124 BEST OF MONTEREY COUNTY® 2026 montereycountynow.com/bestof Editors , Picks Picks or honey is far superior to that of any store-bought ice tea. Revival Ice Cream in downtown Monterey takes this experience to yet another level. Earl Grey is one of their rotating flavors, not unlike apparatuses and spinning acts at circus arts. Earl Grey is all about infusing black tea with bergamot orange oil. Here, vanilla ice cream is infused with both, equipping the usual ice cream sweetness with some sobering bitterness, while still playing up the bergamot aroma. It’s not the only flavor at Revival that has hardcore fans. Their Bee’s Knees ice cream is the signature flavor. BEST PLACE TO GET HYDRATED FOR YOUR HEALTH, THEN HAVE A LESS-THAN-HEALTHY ICE CREAM Pacheco Water Store 216 Alta St., Gonzales (831) 675-2913 Stepping into a circus tent feels like entering a different world. The same happens when you step into Pacheco Water Store on a hot day and the cool air hits. In one stop, people can get water and ice cream at the same time. The best part is there are over 22 ice cream flavors. BEST PLACE FOR A JUMP SCARE Nextdoor nextdoor.com Picture this: motorcyclists flashing past each other at 60 mph inside a tight steel sphere. It’s an act that’s sure to give you a fright, in fact, it’s dubbed “The Globe of Terror” for a reason. If you want the thrill, or at least a jump scare, you can find your own version from the comfort of your computer or phone. A few scrolls through Nextdoor and you can experience your own sphere of terror, for as long as you desire…or dare. Sure, there are a few thrills in there: a new coffee shop plug, a sweet golden retriever found and returned to its owner. But pick up some speed, and soon you’ll be witnessing verbal knife fights in the comments, horror stories about annoying neighbors, and enough neighborhood drama to keep you entertained and slightly terrified for hours. BEST RACE WHERE 30-40 MPH IS ACTUALLY A BLISTERING FAST SPEED Life Time Sea Otter Classic WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, 1021 Highway 68, Salinas seaotterclassic.com If we told you that this race had speeds of a little more than a school zone, you’d probably yawn. But if we said the race vehicles only had two wheels and were powered by human energy, you’d be impressed. The athletes competing in the various races of the Life Time Sea Otter Classic at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca pedal through the course at speeds that the average person would never reach on a bicycle. There’s the exciting downhill portion between Turns 6 and 5, as well as the close-quarters racing of the criterium, where racers jockey for position. Life at 30mph was never such a blur. BEST PIT STOP WHEN LEAVING OR RETURNING TO MONTEREY COUNTY The Power Plant Coffee 7990 Highway 1, Moss Landing (831) 453-0022 You’re on your way to Santa Cruz or points north on Highway 1 and it’s time for another cup of joe or a hearty snack. Or maybe you’re headed back to Monterey County and need a little pick-me-up for the rest of the ride home. The Power Plant is just the right pit stop to refuel. In addition to an impressive coffee menu, there’s “Not Coffee” on the menu including matcha, chai latte, hot cocoa and a steamer, plus smoothies and tea and an all-day breakfast sandwich and toast menu. Attached to The Power Plant, The Landing opened in July offering beer and wine and a rotation of gourmet food trucks every weekend. Live music adds to the ambience. BEST PLACE TO ROAD TEST YOUR CLOWN CAR Seaside Speed Humps We know what you were going for here, Seaside. You wanted to make the streets a little safer from the 50-ina-30 types. While speed bumps can be an effective way to force folks to slow their roll, this ain’t that. Hour after hour, day after day we watch the clown cars either drive 50 right up to the bump and slam on their brakes for a death-defying feat or don’t even bother to brake and just swerve around the humps at 50 like they’re playing Mario Kart. Best way to either stay in one distant culinary place or travel the world, all while never leaving Lighthouse Avenue | Curry Journey
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