It’s easy to tick off the many reasons Monterey County is a bucket list tourist destination. Any conversation of the most iconic courses in golf starts with Pebble Beach Golf Links. Music? The Monterey Jazz Festival, Cali Roots—this is where the best converge. Motorsports fans consider The Corkscrew at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca as one of the world’s most legendary corners. Car Week and the Concours d’Elegance brings the world’s finest collector cars to the Peninsula. The Monterey Bay Aquarium, whale watching tours, hiking, bicycle races, John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row— there’s something for every interest.

But Monterey County is also a home. The salad bowl of America starts in the Salinas Valley. Commercial fishing boats chug into the bay. Scientists at the aquarium work on sustainability. Professors and students mingle with active duty military. Monterey is, after all, home to universities, the Naval Postgraduate School and the Defense Language Institute. Within all of this are the chefs and shop owners, the peace officers, retirees and business people who keep it all going.

No wonder Big Little LIes depicts the fictional life of Monterey—maybe with a bit more drama, but with all the real beauty of the area. This guide is just a quick tour of the possibilities that wait. For updates on what’s going on, check mcweekly.com or pick up the Monterey County Weekly at one of our 900-plus distribution spots.

—Dave Faries / Managing Editor