Important: The license upgrade to CC by-sa 3.0 has been approved.
Please consider all contributions from this point forward to be made under that license.

From Wikitravel

For other places with the same name, see Salinas (disambiguation).

Salinas[1], California, is located 20 minutes inland from Monterey Bay in a region known as the Central Coast. Salinas claims to be the "Salad Bowl of the World."

[edit] Get in

Salinas is served by Amtrak's Coast Starlight. An Amtrak-provided bus connects the Salinas Station to a few major hotels in Monterey and downtown Carmel.

Salinas also has a Greyhound bus station, which travelers can come to via many major California cities.

Use CalTrain to get to Salinas from San Francisco or San Jose. Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) buses connect to CalTrain at San Jose, Morgan Hill and Gilroy. (Morgan Hill and Gilroy stations are only open weekdays.) These buses will deposit you in Monterey; from there you can connect to another MST bus to Salinas.

[edit] Get around

• Oldtown Salinas is very walkable. It has many stores, restaurants and galleries. It is also the location of the Transit Plaza, providing access to the Amtrak train and the bus system.
• Public buses from Monterey-Salinas Transit are plentiful. They also provide access to the Monterey Peninsula.
• Getting around by automobile is easy. Parking is plentiful and often free.

[edit][add listing] See

The John Steinbeck Museum, located in 1 South Main Street.

Salinas Sports Complex, which hosts the rodeo and some notable concerts (such as The Eagles and Mary J. Blige), located in North Main Street, adjacent to Sherwood Hall.

Sherwood Hall, adjacent to Salinas Sports Complex, hosts plays and live musical performances including the Monterey County Symphony.

• The Western Stage, 411 Central Avenue, Salinas CA (Parking lot is on Alisal, across from San Vicente Ave.), ☎ (831) 375-2111, [2]. Monterey County's largest professional theatre organization.  edit

[edit][add listing] Do

• Salinas is the "heart of Steinbeck country". The National Steinbeck Center has exhibitions about John Steinbeck, his work, and life on the California Coast. Find out more at [3]

• The California Rodeo. Held in the third week of July at the California Rodeo Grounds in the heart of Salinas. For more details: [4]. Note: locals will correct you if you refer to the ROW-dee-oh; the preferred local pronunciation is row-DAY-oh.
• First Fridays Art Walk, Oldtown Salinas (Start at Main and Gabilan, look for balloons), [5]. 5-8pm. On the first Friday of every month, stores and galleries in Oldtown Salinas throw open their doors. Over 50 venues are usually involved, and there are also many outdoor performances. See live music, dance, and other perforamnces and consume light food and beverages while checking out the art. Just look for the balloons on the sidewalk, denoting which venues are open.  edit
• Oldtown Salinas Farmer's Market, 100 Main Street, Salinas, CA (Parking lot across from Steinbeck Center). Saturday 9am-2pm. Organic and conventional produce vendors set up shop alongside sellers of clothes, jewelry, soap and other items every Saturday morning. Busier in summer than winter.  edit
• Salinas Sunday Farmers Market, Hartnell College, 156 Homestead Road, Salinas, CA, [6]. Sunday, 8am-noon. Another popular Salinas farmers market, held year round.  edit

[edit][add listing] Buy

• 'Northridge Mall', 796 Northridge Mall, [7]. Northridge is the largest mall in Monterey County, and houses everything from Gap to Macy*s to Express. If you are looking for your typical mall experience, a food court (Panda Express, Cold Stone Creamery, Sarabol, McDonalds, etc), or need a new pair of jeans, this is the place to go.

[edit][add listing] Eat

• In-N-Out Burger, located near Highway 101.
• Tico's Tacos, located on South Main Street.

McDonalds, Carls Jr., Jack-In-The-Box, and KFC are also around town.

• Monterey Coast Brewing Company, 165 Main Street, Salinas, CA, 93901 (Near the corner of Main and Gabilan), ☎ 831-758-2337. Monterey Coast Brewing Company brews excellent beer. They serve good pizzas and solid pub food. Make sure to have either the grilled or deep-fried artichokes; both are excellent.  edit

[edit][add listing] Drink

[edit][add listing] Sleep

• Best Western Hanns Inn, 175 Kern Street, ☎ +1 831 784-0176 (fax: +1 831 772-0292), [8].  edit
• Best Western Salinas Valley Inn & Suites, 187 Kern Street, ☎ +1 831 751-6411 (fax: +1 831 751-6890), [9].  edit
• Courtyard Salinas Monterey, 17225 El Rancho Way, ☎ +1 831 775-0491 (fax: +1 831 775-0493), [10].  edit
• Days Inn, 1226 De La Torre, +1 831-759-9900, [11].
• Holiday Inn Express, 131 John Street, ☎ +1 831 757-1020, [12].  edit
• Motel 6 Salinas North - Monterey Area, 140 Kern Street, ☎ +1 831 753-1711 (fax: +1 831 424-5187), [13].  edit
• Motel 6 Salinas South - Monterey Area, 1257 De La Torre Boulevard, ☎ +1 831 757-3077 (fax: +1 831 424-5185), [14].  edit
• Residence Inn Salinas Monterey, 17215 El Rancho Way, ☎ +1 831 775-0410 (fax: +1 831 775-0411), [15].  edit
• Ramada Limited Salinas, 109 John St, ☎ +1 831 424-4801 (fax: +1 831 758-1300), [16].  edit
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites - Salinas, 195 Kern St, Salinas, California 93905, ☎ 831-737-1160, [17]. Welcome to the Holiday Inn Express Salinas Contact Us page. We welcome Salinas hotel reservations for our new deluxe hotel accommodations conveniently located in the wine country of California close to the coast.  edit

[edit] Get out

• Big Sur is a sparsely settled coastal region known for its breathtaking scenery, and is popular for hiking and camping. It is about 45 minutes southwest of Salinas.
• Monterey is popular for its historic district, its water recreation activities, its world-renowned aquarium, and Cannery Row, the setting for John Steinbeck's novel of the same name. It is easily accessible by bus or car from Salinas, and is about 20 minutes west of Salinas.
• Santa Cruz is a college town known for its hippie-crunchy vibe. It is an hour northwest of Salinas by car.

Routes through Salinas

San Jose ← Gilroy ←

N  S

→ Soledad → San Luis Obispo

This article is an outline and needs more content. It has a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!