National Steinbeck Center

The archive alone makes the case: over 45,000 documents, manuscripts, letters, photographs, and films, all dedicated to a single writer from Salinas. The National Steinbeck Center opened here in 1998, in the town where Steinbeck grew up, and houses the largest collection of his archives in the United States. California State University Monterey Bay acquired the building in 2016. The museum runs more than 40 events a year, including the annual Steinbeck Festival. Admission is $15 for adults; the museum opens daily at 10am.