Old Monterey is home to an extraordinary assemblage of 19th-century brick and adobe buildings administered as a state park and linked by a 2-mile self-guided walking tour called the "Path of History." Pick up a copy at Pacific House Museum, which also doubles as the park HQ. Route highlights are the nearby Custom House and the Old Whaling Station.
Nearby are some of the state park’s historical highlights including California's First Theater. It is closed for renovation but still worth viewing from outside. A 10-minute walk south is the Old Monterey Jail featured in John Steinbeck’s novel Tortilla Flat.