Fodor's Expert Review National Steinbeck Center
The center's exhibits document the life of Pulitzer- and Nobel-prize winner John Steinbeck and the history of the nearby communities that inspired novels such as East of Eden. Highlights include reproductions of the green pickup-camper from Travels with Charley and the bunk room from Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck House, the author's Victorian birthplace, is two blocks from the center at 132 Central Avenue. Now a popular (lunch-only) restaurant and gift shop with docent-led tours, it also displays memorabilia.