Cannery Row Walking Tour

Monterey’s Cannery Row is one of the town’s top-rated sights, a charming area with a touch of yesterday, located on the Monterey waterfront.

The Monterey fishing industry began in the mid-1800s when Chinese fishing families arrived. Later, Japanese fishermen entered the scene to fish for salmon, and by the time of the famed “cannery row” John Steinbeck wrote about, Sicilian immigrants were prominent as the area’s primary fishermen.

In the early twentieth century, plentiful sardines in the Monterey Bay, coupled with a significant shut down in East Coast fishing (due to worries about German submarines), propelled Monterey into a sardine-catching and -canning frenzy. Author John Steinbeck captured that era in a book published in 1945. Unfortunately, the sardine population faced decline due to natural cycles and overfishing, leading to most cannery closures by the 1950s.

Today, tourists pack the streets like those tiny fish once crowded into cans.

So many visitors take the easy (but dull) approach to Cannery Row. They stroll along, shop, eat, and leave. However, you’re the kind of person who desires to uncover more. Instead of sticking to the surface, take a moment to explore the area’s unique sights and hidden corners.

This engaging walking tour leads you through some fascinating corners of this historic district. The experience takes one to two hours if you don’t get sidetracked, but it can take longer if you stop to shop or grab a meal. You might even choose to continue to Fisherman’s Wharf from the end of this walk.

Why You Should Explore Cannery Row

• If you plan to walk from Cannery Row to Fisherman’s Wharf (or vice versa), you may as well see something interesting along the way.
• If you appreciate history, Cannery Row is a must-see location, especially if you enjoyed John Steinbeck’s novel.

Why You Might Want to Skip Cannery Row

• If your main interest lies in shopping, eating, and taking photos to establish you were there, then you may not enjoy discovering the area’s more historical sights.
• The walk is flat and approximately half a mile one way. Most individuals find it manageable, but it’s important to gauge your personal capabilities.

Monterey Bay Aquarium (886 Cannery Row)

Cannery Row is the name of the street that runs parallel to the Monterey shoreline and is nearest to the water. To begin this walking tour, start in front of the Monterey Bay Aquarium entrance.

Monterey Bay Aquarium: This aquarium was previously the Hovden Cannery. Inside, just to the left of the main entrance, you’ll find some of the cannery’s old boilers and an educational exhibit referencing the sardine industry. While it may not justify the admission price on its own, it’s a worthwhile addition if you’re visiting for other reasons.

Ed Ricketts’ Lab (800 Cannery Row)

Marine biologist and scientist Ed Ricketts collected and preserved tide pool plants and animals, which he sold to educational institutions around the globe.

Ricketts became the inspiration for the character “Doc” in his friend John Steinbeck’s works, including Sweet Thursday and Cannery Row.

After Ricketts’ death, his laboratory became a gathering place for a group known as the Pacific Biological Laboratory. Today, it belongs to the City of Monterey, and tours of the old lab occur a few times annually. Check the schedule for details.

Wing Chong Building (835 Cannery Row)

This store features prominently in Steinbeck’s Cannery Row as Lee Chong’s Market, where customers could buy “a pair of slippers, a silk kimono, a quarter pint of whiskey, and a cigar.” The building’s initial owner made his fortune by drying and selling squid.

The La Ida Cafe next door is where Steinbeck’s character, part-time bartender Eddie, would pour leftover drinks into a jug for Mack and his companions.

Cannery Worker Houses

Wedged into a small park just past the Bear Flag Building, these houses represent some of the few remaining structures built to accommodate the cannery workers. Each is decorated to reflect the various nationalities of workers who lived there: Spanish, Japanese, and Filipino. The mural nearby depicts an idealized scene from Cannery Row days, illustrating a family residing in a discarded boiler.

Continue along Cannery Row past El Torito Restaurant through the less touristed part of Cannery Row, where some intriguing old relics remain.

Reduction Plant

Between the shopping area and the Monterey Plaza, you will discover the last remnants of days gone by at Cannery Row, characterized by decaying buildings and abandoned equipment from the old canning plants.

While Cannery Row’s romantic past may seem appealing, the reality is that Monterey sardines were too oily to become widely popular as food. However, inventive factory owners soon realized they could profit from boiling heads, tails, bones, and other leftovers to sell as chicken feed.

The empty lot across from the Chart House once housed the San Xavier Cannery, where filming scenes for the movie Clash By Night, featuring Marilyn Monroe, took place. The large tanks located at the back of the lot held fish oil and are an integral part of the historic landscape. Nearby, an old fuel tank can also be spotted.

Cross the street to reach the ocean side of Cannery Row. Walk out onto the small park next to the Monterey Plaza Hotel, where sea otters, harbor seals, and sea lions can often be seen swimming in the kelp beds.

Monterey Plaza Hotel (400 Cannery Row)

The Monterey Plaza is undoubtedly the best place in town for lunch. Enter through the front doors, descend the stairs, and follow the hallway to Schooner’s Coastal Kitchen. Be sure to request a table on the outdoor patio, where you can observe kayakers, sea otters, and boats in the bay while you dine.

Factory Crossover

Just past the hotel, a covered walkway passes overhead. Previously, there were sixteen of these crossovers on Cannery Row, utilized for transporting canned fish from the factory to the warehouse. This is the only original crossover still remaining.

Your Cannery Row tour concludes here. You can either continue along the waterside walkway to Fisherman’s Wharf or turn around and retrace your steps.

During the summer months, the MST Trolley offers a free ride back to the aquarium.