Monterey's old capital story is easiest to read on foot

Monterey has so much early California history packed into a small area that it makes more sense on foot than from a car window. The Path of History gives you a route through Old Monterey, where markers, adobes, plazas, museums, and older civic buildings sit close together.

State Parks manages several historic buildings in the area, including places tied to government, trade, homes, and public life. The city adds maps and audio resources, so you can connect one stop to the next without turning the walk into homework.

The old capital layer is the thing to keep in mind. Monterey is a pretty bay town, but it was also a seat of Spanish and Mexican California and later a place where American-period California government took shape.

Pick a short section first. Step inside where hours allow, then let the outside spaces carry the rest. Monterey rewards a slow walk because the story is in the distance between buildings as much as inside them.