A Weekend Getaway to California’s Carmel-by-the-Sea

Carmel Beach at sunset.

I had always wanted to visit Carmel-by-the-Sea.  I imagined a posh town by the ocean filled with large, sparkling white buildings, high-class shopping, palm trees swaying, gentle waves lapping at the sand, and me walking along the sidewalks with my two little dogs at my side.  Living in San Diego, the thought of a weekend getaway to California’s Carmel-by-the-Sea seemed so easy.  Yet we hadn’t ever seemed to make it happen.

The Scenic 17-Mile Drive of the Monterey Peninsula

China Rock

One of America’s great scenic drives is 17-Mile Drive on California’s Monterey Peninsula.  As is the case with many of America’s scenic drives (some of our other favorites include the scenic Apache Trail and the historic Columbia River Highway), 17-Mile Drive has been a tourist attraction for a very long time.  The first travelers along 17-Mile Drive explored the Del Monte Forest by horse-drawn carriage as early as 1881.  Now visitors pay an entrance fee at one of five gates to view the Monterey Peninsula’s dramatic coastline, visit 17-Mile Drive’s 21 marked points of interest, and get a glimpse of what is probably the Monterey Peninsula’s most famous attraction, Pebble Beach Golf Links.