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    Lodging

    Where to stay? The choices are as varied as Monterey County's landscape. Quaint, decadent, understated, austere - which beckons you? From historic mansions...more
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    Things to Do

    Monterey County is a mecca for all things active. By paddle, pedal, foot or golf cart, you're going to have ample opportunity to move and do. Only here,...more
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    Events

    From world class racing to art and music festivals, top tier golf tournaments to food & wine events, there is always something fun happening in Monterey....more
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• Food & Wine
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    Food & Wine

    Gastronomic stimulation is a hallmark of any memorable travel experience. And here again, Monterey County does not disappoint. The diversity of culinary...more
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    Resources

    We've got everything you need to plan a wonderfully memorable Monterey experience. Find out how to get here from wherever you are and be sure to check on...more
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• Destinations
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    Destinations

    You would never tire of driving the 99 miles of Monterey County coastline in either direction. But as hard as it might be to take your eyes or mind off the...more
  • • Monterey
    • Big Sur
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  • • Salinas
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    • Sand City
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    • Spreckels

Sand City

Sand City is blessed with an abundance of, well, sand. But this isn’t your garden-variety beach sand. We’re referring to spectacular dunes formed during the Pleistocene era at the tail end of the last ice age somewhere in the neighborhood of 6,000 to 15,000 years ago. These dunes are the highest found on California's Central Coast.

Look above the dunes, and you'll see a sky full of paragliders. The same steady winds that lure hang gliders to Marina State Beach draw paragliders to its sister beach a little south. Sand City is one of the prime spots in the state for paragliding. The winds are perfect, the launch area ideal — and the view is incredible. The Monterey Bay Coastal Recreation Trail runs right through the sand dunes, north to Castroville and south all the way to Pebble Beach.

The West End

A short distance from the sandy dunes of Monterey Bay, an artists' community is transforming an industrial neighborhood. Nearly 20 artists have set up studios in Sand City's West End. The artists, along with a number of restaurants and coffee houses, are creating a cool vibe by the sea.

Sand City Map

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