Oh The Places We Will Go....{Field Trips in Monterey, CA}

One perk of the many perks in home schooling is being able to take a plethora of field trips!  Instead of the measly 2-3 trips a school may allow a year due to financial situations with the school~ you can take as many as you want and do it on your own time!  It really is one of my favorite parts about home school.  My kids are able to visit more places with me and my husband, plus it allows for a much wider range of places to choose from.  We are blessed this year to be in Monterey, Ca.  There are a ton of places to take children.  Here are my top 10 field trip destinations for children in Monterey, Ca {and beyond}:

1.  Monterey Bay Acquariam  Need I say more?

2.  Museum of Art

3.  Cannery Row: Cannery Row (located right outside the aquarium) is a historic waterfront district full of shops, restaurants, and pretty sites.This spot is the most popular vacation spot on Cali's Central Coast.  The historic waterfront Monterey Bay was made famous by the writer John Steinbeck who used Cannery Row in his stories.   

4.  Dennis the Menace Playground  Hands down the BEST park we have ever been to!  We go here once a week at least.  They have the best snow cone stand in the parking lot...so bring cash!!  

5.  Skate Park:  So I know this is not a field trip place really...but right next to Dennis the Menace Playground is a gnarly skate park {so if you have a tween like me who might have little interest in the kiddie park~ there is a skate park for them to have fun in}

6.  My Museum  This is a kid size museum that has tons of interactive play areas for your kids to explore and play in.  

7.  Mystery Spot, Santa Cruz, CA  Ok, so this place is a little outside of Monterey~ but it well worth the short drive.  Fun for the whole family.  The Mystery Spot is a gravitational anomaly located in the redwoods outside of Santa Cruz.  

8.  Alcatraz!  We have not gone here yet, but believe me we will!  Alcatraz is great place to tour for a history lesson.  It is most famously known for housing some of America's most dangerous criminals!  It was open from 1934-1963.  Some famous inmates you may have heard of:  Al "Scarface" Capone, and the "Birdman" Robert Stroud.

9.  The Boardwalk, Santa Cruz  Amusement park with a beach!  It's a lot of fun.  Again, it's about an hour drive outside Monterey, but well worth it!

10.  The Farm.  Monterey is surrounded by farms!  It smells like a salad actually, haha!  Many of the farms allow tours for children.  This one looks fabulous and has all kinds of special days to visit!  They have story time every Tuesday at 10:30 am.  They also allow home school tours with concentrations for each age group including pre k and junior high!  During pumpkin season, students can pick their very own pumpkin for only $6!  We haven't visited yet, but I'll let you know how it goes!