118 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2026 montereycountynow.com/bestof Editors , Picks Picks BEST NONPROFIT THAT DOESN’T FIT ANY OF OUR READERS’ POLL CATEGORIES Friends of Laguna Seca friendsoflagunaseca.org The Grateful Dead have played at Laguna Seca. The Pope held mass at Laguna Seca. Ringling Brothers? We don’t think so. But the point is that Friends of Laguna Seca—the nonprofit that operates Laguna Seca Recreational Area for the County of Monterey—understands that there is more to the facility than the famed WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. So while they have already made noticeable improvements that brought the track out of its 1960s-era doldrums, they are also working to improve camping, hiking and biking, as well as to bring bands and other community experiences to a county park that is also one of the most recognized places in the world. Friends of Laguna Seca are making the facility worthy of that status. BEST SMALL-TOWN DRAMA Carmel vs. Overtourism Woe be to Carmel, which like Bixby Bridge, caught the attention of social media influencers and is now experiencing an influx of lookie loos, who fill parking spaces and take Instagramready photos of the city’s quaint cottages but leave little behind in the way of revenue. Carmelites needed to find someone to blame, and since an amorphous army of influencers is hard to pin down, they turned their sights on See Monterey and its marketing efforts, calling for the city to nix a nearly $300,000 contribution in its 2025-2026 budget, money derived from transient occupancy taxes (meaning, money comes from visitors, not residents). See Monterey wasn’t going down without a fight. President and CEO Rob O’Keefe offered to use some of the money for a tourism impact study to come up with a management plan. The Carmel City Council agreed and the study was quickly launched. Whether change-averse Carmelites will accept the resulting plan is yet to be seen—after all, it took 110 years just to finally get street addresses. BEST MEATBALLS AT AN OYSTER BAR Oystertown 281 Lighthouse Ave., Monterey (831) 312-8150, oystertownusa.com Tack “circus” onto a name and you know what to expect. But it’s not the same with Oystertown. Yes, there are shellfish, but Chef Philip Wojtowicz likes to stretch the small menu as much as possible, so you can find escargot, grilled cheese, chocolate pudding and what are promised as “The Best Meatballs in the Galaxy.” The meatballs are completely satisfying and the sauce is a grandmother’s recipe, so an order takes you to the warmth of home. There is more to Oystertown than you might think at first. BEST PLACE THAT ONCE BANNED DANCING AND ALCOHOL, BUT HAS NOW DISCOVERED FUN Downtown Pacific Grove Despite its outward appearance, a circus is an intricately-run ecosystem of fun. When all of the players come together in synchronicity, that’s where the magic happens complete with spectacles that make audience members go “ooooo” and “ahhhh.” But before the big top is set up, the land is pretty routine. The same can be said for downtown Pacific Grove. There were—and still are—popular restaurants, shops and such. But an element of fun was missing. Gone are those days now, though. P.G.s downtown is flourishing with more live music, a wine bar and brewery. It’s like the circus came to town and stayed. BEST PLACE TO INCREASE YOUR CREATIVITY AND INTEREST IN SCIENCE AT THE SAME TIME. Greenfield Community Science Workshop 45 El Camino Real, Greenfield (831) 233-8335, greenfieldca.gov With Circus Imagination, kids and adults get a glimpse of circus life. At the Greenfield Community Science Workshop, kids learn about and have hands-on experience building their own projects, including wooden scooters, circuits or repairing their own bikes. It is learning that is practical to all life—and, yes, it’s fun. Best artist who defines golf course fairways as landscapes | Shelley Cost
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