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    Monterey County Fairgrounds

    3.7 (53 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 12:00 pm, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

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    Alina N.

    First time at Monterey Fairgrounds. Thought it'd be much bigger than it was but I liked that it was smaller. Parking is easy and easy to get in/out. Lines were also easy to get into the venue, bearable lines for food and no lines for restrooms! Wish all places were this seamless. It does look more old school and run down; I wish it was a nicer venue to enjoy but it was very easy to navigate all day without my feet hurting from walking too much. The Ferris wheel was fun but everyone complained about paying $10 for the mirror fun house.food selection was plentiful and good. The acts were amazing - Lauv, Tiesto and Chainsmokers. I'm surprised they picked this venue tbh because they seem too big to be doing such a small venue but it worked out for me because it was easy enough to get to the front stage. Overall, great experience. I may come back if there's a great artist.

    Always grumpy. I
    Xuan C.

    Over due post. Don't mind the picture, as it's from awhile back. This is the first year I've been getting into state fairs, and not the first time I've been to the fairgrounds. Lots of places to park, but there was a bit of a dead zone where no cell service came through.

    Sand art
    Evangelene G.

    This is a really nice fair! I haven't had a bad experience here and enjoy visiting when we're in the area. Staff is nice! Food: There's fried artichokes, beer garden, cinnamon rolls that rank high on my list. If you're looking for big name artists, you'll need to go to a larger Fair. The Fair offers cover bands that feature rock and country artists (i.e., Garth, Carrie, Journey). It's all good. We like parking at the golf course (we found it by accident). It supports the Veterans and there's a shuttle (i.e., golf cart) that takes you to the fairgrounds.

    David D.

    So much fun, so many things to do and see. I decorated the AG building for many n years with my balloon creations. And I used to enter my homemade breads and decorated cakes. There are such a variety o things here. They have great entertainers every year. And so many great food booths. And some of the kiddie rides used to be at Michael Jacksons Neverland Rsnch There are tons of art displays. And so much more. A truly first class event.

    Open area next to gate 6
    Melody Anne V.

    I can honestly say I have NEVER had a bad time at the fair grounds! Everything from the Jazz festival, to the fair, Cali roots, kids day... it's all been amazing. I'd like to claim this place as one of my "stomping grounds" since I've been coming for the past 20 something years lol. The layout of the fairgrounds is really easy to navigate and they have bathrooms in all the right places. Like a ton of bathrooms which is amazing to me! They have an attendant in their on stand by during events. So you know you're not going to walk into anything yucky! The food court is one of my favorite spots! It's such a serene little courtyard with big trees and picnic areas as well as table seating. Price for events here always varies. So I can't really help there lol. Parking seems to be an issue for some people. I just park off Casanova Ave and just walk down. A quarter mile walk for free of charge :) and beautiful scenery!

    C. A.

    pop up drive in at monterey county fairgrounds was awesome and a lot of fun! the snack bar had a huge variety while having the food reasonably priced!

    Cinnamon sugar apple funnel cake...yummy!!
    Jennifer W.

    Had a great time at the fair grounds!! We live in seaside so we know the parking is very limited even if we come a little early. So we parked in the CVS parking lot for $15....Nothing new. Food was good...had a tri tip sandwich, garlic fries, fresh squeezed lemonade so good my daughter loved it. Oh and the cinnamon sugar Apple funnel cake was amazing!! My daughter loved petting, looking at the animals and the pony ride was a plus. Just looking at my daughter's face so excited enjoying the rides and games was priceless. Will go again next year for sure!!

    Renee S.

    We enjoyed our 4 night stay here. We've been on the road for 5 weeks traveling with 2 rigs, we were very happy to be assigned an area where there was so much room. The manager told us to set up how ever we wanted. We had full hook ups and lots of room to run the dogs and not have to worry about being to loud.. the camp host and manager were very friendly! I would recommend this park and look forward to returning someday.

    Susan D.

    We arrived on a Wednesday afternoon. The host tried to send us into a area that was nothing but dirt with a chain link fence around it. So horrible that we went back to the office. The camp host told us that he couldn't move us to the the paved spots because they were full. More than half the place was empty. I wouldn't take no for an answer so he gave us a paved spot. This place stayed half empty through Sunday. Not sure way he lied to us. If you like the smell of horses, being right next to the airport & weeds then this is a place you would enjoy.

