National Steinbeck Center

In Salinas, California residents and visitors can enjoy the National Steinbeck Center. It is on One Main Street, which is also in historic Oldtown. It was the birthplace of John Steinbeck, hence the reason the National Center was built there. The center is open seven days a week all year round. It is 17 miles from Monterey, 60 miles south of San Jose, and 105 miles from San Francisco.

Several other sites of interest are nearby, such as the wineries, golf courses, Mazda Raceway, Cannery Row, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Restaurants, antique stores, and coffee shops are just blocks from the center and Steinbeck's House. Tickets are $10.95 for adults, $8.95 for seniors, and $7.95 for students and youth. The hours are 10am to 5pm.

There is a permanent exhibit hall with a journey designed to show Steinbeck's life and his greatest works. The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, and The Red Pony are some of the works shown in art and literature in the hall. Also a part of the permanent exhibits are the Rabobank Agricultural Museum, which offers an in-depth look at the agricultural industry in Salinas Valey. The valley has 200 years of history.