What The Locals Know–Visit Candy Cane Lane in Pacific Grove

There’s a neighborhood in Pacific Grove, that transforms itself during the holiday season and is known as “Candy Cane Lane”. The neighbors have had a long-time tradition of decorating their houses and yards to the hilt, which has resulted in a magical place to walk around with your sweetheart and your family.

The residents make Candy Cane Lane a wonderful little Christmas fantasy land. There are plenty of lights, of course, and also mechanized displays, plywood and 3-D characters (both traditional and cartoon). In the park are some shared attractions, like little clapboard kiddie houses and a look-only ferris wheel. Some displays are traditional, while some are not (Elvis and the Justice League), but it’s all wonderful.

Bundle up your little ones and take them on a December evening. They’ll remember it their whole lives. Here’s a video to help you see what it’s all about.

Candy Cane Lane can be found off Hwy. 68/Forrest Avenue at Morse Drive in Pacific Grove. Parking is very limited and if you decide to drive around, please be very careful of all the little ones walking around, distracted by the yard displays.

Insiders’s Tip: There is less traffic during the 6:00 – 7:00 PM dinner hour. Park your car at the nearby school and enjoy the walk around the neighborhood.

What The Locals Know–Preparing for the Christmas Season in Pacific Grove

Just after Thanksgiving, the towns on the Monterey Peninsula start getting ready for Christmas–but Pacific Grove REALLY gets into it more than the other communities.

Here are some dates to mark on your calendar if you’re lingering around Pacific Grove the weekend and week after Thanksgiving:

Pacific Grove’s Christmas Tree Lighting, Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 at 5:30 PM, at Jewell Park in Pacific Grove. For more information, call 831-648-3100

Santa’s Christmas Party, Monday, Nov. 29, 2010 at 6:00 PM, Chautauqua Hall at corner of 16th and Central in Pacific Grove.

Christmas At The Inns in Pacific Grove, Tuesday, Nov. 30 – Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2010. If you love the cozy warmth of our local Bed and Breakfast Inns, you’ll love their Christmas Tour. For more information, call 831-373-3304.

The Holiday Parade of Lights happens in downtown Pacific Grove on Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 at 6:00 PM along Lighthouse Avenue.

On Friday, Dec. 3, 2010 at 7:30 PM, A Celtic Christmas Celebration will be held at the First United Methodist Church. For more information, visit their website at www.mollysrevenge.com

The famous event known as Stillwell’s Snow In The Park will happen on Saturday, Dec. 4, 2010 at 10:00 AM. Though snow doesn’t happen naturally in Pacific Grove, it becomes plentiful at this event, located at Tommy Stillwell Court. For more information, call 831-373-3304.

And for those who plan to stay in Pacific Grove a little longer than the Thanksgiving holiday, there will be a Jingle Bell Run with Santa at Lovers Point Park on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010 from 8:00 – 11:00 PM. For more information, call 831-373-3304.

If these events don’t get you in the mood for Christmas, stay tuned…for there are more events coming as we get into December.