GREAT ESCAPE: National Steinbeck Center in Salinas

How many authors have an entire museum dedicated to their legacy? That’s part of what makes the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas so unique. Not only is it a great place to discover the works of Salinas native John Steinbeck, who wrote East of Eden, Cannery Row and The Grapes of Wrath, but also to find out more about local agriculture and the history of Central California in the early 20th century.

What to do there: One of the really fun things about the center is the exhibits, which allow you to experience Steinbeck’s works as though you were stepping into the books themselves. You’ll walk through a barn display for The Red Pony and see farmhands’ bunk beds that bring to mind Of Mice and Men. There are also seven mini-theaters showing film clips from movies based on Steinbeck books. A gallery within the Steinbeck Center contains the Rabobank Agriculture Museum, with hands-on displays on how food is grown and gets from the farm to your table.

Why we like it: It’s a great way for kids (and grownups, too) to learn more about this important author and to appreciate how he documented the American experience through his novels, short stories and nonfiction books. The center is at one end of Salinas Oldtown, which can be explored after your Steinbeck Center experience, offering a variety of restaurants, antiques shops, boutiques and a 14-screen movie theater.

And even more to like: There’s always something new about the Steinbeck Center in addition to the permanent exhibits. Speakers, artists and authors are often featured here; opening soon is the exhibit, “Japanese History: In Salinas Chinatown,” on April 23, and the annual Steinbeck Festival takes place Aug. 4-7.

About the National Steinbeck Center: The $15 million center, which opened in 1998, contains the largest collection of Steinbeck archives in the United States. Its mission is to encourage a love and appreciation of literature, history, agriculture and the arts.

Steinbeck fans from around the world come to Salinas to visit the center as well as other points of interest there, including Steinbeck House —the author’s boyhood home—and Salinas Oldtown, which still has some of the historic buildings that existed in Steinbeck’s day. Steinbeck, who lived from 1902-1968, won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath in 1939, and the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962.

Directions and phone: Take Highway 101 south to Salinas; take the Main Street exit. You’ll go several long blocks and under a railroad trestle, through the West Market Street intersection. Take the first left past West Market, onto Central Avenue, and the Steinbeck Center is on the left at 1 Main St. Paid parking is available at a lot across from the center and at a nearby parking structure; free parking may be available on adjacent city streets.

The National Steinbeck Center is open every day (except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day) from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. General admission is $10.95, with discounts available for students, seniors, children, and military, police and fire personnel. Kids ages 5 and younger are admitted free. School tours are also offered at a substantial discount.

For information, call 831-775-4721 or see steinbeck.org.