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Recreation


Recreation


So many choices. So little time. Monterey County is a premiere destination for those who love the outdoors. Biking, hiking, walking, boating, hang-gliding and animal watching are just a few of the activities that lure visitors to Monterey and make residents thankful they live here. Whether you want to watch the whales or climb a mountain, walk the Recreation Trail or dive the depths, there can be no more spectacular place to enjoy the outdoors than Monterey County.


Get a Workout!

Need a workout while you're visiting Monterey? Stop by the Monterey Sports Center, a city-owned state-of-the-art recreation facility in downtown Monterey. Work out in the cardio room, the near Olympic-sized swimming pool or the basketball courts. Lift weights, take an aerobics class, or speed down the waterslide. Only $5.50 a day for non-residents. (Extra fee for aerobics and other classes.)

Did You Know?
The sculptural forms of the dunes around the blue crescent of the bay at Marina are thousands of years old. From the Salinas River to Monterey Harbor, the dune system extended inland as far as the Salinas Valley during the Pleistocene era. After the ice sheets melted thousands of years ago, the Pacific Ocean receded and the dunes remained. They rise as high as 100 ft. in some places and are always changing shape due to wind and weather.


Sports & Recreation Events 2004  

January 1
12th Annual Rio Grill Resolution Run
Carmel
Tel: 831-645-4777
www.riogrillsresolutionrun.com
This 6.8 mile foot race and 3-mile family fun run is set on a breathtaking cross-country course and benefits local nonprofit agencies.

February 2-8
AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am
Pebble Beach
Tel: 800-541-9091
www.attpbgolf.com
The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am is a 72-hole PGA Tour golf championship with 180 top tour professionals and 180 star-studded celebrity amateurs competing head-to-head at this year's event.

February 8
18th Annual Together with Love Run and Walk
Pacific Grove
Tel: 831-373-3389
mrcc@mbay.net
This 10k run/5k walk on a mostly flat, looped course around beautiful Monterey Bay is the fastest growing footrace on the Central Coast.

March 31-April 1
Pebble Beach Spring Horse Show
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-624-2756
www.ridepebblebeach.com
Level A horse show featuring hunter jumping and other classes.

March or April TBA
Carmel Kite Festival
Carmel
Tel: 831-620-2020
Register your kite (home-made or commercially made) at noon for judging at 1:00pm, down on the silver sands of Carmel's beach (foot of 8th Avenue). Prizes awarded in several categories and age groups.

April 15-18
Annual Sea Otter Classic
Laguna Seca, Monterey
Tel: 650-364-7612
www.seaotterclassic.com
The unabashed celebration of all things cycling, the Sea Otter Classic is a four-day bicycle circus. This massive event features fun rides, road racing, mountain bike racing, BMX, kids events, and a large expo that showcases the latest in cycling hardware, clothing and goods. Racers range from first timers to Olympic champions. All kids events are free of charge. Camping available.

April 25
Big Sur International Marathon
Hwy 1, Big Sur to Carmel
Tel: 831-625-6226
www.bsim.org
This marathon, once again named the Best Marathon in North America by The Ultimate Guide to Marathons, is set along one of the most breathtaking routes in the world. Other events include a 21-mile power walk, 5K run, 9-mile walk, 10.6-mile walk, and marathon relay.

April TBA
Marina 5 Miler
Marina
Tel: 831-384-4636
www.ci.marina.ca.us
The event features a 5-mile run through the streets of Marina and a 4K walk around lovely Locke-Paddon Lake.

May 1-2
Road and Track Invitational
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Tel:800-327-SECA
www.laguna-seca.com/
This world-class invitational opens the racing season in high style. Previous invitationals have featured historic stock cars, vintage Can-Am cars and GTP and historic GTP cars.

May 1-2
Wildflower Triathalon Festival
Lake San Antonio
Tel: 831-373-0678
www.tricalifornia.com
One of the premier triathlons nationally and internationally, this course will test the skills of the professional triathlete and the first-time long course competitor.

May 8-9
Festival of the Winds
Marina
Tel: 831-595-7516
www.marinafestival.com
Kites of every size and shape fill the air, plus hang gliding over Marina State Beach, kids' crafts, kite making workshops, and flying demonstrations.

May 15-16 TBC
24 Hours of Adrenalin Cycle Race
Monterey
Tel (contact number in Canada): 905-944-9436
www.24HoursofAdrenalin.com
24 Hours of Adrenalin is the fastest growing mountain bike event series in North America. Solo riders or teams of up to ten people compete to ride as many laps as possible in a 24-hour time period.

May 19-23
Pebble Beach Equestrian Challenge
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-624-2756
www.ridepebblebeach.com
Level A horse show, featuring hunter jumping and other classes.

