Entry No. 16 — the Monterey file — filed under: whaling museum

Whalers Cabin Museum

A one-room 1850s cabin — the last of a dozen built by shipwrecked Chinese fishermen — packed with harpoons, shattered Chinese ceramics, abalone-shell buttons, and whale vertebrae that a 1986 excavation found holding up the floor joists; blubber-cooking try-pots and stray whalebones still sit in the yard outside.

The move: Pay the $10 day-use fee, hike the short trail to Whalers Cove, and duck into the free museum before or after exploring the cove where the shore-whaling station once stood.

• 📍 Point Lobos, south of Carmel
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, Highway 1 (~3 miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea), Carmel-By-The-Sea, CA 93923

Hours: Added 2026-07-20 — confirm current hours before you go.

⚠ Seasonal or scheduled — always check before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Atlas Obscura · ohp.parks.ca.gov · pointlobos.org

last checked: 2026-07-20