. $7 bar of soap? Check. $20 "Monterey" T shirt, check. Bland ice cream for $4 a scoop? Check. The restaurants completely cater to tourists looking for convenience and a California ocean view. That said, I've eaten at the Fish Hopper and Linguine Louie's, both of which are overpriced but the food was good enough. The main reason to come here is to see the amazing Monterey Bay Aquarium...perhaps the best in America! read more

Monterey, CA. Cannery Row was...interesting. Definitely a tourist trap, in some regard. It seems that all of the shops get their trinkets from the same distributor...lot of the same stuff in more than a few places. But, the Aquarium is very cool. Some of the shops are interesting (with the expected high prices!), and there're plenty of places to grab some food or a drink. Parking? Youch. It's dog-eat-dog to find a spot. We finally gave up after circling 4 times, and paid for a spot in one of the lots. It's not going to blow you away, but there's enough there to hold your interest for a bit! read more

Cannery Row - It's picturesque, for sure! - Shopping Centers Near Me - Monterey, California

As a local I love cannery row it's such a fun cool spot to come and enjoy some beautiful views, have some drinks and enjoy great food. A lot of new things are coming to Cannery row and I love to see it change throughout my years here. read more

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Such a great place to drop by in Monterey to let time go by. My husband and I parked our car and went on a stroll around this beautiful place. They had many shops to check out and restaurants to eat at. They also had beautiful view points of the beach which was great. We hung out for about 3-4 hours and had an amazing time! We decided to even have dinner here since of how tempting all the restaurants looked. I'm glad we stopped by here and spent the rest of our time here. read more

Cannery Row - Shopping Centers Near Me - Monterey, California

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So quaint and fun! It's full of tourists and smiling faces. Lots of cool little shops, restaurants and candy shops. Fun to see little kids play with parents by the water. Tons of places to eat or get coffee with a great view. A little gem. read more

Cannery Row - Cannery row - Shopping Centers Near Me - Monterey, California

This place just brings back good memories! I visited when I was younger, and now I visited with my own family and kids. It's an idealistic tourist spot, complete with many smashed pennies machines. Yes, I'm a collector! The entire family enjoyed looking at all the stores, and window shopping too. We visited early in the morning during covid19, so there was plenty of street parking with meters and everyone had to wear a mask, or there was a $100 fine. The aquarium was closed at this time, which makes sense. There was even a little staircase that went down to the shore, and the kids loved looking for little crabs and putting their feet in the water. read more

Very touristy but still interesting and historically relevant. I really appreciate the story of John Steinbeck and Ed Ricketts and Monterey's past as the "Sardine Capital of the World." So while you'll walk past plenty of T-shirt shops, you'll also pass statues and admire the coastline. It's right by the aquarium so if you're headed there, you might as well stroll down Cannery Row. PARKING: If you're here on a weekend, do not turn onto Cannery Row. You'll get stuck letting pedestrians pass for an endless amount of time. Just look for parking on an adjacent street. I had the misfortune of visiting on a Saturday and parking was tough to find. The garage is way overpriced and had a line of cars waiting to get in. Got lucky and found a metered street spot a couple blocks away. read more

We walked through many of the shops and stores in Cannery Row. It's a tourist trap, and we knew this, but we wanted to see it. Unfortunately, we didn't find any sort of local, non-tacky places on the row itself. Walk a few streets over to the better options. read more

Cannery Row - Shopping Centers Near Me - Monterey, California

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It was raining today. Lots of drivers appeared to be confused where to park, where to turn. We decided to go elsewhere today. Been about 30 years since we've been here. We'll be back. read more

I 100% recommend this to anybody that wants to have a nice layed back vacation, listen to the waves crash,smell of the ocean breeze enjoy some shopping for whatever and a lot of top-notch restaurants! read more

Cannery Row...to be honest I was a little disappointed! It's really just a street with a bunch of chain stores and restaurants. There's a few local stores, but when we stopped by it seemed like a ghost town with not all the stores open. We walked through it to say we did it but it wasn't that exciting. Our favorite part was definitely the viewpoints along the pier since they jut out into the water. It was fine but next time we'll skip it! read more