May 29-June 6
Monterey National Horse Show
Monterey Fairgrounds
Tel: 831-769-9255
Mainstays of Western riding, including barrel racing, team roping and sorting, stockhorse competitions, and Arabian working cow classes, come to the Monterey Fairgrounds. All-Around Cowgirl/Cowboy competition (for ages 6 to 10) on Friday and Saturday evening.

May TBA
Morgan Horse Show
Monterey Fairgrounds
Tel: 831-372-5863
www.montereycountyfair.com
The Fairgrounds' Pattee Arena is the setting for the Morgan Horse Show; free admission with showtimes throughout the day.

May TBA
23rd Annual Human Race
Pacific Grove
Tel: 800-408-9191
This 10K run/8K walk traverses the most beautiful coastline in the world, and is one of Monterey County's largest collaborative fundraising events.

May TBA
Del Monte Kennel Club Agility Trials
Toro Park
Tel: 831-333-9032
www.dmkc.org
Weave through poles, climb a ladder, run through tunnels... That's just a sample of the off-lead skills these AKC-registered dogs demonstrate at these two-day trials.

May TBA
11th Annual Bird-a-thon
Big Sur
Tel: 877-897-7740
www.VentanaWS.org
Help raise funds for the Big Sur Ornithology Lab while you help the Ventana Wilderness Society count species of birds in Monterey County. Don't know an eagle from an oriole? Join a docent-led Group Count.

June 6
Josephine Kernes Memorial Horse Show
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-624-2756
www.ridepebblebeach.com
An unrated benefit horse show, featuring hunter jumping and other classes.

June 19
Hidden Gardens Tour
Big Sur
Tel: 831-667-1530
www.bigsurarts.org/garden_tour.htm
Visitors come upon musicians and artists as they discover a half-dozen beautiful home gardens in Big Sur. The garden market offers handicrafts and items to make your garden special; the Captain Cooper School Garden shows kids have green thumbs, too. Reservations essential.

June TBA
23rd Carmel Surf-About Weekend
Carmel
Tel: 831-375-5015
www.carmelcalifornia.com
Watch Monterey County's finest surfers tackle the waves at Carmel Beach.

June TBA
93rd California State Amateur Golf Championship
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-625-4653
Top 120 amateurs compete on 36 holes on the famous Pebble Beach golf courses.

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July 3
The Great Race
Monterey
Tel:
Cheer at the finish line as the country's oldest and longest vintage car race runs from Jacksonville, Florida, to Monterey over 15 days. The classic cars will travel along Cannery Row and Alvarado Street before the race ends at Custom House Plaza.

July 9-11
Honda Superbike Classic
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca
Tel: 800-327-SECA
www.laguna-seca.com
Laguna Seca is the home of world-class motorcycle racing in the United States and this is the show where it all happens. The event features the SBK World Superbike Championship and AMA Chevy Trucks U.S. Superbike Championship together on the same track on the same weekend.

July 10
Race Night on the Row
Cannery Row, Monterey
Tel:
Cannery Row hosts live entertainment and the street becomes a cruise for hundreds of top-line motorcycles. Street closure, except for cruising and parking motorcycles, from 6-10 pm. Free.

July 15-18
California Rodeo Salinas
Salinas
Tel: 800-771-8807
info@carodeo.com
www.carodeo.com
The California Rodeo Salinas promises edge-of-your-seat thrills for the entire family. Top pro competition in steer wrestling, bull riding, calf roping, bareback bronco riding, and barrel racing. Enjoy parades, night shows and great food.

July 27 - August 1 (Classic I), August 3-8 (Classic II)
Pebble Beach Equestrian Classics
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-624-2756
www.ridepebblebeach.com
The Equestrian Classics host competitors from all over the U.S., Canada and Mexico for two weeks of spectacular show jumping highlighted by special events, wine tasting and family fun.

July TBA
AKC All Breed Dog Show
CSUMB, Seaside
Tel: 831-333-9032
www.dmkc.org
Back-to-back all-breed dog shows and obedience trials. Attended by exhibitors with about 100+ dogs registered with the American Kennel Club.

August 3-8 (Classic II)
Pebble Beach Equestrian Classics
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-624-2756
www.ridepebblebeach.com
The Equestrian Classics host competitors from all over the U.S., Canada and Mexico for two weeks of spectacular show jumping highlighted by special events, wine tasting and family fun.

August 7-8
Annual Scottish Games and Celtic Festival
Toro Park, Monterey-Salinas Hwy
Tel: 831-647-6311
www.montereyscotgames.com
A festival celebrating Scottish and Irish traditions and culture. Featuring a Celtic concert, clans, food, entertainment and competitions in dancing, bagpipe bands and athletics.

August 13
Concours Auto Rally
Carmel and Pacific Grove
Tel: 831-626-1255
Car rally that drives through Carmel on Ocean Avenue and ends in Pacific Grove, in conjunction with the Concours Classic Car weekend.