    Cute lil happy goat at the Monterey County Fair 2013

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    10 months ago

    Drove around for over an hour and no parking whatsoever that wasn't at least $30-$40. And no ticket refunds on top of all that.

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    6 years ago

    Stopped by here because we needed water. I asked for information and offered to pay. The manager was a real butthead!!! Rude rude rude!

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    7 years ago

    Our Conference every year is held here and the campground is pretty nice. Have t had any issues. Only issues are typically from the campers.

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    Review Highlights - Monterey County Fairgrounds

    Wonderful venue for the Artichoke Festival and all the other activities that are held here.

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    Monterey Pines RV Park

    Monterey Pines RV Park

    (20 reviews)

    I love being a military veteran and I love staying at the Monterey Pines RV park, but…read more... As others have mentioned in the reviews, 0 stars for management, 4 stars for campground. I'm not writing this review to be intentionally mean or negative. I just want the management to take some responsibility and improve their system. We have stayed at the Monterey Pines RV Park numerous times over the years. It's a great place to stay, but making a reservation and checking in is the most inefficient and frustrating experience ever, and the whole process needs an upgrade. First you make a reservation through the DOD Lodging website, which only allows you to select either full hook-ups, or partial hook-ups. It doesn't allow you to select a spot number. Then you will receive an email from Navy Gateways, not Monterey Pines, indicating that you have made a reservation, but it doesn't provide you a spot number. The RV Park is located at the Monterey Pines Golf Course. If your a first time visitor, and you arrive after hours, there is a locked gate, so this will be an issue when you arrive. For us, we have visited many times over the years. We know the code, so it's not a problem. And actually the gate has been broken over the past year, or more, so it's still not a problem. Ah, but there's a code for the bathroom as well. In the past we used to receive an email from the Monterey Pines RV Park, providing all the check in information. This is no longer the case. We now have to call them directly. However, we have found that when we call the Monterey Pines RV Park, the call typically goes to voice mail, and then they never return the call. Your best option is to arrive during normal business hours, and hope that somebody is in the office. The last time we visited, the office was empty, so we just picked a spot and hoped for the best. There used to be a campground host to help people check-in, but that position has been vacated. My message to management. Please make efforts to fix/improve the Monterey Pines RV Park Reservation/Check-in process. Create a database so that returning customers don't have to initial and sign 5 pages of redundant paperwork every time they visit. E-mail the customer the important check-in information, such as their spot number, gate codes, bathrooms codes, etc. This should be a common procedure and would greatly help those arriving after normal business hours. Please fix the broken access gate. Our military personnel and their families deserve the extra security. Please do away with the $1 pet fee per night. It's unnecessary and ridiculous! I would also suggest that the bathrooms not be cleaned from 9 - 10:30am every morning. Pick a later time of day to clean them. This is a big inconvenience for those without trailers, meaning the bathrooms are completely off limits until they are finished cleaning. Yes, I enjoy the clean bathrooms, but I also like to use them first thing in the morning. So to everyone out there planning on visiting the Monterey Pines RV Park, I'm sure you'll enjoy your stay once you get there, but good luck with the reservation/check-in process. Prices have doubled over the last ten years, but the level of customer service has decreased by a proportional amount. I will gladly change this to a 5 star review, but not until I see some changes.

    Our favorite place to stay in Monterey. It's mostly quiet (minus airport activity), routinely…read morepatrolled by Navy Law Enforcement, easy access to golf and other activities within the area.

    Carmel by the River Rv Park

    Carmel by the River Rv Park

    (132 reviews)

    The park is nice, we are staying 4 weeks and during the week it is quiet with a few RVs, mostly…read moreindividuals here temporarily for jobs nearby. It is well kept for the most part & the owner is doing his best (their outdoor maintenance guy fell ill with cancer recently). The weekends fill up. You're 10 min from the beach & the valley has beautiful views. There is wine tasting in Carmel Valley Village which is very close, and a great organic farmers market open daily. The showers are clean but push button, this is the only drawback (most rigs I've seen would have their own).