When we first think of John Steinbeck, we think of "Grapes of Wrath". Our second thought is probably "Cannery Row". Today's Cannery Row" is a waterfront street in Monterey, California. Once a seaside fishing port city with an emphasis on sardine canning, today it is a multi-dimensional tourist destination. The remains of cannery factories are still visible. In Steinbeck's opening sentence in his book "Cannery Row" he describes the street as "a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream." Today it is part Steinbeck nostalgia and part modern seaside recreational resort. The Pacific Biological Laboratories headed by Edward Ricketts featured in Steinbeck's book can still be seen. The Chinese American store is now a vacant lot. Look for the historical marker for Murray Hacienda Hotel and the once La Ida Cafe which inspired 851 Cannery Row. The Monterey Aquarium built in 1987 is the former site of Houden Cannery run by Mr. Houden a Norweigen, (1916-1973). It was the last cannery to close it's doors. After you have satisfied your nostalgia, there are a lot more things to do. The Monterey Aquarium which opened in 1987 is the biggest attraction. The Edward F. Ricketts State Marine Conservation area is fostering a resurgence of sea lions right off the coast.The Macabee and San Carlos Beaches bookend Cannary row and are popular launching points for kayaking and scuba diving. The Sardine Factory offers fine dinning with an atmosphere provided by glass domed rooms and white table cloths. There are plenty of other restaurants of various price ranges as well. Stand-up paddle-boarding, local wine tasting, hip boutiques, cycling and craft beers are other options to consume your time. I recommend the British Saloon "Coopers Pub". They have 14 tap beers and a Happy Hour form Monday-Friday from 3 pm - 6 pm. You can get a pint for $4. If you are into wines Monterey is noted for their Chardonnays. Before you visit Monterey and Cannery Row, you might want to watch the 1982 movie "Cannery Row" starring Debra Winger and Nick Nolte just to inspire your nostalgia. read more

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What a cool place! Did you folks know that there was a novel written by John Steinbeck (published back in 1945) about Cannery Row? The novel depicted about a few characters, and life in the cannery neighborhood. The entire length of Cannery Row runs parallel to the coastline of the Monterey Bay, and it stretches from San Carlos Beach to the other end which ends at Monterey Bay Aquarium. There's a lot of stuff you can do here like - 1. Visiting the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium 2. Taking the Cannery Row Kayak Tour 3. Scuba Dive at San Carlos State Beach 4. Do a Picnic at McAbee Beach 5. Whale watch from the shore 6. Do a bike ride along the coast 7. Check out the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary 8. Check out the tide pools 9. Paddleboard in the bay 10. Go shopping as there are lots of small shops on Cannery Row. 11. Hungry? Not to worry, because there are a lot of restaurants on Cannery Row too. A really cool place to check out, as we were able to walk the entire length of Cannery Row. We parked our car by San Carlos State Beach, then we walked the entire length of Cannery Row, until we got to the end where Monterey Bay Aquarium was located. Although Cannery Row appears to be kinda touristy, you should still take the time to check this place out, should you make the drive along the coast. read more

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Nice place to visit and spend and an hour or 2 walking around. Nothing extraordinary, but a total disappointment You can walk across all 3 bridges crossing cannery row. The plazas around the bridges are quiet charming areas and with nice views of the ocean You can find a lot of small restaurants as well as chain restaurants. Lot's of souvenir stores. You will find something for everyone. Love the little beach by el Torito restaurant read more

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Cannery Row is a cute, quick thing to do during your trip to Monterey. They have a huge thing for canning and sardines. There was a big silver sardine boom here way back in the day that changed the industry and put them on the map. Plus they have a thing for John Steinbeck... I dunno Wikipedia it. His books and name were everywhere! They don't really can sardines anymore since they've been fished to the brink. So don't worry, the place doesn't stink of fish. But they do respect and protect sea life because of their overfishing history! The Row is full of quaint shops, diners, and plenty of great spots to stare out at the ocean. Santa made a visit too if you wanted to get your Christmas photos done early. Beautiful, tall Christmas tree and some statues had their Santa hats on. But probably my favorite part was finding where you could watch the waves crash the rocks and spy a seal (or otter?) pop out the water. It's a nice walk and ends fittingly at the aquarium. read more

Very nice shopping and restaurants area. I love the feeling of waking up on the street. Everybody is so happy and on their vacation mode! Many delicious restaurants and coffee shops here on every blocks. souvenir stores all over the place. A lot of restaurants are at the water front. Excellent views and comfortable walks around the area! Parking may be little harder to find! Many cars drive around for the street parking! read more

