Visit Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History is located at 165, Forest Avenue in Pacific Grove, Monterey. It is a mile west of Monterey Bay Aquarium and just two blocks north of Motorcycle Museum. Since 1883, the museum has been documenting and showcasing wildlife, including birds, plants, and geology as well as cultural history of the central coast of California. It is one of the oldest museums of natural history in the country.
About Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History
The museum is effectively a field guide for locals and tourists to understand native plants and animals. The unique geology is well represented, and the cultural histories are fascinating. In following the footsteps of naturalist John Muir, the museum continues to offer hands-on education in science and preservation of nature.
A part of the American Alliance of Museums, the natural history museum in Pacific Grove has more than four hundred birds, including the condor and the pigeon passenger. The facility serves as a public overwintering site for the monarch butterfly. The sanctuary has more than hundred different species of native plants, neatly classified into coastal scrub, mixed oak woodlands, chaparral, ethnobotany, and nectar plants.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday. Admission is $8.95 for adults and $5.95 for kids aged four to eighteen or students with valid id and military personnel. Kids younger than three get free admission. Members and residents also get free admission. There are group tours and field trips for schools. Reservations should be made in advance.
You can hop into the museum as you begin your stroll down the coastal trail or you can drive from the aquarium and be here in a minute. You may be at the beach, which is just a few blocks away, or you may specifically begin your day trip with the natural history museum. If you are traveling in April, then you may be able to catch the Annual Wildflower Show which is usually held on the third weekend. There are many exhibitions and special education programs that you may want to explore. Check out the free Science Saturdays or sign up for one of the two citizen science programs.
Stay at Stargazer Inn & Suites
Pacific Grove Museum of Natural History is three miles from Stargazer Inn & Suites in Monterey. It takes less than ten minutes or longer if you swing by several hotspots en route. Reserve your stay online at the hotel to get the best deal.