    My site was in full sun and it was warm. My biggest concern was the last day/night of my stay there…read morewas a prolonged domestic dispute (noonish and again after midnight) between a couple in "campers inn". They were screaming obscenities at each other for a good hour. Then things calmed down. Went to bed and was woken up to blood curdling screaming about 12:10am. Then these two started screaming obscenities again for a few minutes hr raced up the hill in his truck, she jumped and they sped away. I did NOT sleep the rest of the night. I was terrified it was going to happen again. The next morning I went to the office to complain about the day before. She told me they were only here 6 days and were leaving today. I did not fall off a turnip truck. There's no way they were there only 6 days. They had decking, storage boxes is the front and sides of their huge fifth wheel. Do not stay here. They have long term workers living at the campground.

    Marina Dunes RV Park

    Marina Dunes RV Park

    (224 reviews)

    Beautiful Yurt Stay with Great Location…read more Our family spent a week in Big Sur staying in cabins, but there was virtually no cell phone reception, which made it impossible for me to work. Since I had to work three days of the week, we chose to stay at Marina Dunes RV Park in a yurt -- and it was even nicer than expected! The yurt was very clean and comfortable, and the bed was great -- we slept so well. Staff were friendly, check-in was easy, and the bathrooms (a short walk away) were cleaned daily and well-maintained. Even though it's close to the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1), it was surprisingly quiet. The location is perfect for exploring Monterey, Carmel, and Big Sur. There's a beautiful trail over the dunes that takes you right to the ocean, and just down the street is a state beach entrance and parking lot -- we even rode our bikes there! ‍ The drive from here to Big Sur is absolutely breathtaking and so worth it. Cell reception was excellent for T-Mobile (four bars most of the time), and if you need full 5G, just head up the street to Walmart. We loved it so much we booked another two-week stay later this year, and this time we'll be bringing our RV. Highly recommend!

    Our stay at Marina Dunes RV Park in early January 2026 was well worth it. The park is extremely…read moreclean, well maintained - all the amenities work. The sites are level with privacy fence. They have fire rings and I enjoyed sitting by the fire without staring at the next RV sewer pipes. The staff is courteous and friendly. Mike, the manager, responded and helped us out on his day off. The park is just a ston throw away from Marina State Beach. One can walk to Walmart, other shopping centers and gas stations. This RV park ranks on my list as one of the best if not the very best.

    Saddle Mountain  - Luxury Tent 47Q interior view

    Saddle Mountain

    (195 reviews)

    Stayed here with my fiancé for a night. It was pouring rain so that kept us up, but the electric…read moreblankets were amazing!!! The ambiance was also very cute! Was about $120/night for our stay in February. There are showers and restrooms on property. Would definitely consider coming back!

    6/26-6/28 Overall…read more3.5 rating Group Booking We booked all the cabins and a few tents for our annual gathering this year at Saddle Mountain. Our extended friends have stayed here before and have had great things to say and we were looking forward to coming this year. It was a bit of a mixup with the quotes and rates we were all charged all over the place. Something with system changes and someone made some rate adjustments but larger cabins were charged lower rates and smaller cabins were charged slightly higher rates. We all placed a deposit for the reservations. Some of us paid half the stay shortly after while others didn't have to and the rest of us paid the balance in full 30 days upon arrival. Once you arrive, checkin is fairly easy. Site is really pretty. Cabin is stocked and has essentials. Staff is friendly. Parking is avail close by. Unavoidable in these type of environments but beds are not as comfy and we did find some mosquitos and a few tiny bugs in the cabin. The fire pit by the pool wasn't working and was out of propane. We called it in but it took hours and we had left before it was replaced. Hopefully the next guests were able to enjoy it. There aren't enough community bathrooms to share between the guests sharing tents from my understanding. I was in a cabin so didn't have that problem but did see lines by the office when I walked by. All else amenities wise offered were great. Our friends tent was a great gathering place for us to meet and have smores and meet for lunch. The staff here are serious about quiet time at 9pm on the weekend! Eeeek! Hard when there is 40+ of us with kids that just want to have fun but we took it indoors. Pool available on premises, sauna, etc. Checkout is at 10:00! The deduction of stars for us was really the booking experience and inconsistent experience across the group in rates, charges. Would have been a strong 4.5 rating otherwise!

    Veteran's Memorial Park - Playground.