Cannery Row - Shopping Centers Near Me - Monterey, California

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Enjoyed walking around this area. If you go toward the ocean there are a couple of cute walk ways that you can take to get good views of the sea away from the crowds. Cute ships, but pretty busy. read more

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We went on a mini vacation for 4 days to Monterey, California and I've gotta say Cannery Row was absolutely thrilling! So many shops to purchase just about anything you're looking for and can think of. Don't get me started on the food/drink options! There were just so many to choose from, including and especially the Ghirardelli shop's dessert-um beyond yummm! We truly had such an amazing time and would highly, and I do mean HIGHLY recommend this row to anyone looking for a small adventure filled with multiple options for food, drink and most certainly fun for all ages!! read more

Depends what you are looking for. Too crowded these days, like the Aquarium and partially because of it. Some really touristy low level souvenir places and quick serve food. But look beyond that. Some nice eateries to balance those not great, great views of the bay if you walk between storefronts, a really nice hotel though high priced, the Aquarium of course (read my review) a great Starbucks (a new add since my last visit) some real CA history displayed, spread through the blocks. Look for them, you will learn a lot, from Steinbeck to the Canning Sardines industry to a winery tasting room, some very good ice cream and chocolate at the Ghirardelli store, etc. And lots of T Shirt shops, and traffic. Just find the parking garage, park early and don't move a car until you are done. There are some shuttle lots further away too. We have visited since the 80s. It changes. For years it was under developed and under used, a great mural by local artist of WPA project days, Bruce Arriss, covering the vacant land and decrepit buildings as the fishing and canning industry died. But it came back, largely due to the Aquarium, so that's another side of the story. I have a varied relationship with the place, introduced by the literature of it and tempered by the experience of it. But I keep going back. read more

It's a tourist spot indeed, but you can enjoy the sea breeze while you check out all the shops they have here. Spent the Father's Day weekend here and to my surprise, it's really not that packed that day. This place will drain your wallet starting with parking..Lol! Lots of shops to go and peruse and where you can get your fridge magnet (or shot glasses if that's your deal). Don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this place , had my tummy filled with food/snacks. I shopped and I had a blast with my family, but that's the whole entirety of my experience. It's a cute place but it's not really something I would come back to unless I go to the aquarium and have more time to spare. I just wanted to experience this place and what the hoopla is about in all honesty. read more

Cute, fun, great for just walking and window shopping. Very touristy, but you knew that before you came. Stop by the hot sauce store if you're looking for fun souvenirs for those who want to add some spice to their lives or for people you don't like. There's a pretty little pier area for hanging out, and the aquarium is the main attraction. Aquarium aside, it's only kid friendly if you have school-age kids - the sidewalks are wide enough for strollers, but there's not much that's appropriate for babies and toddlers. read more

As a native Southern Californian, I have been to Cannery Row many times since I was a child. We try to come up here every so often and visit neighboring Pacific Grove and the beautiful beaches and cannot resist a walk through Cannery Row. Although it is very touristy, the history and feeling of the place draws you in. We love to eat at El Torito restaurant that sits out over the water, not for the food but for the view. The last time we visited, we skipped the Monterey Aquarium (highly recommend that you visit there once) but instead went on a short cruse in the bay, tried the mirrored maze (fun) and shopped in the gift shops and the outlet mall a bit then just hung out and enjoyed the view. We ate at Bubba Gumps one night and El Torito the other but the food at either place was meh. I recommend you splurge for some authentic clam chowder at a non-chain instead. After you visit Cannery Row, wander down a ways and enjoy the view and/or the beaches. There are two parallel piers down the street where you can wander and pick up a cruise to whale watch or a shorter glass-bottom boat cruise. One pier is a fishing pier with a fish market and the other pier is a tourist trap with panhandlers at the entrance but if you go onto it, you'll find yummy restaurants, boat cruises, and fun shops. So fun and a beautiful area. There is a bike path that runs parallel to Cannery Row and leads to the piers as well as on to other places in the area. Many people wander along that for an extended walk or for biking. Parking is difficult on the street but you can go up a street or two and use metered parking for a few hours if you want to save money. If you use the lots or parking garage on Cannery Row it can get pricey but may be worth it if you are spending the day there. There is also metered parking in a lot by the piers. read more

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A waterfront street in Monterey, former home of the sardine factories. While the last one closed in 1973, Cannery Row continues on as a bustling street of visitors, lined with shops and restaurants. A bit touristy, but still worthy of a visit. Stroll and enjoy. read more

