Franklin Street Collaborative is excited that local science illustrator and designer Liana Matson Vitousek of Vitousek Illustration has brought us more of her best selling prints of local destinations. At $25 a pop, these images of Monterey, Carmel Valley, Pacific Grove, and Seaside are incredible gifts and wonderful art to hang in your own space. View them here.

Pair with a Carmel Candle Lab hand poured candle and an Eddison and Melrose tea blend and you’ve got yourself a truly locals-only experience, all available at Franklin Street Collaborative, 201 West Franklin Street in Downtown Old Monterey.

Alligator, the legendary Blues, Zydeco, and Cajun guitar and fiddle player, returns to Bon Ton L'Roy's Lighthouse Smokehouse for a belated Mardi Gras Party on Saturday, April 10 at 7pm. Come enjoy a night of live music and the great food and drink of New Orleans.

Limited indoor and outdoor seating available. Please call for reservations, 831-375-6958. Bon Ton L'Roy's is located at 794 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Monterey's locally-owned Escape Room 831 has reopened at 599 Lighthouse Avenue and 765 Wave Street. We have some wonderfully fun, creative rooms available for you!

Rest assured that the owners of Escape Room 831 have been working diligently with City, County, and State officials to provide the safest possible environment. All necessary protocols for everyone’s safety are being followed. Not only are all rooms now private, we leave one hour between bookings to clean. Are you ready to sign up? Please visit our website.

Please know there are some conditions that must be met when playing with us. No exceptions.

1) You must wear a mask at all times inside our building.

2) You must maintain social distance from our Game Masters and you must wash your hands and/or sanitize upon arrival.

3) If you have been ill or felt sick anytime in the last 10 days – please cancel your reservation.

Questions? Feel free to call us at 831-241-6616.

Do you want to further your knowledge of SCUBA diving, but you're not sure which specialty class to start with? Take Bamboo Reef Dive Shop's NAUI Advanced Open Water Course and gain experience in six different specialties!
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Learn more about shore diving, night diving, navigation, search and recovery, deep diving, and boat diving. Getting your Advanced Open Water certification with Bamboo Reef will challenge you physically and mentally, better preparing you for an array of advanced dives. Learn more on our website.

Bamboo Reef Dive Shop is located at 614 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey.

Please note: to take this course you must be an Open Water Diver or higher and be at least 15 years old. Taking the Advanced Open Water certification course does not certify you for the specialties listed above. Additional training is required.

Monterey Bay Aquarium is very excited to open our doors to the public on May 15. We're looking for individuals who are passionate about inspiring conservation of the ocean to join our team!

We have seasonal and limited full-time opportunities in the following roles: guest experience representative, guest support services (custodial), and security officer.

The Aquarium will be hosting a virtual job fair via Zoom on Wednesday, April 14, 4:30pm-7:30pm. If you are interested in interviewing for any of our available roles, we invite you to sign up for a 10-minute interview time slot.

Please read complete instructions and sign up for a time slot on this page.

Hula’s Monterey is hiring! We are looking for lovely people to be part of our family, our clan, our tribe, our pod. We are joyful, outgoing, and friendly. If that sounds like you, come talk with us. We're looking for people with well-rounded hospitality experience and a knowledge of food, service, and cocktails. We celebrate diversity. Applicants must have open availability.

Hula's Island Grill is located at 622 Lighthouse Avenue in Monterey. Our phone number is 831-655-4852.

A NEW session of Spring classes are just around the corner for youth and teens! Join us in-person or online! Below are the links for all of the classes starting April 9-April 24th.

Smart Money and Investing *Virtual* (8-13 yrs)

Clay Sculpture (10-15 YRS) at the Art Beat Studio

Scratch Computer Coding *Virtual* (5-12 yrs)

Python for Kids *Virtual* (9-14 yrs)

SafeSitters - Babysitting Class *Virtual* (12-15 yrs)

Public Speaking and Debate - Speaking and Writing Skills *Virtual* (7-12 yrs)

Paint Party *Virtual* (5-12 yrs)

Pastel Art Technique *Virtual* (5-12 yrs)

Cartoons and Concept *Virtual* (5-12 yrs)

ZenTangle Art *Virtual* (5-12 yrs)

Art Exploration (5-9 yrs) at the Art Beat Studio

Youth Pottery Wheel (10-15 yrs) at the Art Beat Studio

Drawing & Painting (5-12 yrs) at the Art Beat Studio

Jazz, Tap & Ballet Classes *Virtual* (3-12 yrs)

Virtual Music Classes (0-8 yrs) - Sibling Discounts Available

...Read More

The Monterey County Health Department has verified that Monterey County will move into California’s Covid-19 Orange Tier as of Wednesday, April 7. What that means is businesses, residents, and visitors, working in partnership with the City of Monterey, have demonstrated their commitment to safety and health protocols and all of us are benefiting from it. Thanks to all of you!

With Orange Tier status:

**Restaurants can increase indoor seating to 50% capacity

**Retail stores can increase indoor shopping to 100% capacity

**Gyms and fitness studios can welcome people indoors up to 25% capacity

**Family entertainment centers can open indoors up to 25% capacity

**Museums and the Aquarium can open for indoor visitors up to 50% capacity

**Bars not serving meals can open outdoors with modifications

**Wineries, breweries, and distilleries can open indoors up to 25% capacity

Everyone, please keep up the good work! Continue to wear your face mask and socially distance so that we can continue to move forward to fewer restrictions and increased activity.

The Monterey County Health Department has verified that Monterey County will move into California’s Covid-19 Orange Tier as of Wednesday, April 7. What that means is businesses, residents, and visitors, working in partnership with the City of Monterey, have demonstrated their commitment to safety and health protocols and all of us are benefiting from it. Thanks to all of you!

With Orange Tier status:

**Restaurants can increase indoor seating to 50% capacity

**Retail stores can increase indoor shopping to 100% capacity

**Gyms and fitness studios can welcome people indoors up to 25% capacity

**Family entertainment centers can open indoors up to 25% capacity

**Museums and the Aquarium can open for indoor visitors up to 50% capacity

**Bars not serving meals can open outdoors with modifications

**Wineries, breweries, and distilleries can open indoors up to 25% capacity

Everyone, please keep up the good work! Continue to wear your face mask and socially distance so that we can continue to move forward to fewer restrictions and increased activity.

In an official poll conducted by our website staff, New Monterey's Lighthouse District has been voted Best Darned Business District.

"We've got style, we've got fantastic food, and we've got an amazing sense of community," said a local employee who would only speak on condition of anonymity for fear of offending her mother in Old Monterey, her brother in Pacific Grove, and her cousin on Cannery Row. "Lighthouse is the little district that could. We're number one!"

Reached for comment, Buddy the basset hound said, "Woof!" Our translators tell us that means, "I want a sweet potato fry from Hula's."

Happy first day of April, everybody. Thanks for riding out this pandemic with us. It's not over yet, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Keep your masks on and keep the faith.