August 13-15
31st Rolex Monterey Historic Automobile Races
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey
Tel: 800-327-SECA
www.laguna-seca.com
The Monterey Historics brings out the best of racing's past from rare pre-war racers adorned with nameplates like Bugatti and Alfa-Romeo to 70s and 80s rocket ships from Lola and McLaren.

August 15
54th Annual Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-372-8026
www.pebblebeachconcours.net
This spectacular event exhibits some of the most unusual prewar and postwar marques along with the latest in concept car designs.

September 3-5
Chamption Tour First Tee Open
Pebble Beach Golf Links and Bayonet Golf Course
Tel:
Watch as golf legends and junior golfers play two of the Monterey Peninsula's top courses.

September 10-12
Grand Prix of Monterey
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey
Tel: 800-327-SECA
www.laguna-seca.com
The 2004 Mazda Raceway season includes the fastest cars around the 2.238-mile, 11-turn road course with the return of the CART Champ Car Series headlining the Grand Prix of Monterey weekend.

September 10-11
Seagate Triathlon at Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove
Tel: 831-373-0678
www.tricalifornia.com
This Olympic distance event consists of a swim course at Lover's Point, a bike ride to Asilomar State Beach, and a run to historic Cannery Row. Sponsored by Tri-Californian.

September 15-19
Strides and Tides Horse Show
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-624-2756
www.ridepebblebeach.com
Casual, fun-filled equestrian event before the championships next month. Level A horse show featuring hunter jumping and horses from all over California.

October 15-17
Fry's Electronics Sports Car Championships
Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Monterey
Tel: 800-327-SECA
www.laguna-seca.com
This great racing weekend includes a 3.5-hour main event which runs past dusk for true Le Mans style racing. Look for BMWs, Audis, Porsches, Vipers and Covettes, driven by the stars of sports car racing.

October 16
Marina Air Faire
Marina
Tel: 831-582-0102
Vintage planes, including rare, still-flying warbirds like Stearmans, descend on Marina's airport; they're joined by local hot-rod and vintage car clubs, plus food, fun and entertainment.

October 30
Big Sur River Run
Big Sur
Tel: 831-624-4112
www.bigsurriverrun.org
10K foot race and 5K walk amongst the redwoods and along the Big Sur River to benefit local charities.

October TBA
California International Airshow
Salinas
Tel: 831-754-1983
www.salinasairshow.com
Prepare to be dazzled by fantastic flying exhibitions by high-flying jets, aerobatics, skydiving, and much more.

October TBA
Big Sur Half Marathon and 5K Run
Monterey
Tel: 831-625-6226
www.bigsurhalfmarathon.org
Two fun-filled events for runners at all levels. The Big Sur Half Marathon begins and ends in downtown Monterey, taking in Cannery Row and Pacific Grove along the way. The "Run Forrest Run 5K" is sponsored by Bubba Gump's restaurant, complete with entertainment along the course.

November 3-7
Pebble Beach Equestrian Championships
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-624-2786
www.ridepebblebeach.com
Grand finale to the horse show season in Pebble Beach.

November 16-21
Callaway Golf Pebble Beach Invitational
Pebble Beach
Tel: 831-625-8575
www.pebblebeach.com
Pro-Am Golf Tournament. Enjoy the world famous golf links on Monterey Peninsula: Del Monte Golf Course, Pebble Beach Golf Links and Spyglass Hill Golf Course.

December 12
Brighten The Harbor
Monterey
Tel: 831-657-0855
www.mpyc.org
Boats decorated with Christmas lights parade from the Coast Guard Pier to Lover's Point and back. A judging of boats will follow at the Yacht Club.






Sports & Recreation Events
View all sports and recreation
events throughout the year.


News & Events
Golf at Its Finest
The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Golf Tournament has come along way since Bing Crosby first floated the idea of a national golf tournament matching professional and amateur golfers. The first purse, won by Sam Snead in 1937, was $500; in 2003, Davis Love III took home a first prize check in the amount of $900,000. In the intervening years, the tournament has raised more than $46 million for nonprofit organizations and charities.
For this year's tournament, February 2-8, a galaxy of stars are already committed to play, including Kevin Costner, Andy Garcia, Kenny G, Samuel L. Jackson and Joe Pesci. To keep informed about the celebrities and pros signed on, check the Pro-Am's website at www.attpbgolf.com.
Special Events Shuttles
Save yourself some parking hassle if you attend the auto races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Just ride the special express bus services operated by Monterey-Salinas Transit to Laguna Seca from the Monterey Beach Hotel & Embassy Suites via Line 37 Seaside, downtown Monterey via Line 38-Laguna Seca and from Salinas via Line 39-Laguna Seca.
Additional service from the Monterey Transit Plaza and Salinas Transit Center via Line 21 is available on Fridays and Saturdays at regularly scheduled times. The express services will run hourly from 7am. For more information, please call MST at 899-2555 or 424-7695 or visit MST Online at www.mst.org .



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