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If you are looking for salt water taffy, Monterey souvenirs, nice strolling time, this is a quick walk to do. Especially after a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Plenty of places to get a bite from. Everything from Bubba Gumps, Indian food, fresh made cannolis, to seafood, you can find it here. Variety of stores, you can see everything in a few hours or less, depending on how quick of a stroll you are pacing at. Parking lots is typically $15 for the day. read more

Cannery Row - Typical tourist photo - Shopping Centers Near Me - Monterey, California

Imagine an extremely unique and all around awesome environment of what something once was and that's definitely what you won't find here. Coming here I didn't expect much other than to see the ocean but what I found was pretty much nothing but a bunch of shops you would find at pretty much any mall in the California area. Cannery Row is pretty much a sad pathetic excuse for a tourist trap as there really isn't much here except a few shops and what's left of what once was Cannery Row. To make this an even more worthless place to visit people were telling me that it's about $50 to visit the aquarium yeah that's not just an absurd rip off but it's completely crazy that anyone would cough up that much to see some fish! Pretty much the only cool part of coming here was seeing the ocean for a bit getting some Ghirardelli and seeing the old box car as that's pretty much all that's left of the old days here. Overall I doubt I would ever come back here as it's really boring and not full of rich history anymore even my friends who live in the city said that it's gone completely downhill and they don't even go here anymore. read more

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I was really expecting Cannery Row to be a bit nicer and more exciting, but it is pretty run down. Still an interesting stop our our way to SF, there are a ton of touristy type shops and restaurants, it makes for a nice stroll after a long drive. Views are gorgeous, but there really isn't tooo much to do here and we headed on our way about an hour later. read more

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Very historic place. It was made famous by the author John Steinbeck. He wrote a book titled "Cannery Row". This place use to be the sardine capital of the world in 30's and 40's. This place is usually overcast and foggy.... so prepare to have a jacket handy... it's quite chilly out! This place is loaded with restaurants and souvenir shops. They have a good selection of food and beer. I remembered I got clam chowdah here. It was really good! This place is good to visit, but just to warn you things are a bit pricy here. read more

Cannery Row - Shopping Centers Near Me - Monterey, California

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Definitely one of the highlights of Monterey, aside from the Aquarium. It's old and has a lot of history and I hope they continue to preserve some of the original signs and architecture. You'll find plenty of shopping and dining here as well as the Monterey Bay Aquarium at the end of the road. We stayed in Monterey two nights and walked through Cannery Row several times for our dining needs. You'll find a variety of food establishments, from Cooper's Pub, El Torito, Johnny Rockets, Bubba Gump Shrimp & Co., to Ghiradelli, Nestle Tollhouse and Starbucks. We stuck to the restaurants as most of the stores here are souvenir and expensive novelty shops, really meant for window shopping. read more

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Cannery Row is iconic to any gearhead; it's home to one of the best parts of Car Week (Exotics on Cannery Row), where the best of the best gather up and down the strip and beyond to display their cars. Having been several times during car week and beyond, I can say the actual row itself is pretty unremarkable outside of this event. The stores and restaurants are touristy and borderline tacky, but it is a pretty place to take a walk while visiting Monterey. read more

Cannery Row - Shopping Centers Near Me - Monterey, California

Date: 8/11/2015 70° Sunny I thought I was through doing all my reviews of the venues that my husband and I visited in the Monterey area. Cannery Row popped up on my profile page on the the yelp website on my 'puter, all on account I pulled it up on my mobile phone to see what was close to the aquarium. Is there a Starbucks close by? What else is there on this road? I was also reading reviews by other yelpers as to where they have dined while visiting the area. We did not have much time to browse and venture to some of the retail businesses and restaurants along the way. However, I managed to take several photos of the surroundings. Cannery Row has plenty of restaurants, souvenir shops, a wine tasting room and other small retail businesses to the delight of tourists walking up and down this road. One of the areas to sit, relax and enjoy the scenery is Steinbeck Plaza. Cop a squat on one of the benches with a frappuccino and pastry in hands and just people watch. My husband and I might return to visit Cannery Row in the future. The only drawbacks? A long three hour drive from Alameda, parking can be a problem and beaucoup tourists on crowded street. read more

