Heading east from Gilroy on Hwy 152 toward I-5, Casa de Fruta is a commercialized farm stand with an old-fashioned carousel and choo-choo train rides for youngsters.
Casa de Fruta
Central Coast
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
26.22 MILES
This museum will interest almost anyone, even if you don't know anything about Salinas’ Nobel Prize–winning native son, John Steinbeck (1902–68), a…
12.95 MILES
Founded in 1797, this mission claims the largest church among California’s original 21 missions. Unknowingly built directly atop the San Andreas Fault,…
Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
23.06 MILES
Rent a kayak from outfitters on Hwy 1 and paddle past harbor seals into Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, or take a guided weekend hike…
29.4 MILES
Seacliff State Beach harbors a ‘cement boat,’ a quixotic freighter built of concrete that floated OK, but ended up here as a coastal fishing pier. During…
26.84 MILES
Near Watsonville, the La Selva Beach exit off Hwy 1 leads here to this sparsely populated beach.
San Juan Bautista State Historic Park
12.99 MILES
Buildings around the old Spanish plaza opposite the mission anchor this small historical park. Cavernous stables hint at San Juan Bautista in its 1860s…
13.61 MILES
Unusual Gilroy Gardens is a nonprofit family-oriented theme park focused on food and plants rather than Disney-esque cartoon characters. You’ve got to…
Fremont Peak Astronomical Observatory
16.99 MILES
Equipped with a 30in telescope, Fremont Peak's astronomical observatory is usually open to the public on many Saturday nights between April and October,…
Nearby Central Coast attractions
12.95 MILES
Founded in 1797, this mission claims the largest church among California’s original 21 missions. Unknowingly built directly atop the San Andreas Fault,…
2. San Juan Bautista State Historic Park
12.99 MILES
Buildings around the old Spanish plaza opposite the mission anchor this small historical park. Cavernous stables hint at San Juan Bautista in its 1860s…
13.61 MILES
Unusual Gilroy Gardens is a nonprofit family-oriented theme park focused on food and plants rather than Disney-esque cartoon characters. You’ve got to…
4. Fremont Peak Astronomical Observatory
16.99 MILES
Equipped with a 30in telescope, Fremont Peak's astronomical observatory is usually open to the public on many Saturday nights between April and October,…
17.06 MILES
Containing the Fremont Peak Astronomical Observatory, this park offers excellent views of Monterey Bay and the Pacific Ocean from its four-mile network of…
6. Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve
23.06 MILES
Rent a kayak from outfitters on Hwy 1 and paddle past harbor seals into Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, or take a guided weekend hike…
25.85 MILES
The La Selva Beach exit off Hwy 1, near Watsonville, brings you here, where you can have miles of sand and surf almost all to yourself.
26.22 MILES
This museum will interest almost anyone, even if you don't know anything about Salinas’ Nobel Prize–winning native son, John Steinbeck (1902–68), a…