28.5
Miles
National Steinbeck Center
Salinas
Vision Quest Ranch/
Monterey Zoo
The Vision Quest Ranch/Monterey Zoo,
located at 400 River Road, Salinas, is
dedicated to providing professionally
and humanely trained wild, exotic and
domestic birds and animals for fi lm,
television, live productions, education
and more.
Monterey Zoo takes great pride in
offering sanctuary to many animals that
can no longer participate in the enter-
tainment business or be released into
the wild where they would not have a
home or family.
The zoo offers daily, private and
VIP tours of the facility, each offering
participants a different level of activity.
Safari Camps are also available for
children seven years or older. Daily
public tours are scheduled at 1pm. An
additional 3pm tour is available during
the months of June, July and August.
For information call 831-455-1901 or
visit wildthingsinc.com/index.html.
The National Steinbeck Center, located
at 1 Main Street in Salinas, honors Nobel
prize winner John Steinbeck, the author
of “Grapes of Wrath,” “Of Mice and
Men,” “East of Eden,” and “Travels with
Charley in Search of America.” A tour
of the center provides visitors with an
opportunity to learn about the author’s
life and his work through exhibits of
fi rst editions of his books, newspaper
articles, and interviews pertaining to
John Steinbeck.
Year-round educational and public
programs are designed to enhance
public awareness about Steinbeck’s
works and his ideas.
A related opportunity is to attend
the annual John Steinbeck Festival held
during August in Salinas. The two-day
event includes talks, performances, films
and exhibits.
The recommended amount of time for
a self-guided tour is two hours (but if
you’re a writer, you may want to linger
longer). Visitors are greeted by a docent
or staff member who will give a brief
orientation and answer any questions.
Guided tours are available for an addi-
tional fee. Hours are from 10am to 5pm
daily. For information, call 831-796-
3833 or visit steinbeck.org.
Santa Cruz
Seymour Marine Discovery Center
The Seymour Marine Discovery Center,
located at 100 McAllister Way, Santa
Cruz, helps educate people about the
role scientifi c research plays in our
understanding and conservation of
the world’s oceans. Visitors have the
opportunity to touch a friendly shark,
and to see how marine scientists work,
all while taking in spectacular views
of the Monterey Bay, referred to as the
“Serengeti of the sea” due to its rich
diversity of marine life.
The exhibit hall takes visitors on a
deeper dive into the adventure of ocean
research, in Santa Cruz and around
the world. Outreach programs support
school field trips, summer youth
programs, Science Sundays, volunteer
opportunities, internships, and more.
The Center is open Tuesdays through
Sundays between 10am and 5pm. For
information call 831-459-3800 or visit
seymourcenter.ucsc.edu.
Roaring Camp & Big Trees
Narrow Gauge Railroad
Roaring Camp & Big Trees Narrow
Gauge Railroad, located at 5401 Graham
Hill Road, Santa Cruz, is tucked away
in the Santa Cruz Mountains, just six
miles north of Santa Cruz. This clever
recreation of an 1880’s logging town
operates trains every day of the year with
the exception of December 25 th.
Roaring Camp is a Heritage Railway.
Its authentic 1890s steam engines power
trains along the Redwood Forest Steam
Train excursion, taking passengers
through redwood forests and a narrow-
gauge grade up to the summit of Bear
Mountain. Another excursion runs
south through Henry Cowell Redwoods
State Park, down the San Lorenzo River
Gorge, across an old truss bridge and
through an 1875 tunnel to its destinta-
tion at Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk..
Along with train rides, visi-
tors can hike along redwood trails,
Vision Quest Ranch/Monterey Zoo
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
41
Miles
june/july 2019
gmhtoday.com
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