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Came here for touristy reasons, mainly because of the Steinbeck book of the same name because I'm a literary dork. There's plenty to be seen here that references the book. I enjoyed the map indicating where things like the Palace Flophouse and Lee Chong's grocery were intended to be in Steinbeck's mind. It's also cool to think out how crazy Cannery Row was when it was full of people from all over the world trying to capitalize on the riches of this once booming fishing and canning town. Now it's crazy in a different way. It's a that perfect weekend getaway from the Bay Area. Likewise a nice stop for some touristy fun while driving up or down the majestic California coast. There's plenty of shops and restaurants and pretty much everything you'd expect in an over-commercialized tourist trap. I mean there's even a Lids and a Bubba Gump Shrimp. I suppose you could have the same experience here and at both Mall of America and Fisherman's Wharf if you really wanted to. Both those places lack strong ties with Steinbeck, so at least Cannery Row has that going for it. In all, it's a must visit when you're in Monterey. Traffic sucks. read more

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My first time here with my wife the other day and it was interesting. Cannery Row remind me of Reno strip. Some of the shops and resturants looks cool and I love the scenery. read more

This place reminds me Seattle and SF, lots of food options, can be pretty busy, especially on the weekends. I love that it's dog friendly.

Love it ....go to Monterey every year and stay at the Spindrift Inn, which is quaint and lovely with views of the ocean. The Sardine Factory is one of our favorite places to eat....the bar has a more casual atmosphere and the main dining is old school elegant. Walking around Cannery Row is a great date or family outing! read more

Such a fun place to walk around and be able to get out! We are not from the area, so it was odd having to wear a mask outside when you weren't around anyone else! Our pup Winslow enjoyed it and the shops are dog friendly! read more

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Good historic place to go shopping and restaurants. It's changed a lot over the years and become more touristy. It's still a good place to visit and near the aquarium and the coastline. read more

Take it for what it is! We wouldn't have the Cannery Row as we know today if it wasn't for author John Steinbeck's 1945 novel, 'Cannery Row.' In the novel, he describes the everyday lifestyle here at the cannery; from the smells of sardines, the everyday shopkeepers to the collections of sea creatures caught for research as depicted in his story. Although the sardine canneries aren't what they used to be, Cannery Row still upholds itself with marine life, overwhelming smells and being a tourist hotspot. There's a wide range of attractions here. Cannery Row stretches from San Carlos Beach Park on one end to Monterey Bay Aquarium on the other side. In between, you'll find scuba rental shops, kayak and bike rentals, souvenir shops and a whole lot of restaurants. There's also a walking trail alongside Cannery row that stretches throughout Monterey. Aside from being known for its history, scenery and having many things to do, Cannery Row is also known for Exotics on Cannery Row (EOCR), where 1 day in the year, some of the best supercars and hyper cars come from around the world for Monterey Car Week. This is a great time to see celebrities, Youtubers and meet other car enthusiasts. Cannery Row is a great place to hangout at, whether you're in the mood for some fresh locally caught seafood or trying to see some friendly otters playing with kelp in the ocean while kayaking, Cannery Row truly does tend to all ages. read more

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There's really no there way to say it, but Cannery Row is 100% a tourist trap. Street lined with shops selling over priced souvenirs and mediocre eateries like Bubba Gump among others. But yet, it still has some charm to it. Cannery Row is something to do after the aquarium. As other have mentioned, parking is tricky. read more

A tourist area, indeed, but in a decent way. There's no hagglers trying to sell you keychains on the street corners. This was a nice surprise. No annoying tour guides pushing you to buy their trek. Of course, we were visiting at the end of September, not their tourist season, so this could very well be the complete opposite, come April-August. The ocean view is nice! All the docked sailboats were a pleasant view, makes me want to hide away on one, escape to some faraway tropical Utopia. Parking can be a little tricky. We parked in a parking garage for, I think it was $15 flat rate, no matter how long your parked. Yes, expensive compared to home, but it saved a lot of hassle. read more

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Run down area. Over priced on everything. The people are rude and some of the employees/business owners are pushy and rude! We went in to a store to look at the baklava and the gentleman offered us a sample (even though we told him we just wanted to look). We ended up wanting to buy a few things. We asked for specific amount of things since most items are priced by the pound. We opened the box after leaving and see there's more then what we asked for. I was wondering how the little bit we requested was almost $50.00. Some stores employees don't even know you walk in or they do and they don't acknowledge you. On that note we will probably never go back. read more