Steinbeck's Asilomar

Walk in the Footsteps of the Literary Great

In Monterey County, California, literary history is everywhere you turn. John Steinbeck, one of the best-known American literary figures, earning both a Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for Literature, called this place home and used it as the location for many of his famous works. Walk the roads he traveled and visit the very places he lived and worked during a visit to Monterey.

Born in Salinas California, made famous in the Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden, Steinbeck spent much of his time in Pacific Grove where he worked as a fisherman in neighboring Cannery Row and gathered material for his books. In 1941, Steinbeck spent time working on the Log from the Sea of Cortez in a cottage owned by his sister. This cottage is now part of Asilomar Conference Grounds.

For literary enthusiasts Asilomar is the perfect place to anchor your boat and start your journey through the life of John Steinbeck. Asilomar Conference Grounds occupy 107 acres of restored beachfront dunes and rocky bluffs backed by a forest of Monterey pines. The name Asilomar, meaning "Refuge-by-the-Sea”, was derived from the Spanish "asilo" for retreat or refuge; "mar" is the sea.

Steinbeck Itinerary

In addition to the vast history at Asilomar, Monterey County is the source of much of his inspiration for John Steinbeck’s writings. Below is an itinerary of things to do and places to see in the Monterey area that surround the life and books of Steinbeck.

Guest Inn Cottage

The Cottage is the only stand-alone dwelling unit at Asilomar Conference Grounds. Steinbeck’s sister, Esther, originally purchased the cottage in 1932. Steinbeck used the cottage as his personal refuge, while writing Sea of Cortez in 1941. The cottage was purchased by California State Parks in 1972 and incorporated into Asilomar Conference Grounds.

The National Steinbeck Center Museum

The Center is a tribute to the life and work of Steinbeck. The interactive museum brings his stories to life and gives visitors a full sensory experience as they walk in the author’s footsteps.

The Steinbeck House

This is the birthplace and boyhood home of John Steinbeck. Built in 1897, the Steinbecks moved into the home in 1900. Purchased and renovated by the Valley Guild, the Steinbeck house opened to the public as a restaurant in 1974, the 72nd anniversary of John Steinbeck’s birth.

Cannery Row

Featured in two of John Steinbeck’s most famous novels, a bronze figure of Steinbeck himself now exists in Steinbeck plaza. This historic site once bustled with sardine factory workers and became the setting for Cannery Row. It is also home to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is a re-purposed old sardine cannery and includes information on Monterey’s fishing history and the waters, which Steinbeck fished in his youth.