- Historic Sites
Monterey History & Maritime Museum
The Maritime Museum tells the history of Monterey and the surrounding area, emphasizing its connection to the sea.
The Monterey History and Maritime Museum holds over 50,000 artifacts, costumes and textiles, photographs, and historic papers in the collection. The 580 glass prisms of the historic Fresnel lens from the Point Sur Light Station illuminate the Museum and its exhibit areas, from the Rumsien/Ohlone Indians and Spanish explorers, to the area shipwreck USS Macon and military presence, to Monterey’s era as the sardine capital of the world, and the Hotel Del Monte, fabled destination of tourism’s early days.