The small town of Soledad, just outside the park's western entrance, is most famous as the setting of John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men, but it's also in the heart of the Monterey County wine region and has some excellent wineries with tasting rooms, though few amenities beyond these. A short drive south, the similarly agricultural community of King City has a few modest lodgings and good restaurants—it's a good base for visiting either park entrance.
To the north, you'll find a larger though still mostly chain-oriented selection of hotels and eateries in Salinas, a once-gritty city of about 155,000 that's lately begun undergoing a downtown renaissance and is home to the famed National Steinbeck Center, and Hollister, a farming town and bedroom community with some good wineries in the countryside; the historic neighboring hamlet of San Juan Bautista has plenty of charm.
The famous Pacific coastal communities of the Monterey Peninsula, including Carmel Valley and Monterey, as well as Santa Cruz at the top of Monterey Bay, are just a 60- to 90-minute drive, yet feel like a world away, with world-class beaches, golf course, winery tasting rooms, boutiques, and distinctive dining and lodging options.
