The holiday season attracts crowds everywhere and Old Monterey is a shoe-in for tourist traffic. Over the weekend, nearly 2,000 people meandered through the streets of downtown Monterey for Christmas in the Adobes.
"You see people out on the streets, and there’s a little crowd and everyone’s got a map," said Polina Spakovsky, who drove down from San Jose with her mother for the event "It’s so cute. And it does make you feel like you’re a part of a big activity.”
The annual self-guided walking tour is the Monterey State Historic Park Association's largest fundraiser. Proceeds support year-round education and restoration projects related to the historic structures scattered throughout Old Monterey that make up the Monterey State Historic Park.
In addition to these state-run buildings, privately-owned historic structures—some of which aren't usually accessible to the public—also open their doors for Christmas in the Adobes.
"Monterey's Path of History is one of the oldest historic walking trails in the country," said State Parks Interpreter Aaron Gilmartin. "To have 25 locations open to the public for these two nights, across a dozen different organizations, is unprecedented."
Food and drink, art, music, and storytelling bring some of the region's oldest structures to life during the immersive event.
" Feeling the weight of that history, but also the atmosphere of the holiday decoration and the restoration efforts that have gone into a lot of these buildings to make them look fresh" said Gilmartin, " you still feel their age but you see the beauty of their style."
"I love California history," said Lu German, who comes up from Riverside County to volunteer for the event and visit her family in Marina. "A lot of these places aren't open year-round," she said, "that's why this is so important."