    Veteran's Memorial Park

    (65 reviews)

    We came by on the recommendation of our niece and her husband, who camped here for a couple of…read morenights on their way south to visit. We knew the location, but hadn't seen the campground, which is up a winding road and off the beaten path. One thing about spending time on the Monterey Peninsula is that you start to find lots of hidden gems of wilderness here. This camping ground virtually in the middle of the city has a spectacular view. The campsites are somewhat close to each other, but surprisingly affordable at $40. There are large bathrooms, and a great play structure for kids located in a big meadow. The only downside is that you can't reserve a space ahead, and it is probably packed in the summertime. It was a nice detour on our drive around the bay, and we enjoyed seeing new parts of the city.

    I like to stay at State Parks becasuee they have really good discouts for veterens with a Veterans…read morePark Pass, but they were all booked for the night we need to stay on our way back home. For a local park with nothing special and not allowing campfires this campground is expecsive for a truck and trailer. They also have signs posted stating they are installing a token system for the showers which will make it even more costly. I would only stay here again if there is no other place to stay. Vetereans discount was $5 off. For Veterens that can use the MWR site near by or a State Park Campground if you have the pass.

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    (1.1k reviews)

    While visiting the Carmel/Monterey area a month ago we wanted to take in some of the local scenery…read more Point Lobos State Natural Reserve came highly recommended, and it did not disappoint Located just 10 minutes outside of Carmel, this incredibly picturesque seascape is a must see while visiting. There are multiple trails through the Point, and each of them showcase stunning views of the sea and saw well as flora and fauna It was barely raining while we were there and it never dampened our spirits. The trails got a little slick, but nothing too dangerous. In fact, this is more of a seaside walking path than a physical intensive hike We saw many seals and otters on our hike. There was also a rest stop that had park rangers and an interactive exhibit that was very cool. You could feel the skin of a seal, otter, and even the baleen from a whale Some tips: If you haven't explored Carmel or Monterey you are just a short drive away There are many coastal hikes and scenic points/beaches to explore. We also enjoyed a more physical hike at the Pinnacles, but that is an hour or so away Cheers!!

    Adj: beautiful, breathtaking natural reserve…read more Always a nice place to visit and "hike" (really just trail walking). I love coming here. It's so serene, scenic, natural, cool, and both the botanical plantlife as well as the animals (air, land, and ocean wildlife) you can find and view here are just so amazing. Being it's in the Monterey Bay, it's almost always cool when it's hot in the valley, so it's another great place to escape to. It's just a very nice and unique point in the bay and although you can spend the whole day here, or even several days, a couple of hours will also be very rewarding for a change of scenery for those of us who are urban dwellers who want to reconnect with God's natural wonders once in awhile. Overall, Point Lobos is an authentic, breathtaking, and calming place for those who enjoy seeing the ocean and taking in all the native plants, vegetations, and all the air, land, and sea creatures one can encounter or at least observe here.

    Moss Landing KOA Express - Check In, General Store, Bathroom and Shower

    Moss Landing KOA Express

    (107 reviews)

    I am a big fan of KOA and have stayed at all of the three levels that I thought they had up till…read morenow. This one is a small KOA - the manager tells me it's the first KOAExpress. The other levels, journey, destination and resort are increasingly fancy, but generally have some kind of market, a cafe or restaurant, pools, jacuzzis and the like - more so at the higher levels. Well, this one was a fraction of the size of most of those. it was very well kept, nice level paved sites, excellent bathrooms - two full bathrooms, where you get your own toilet, sink and shower and door It's essentially located right in the harbor, there's a gate that will get you to the docks. Including all the whale watching boats . A bunch of sea lions were my neighbors on a rock on the other side of the fence. There are a couple of restaurants within walking distance as well, so that makes up for not having one on site

    I really love KOA campgrounds. This one is a hidden little spot between Monterey and Santa Cruz,…read moreless than a 1/2 hour drive to each. Really nice staff, very clean and safe. The spots are very close to each other, but this is a small campground, maybe 50 spots. The KOA person guided us into our spot, made it easy because if it was just me and the wife... well you know! Moss landing is an old fishing town, very small, abut very historical and interesting to walk around. The ocean beach is walking distance from the campground. I will return to this place, very safe and very secluded. Nice clean laundry room, landscaping is beautiful, location is in a very secluded area in the farming community. Very tight spots, you are really close to your neighbor. But that's OK, this is a place you stay at, and go out during the day to see the sites around the area. There is no stores or restaurants in the area. Only one deli (which is really good but only open to 3pm). So you will need to have food and supply with you.

    Monterey County Fairgrounds - venues - Updated July 2026

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