This was a very interesting tour learned a lot of the history of Monterey tour guide did a great job with colorful stories

It was a 10! Shirley was so knowledgable and enthusiastic. Promptly met us, and even went overtime to show us some extra things since it was just us two. Really happy.

The history of the constitution of CA, looking at the writings of each person in the same building the convention was held. Looking at the different professions and length of time the person was in CA. Fascinating that a person living in CA 3 months would be included in the creation. Import taxation was at the Bay of Monterey. Ships coming in to San Diego did not have customs/taxation origionally.

Thom’s enthusiasm for Monterey (and California) history and architecture comes through clearly in his walking tour. Most of the tour is easy going, there’s only one serious staircase at Colton Hall. Happy to recommend.

Two locals and two visitors walked the streets of Cannery Row with Thom as our guide. The gray day with on and off sprinkles was filled with the Cannery Row of Steinbeck as well as the eclectic mix of homes and businesses that dot the area today. Thom is so very knowledgeable but yet his delivery is as if he is showing friends around town. Book with Thom. You will not be disappointed.

Monterey is such a quaint town, and Tom’s historical guidance through the town brought it to life. Learned a lot and enjoyed Tom’s humor. Leaving with a new sense of appreciation for Monterey! Would definitely recommend this tour when in town. You’ll learning about the area and overall history of California.Thanks, Tom Diggins!

My wife and I really enjoyed the walking tour! We did the afternoon tour of Monterey. Thom was a knowledgeable and friendly guide. We had fun and learned a lot!

Nice Lady Shirley. However tour has gone down hill since years earlier. Buildings closed and looks like the city of Monterey is more interested in tourism and not founding fathers history sites. Extremely disappointed from taking on my own years ago. Started 15 minutes late waiting for no shows.

My family did a tour with Tom for my father's 80th birthday and the tour was a great hit with everyone. Even as frequent visitors to the area, little did we know the important role Monterey played in both California's and the US's formation- all of our minds were blown. The tour was a very pleasant walk around key points in downtown Monterey, it was well planned and delivered. Tom was a great guide, lots of fun and enthusiastic about his expertise, and the value was unbeatable. Highly recommend.

We have a vacation home in Monterey.. so we claim to know the area.. we learned a lot from Tom! He reminded me of my Dad.. who is a resident expert historian of many areas.. and he told the story of Monterey as we walked around. I loved knowing how special Monterey is to California's story and how it came to be.. why not Monterey as the capitol? My teenage kids enjoyed it too - it was a great family affair. We love tours.. it's hard to do it yourself.. why not let an expert show you around? It was long overdue for us! Sometimes it was hard to hear with the traffic, but that's part of the city!!! We like it.. we debriefed over our dinner and we all agreed it was a nice 2 hour afternoon - and we are much better educated - and think Monterey is super special!

Thom did a great job explaining the history of Monterey. He gave us tidbits I never knew about. I highly recommend!

I grew up in Monterey and have been a serious student of California history for 10+ years. I was VERY impressed with Tom's 2-hour tour, it was very comprehensive. I saw and learned new things plus he was very personable. I highly recommend this!

We found the tour very informative and didn't realize all the history in Monterey or the sights. Tour guide was very friendly.

We booked this tour because we enjoy walking tours and, although my husband and I are California natives, we learned more about California origins than we ever knew. Thom was very knowledgeable and presented information in a very interesting way. The pace of the tour was just right.

We were delighted to have Thom all to ourselves for a tour of historic Monterey! He did a great job keeping me and my teens engaged and interested, telling us fascinating stories as we were standing in front of the buildings where it happened. Learned all kinds of things we didn’t know, like that Monterey was the capital and home to the west coast “Plymouth Rock”. Certainly learned more than in any class and gained a better understanding of the buildings around us. Definitely recommend a tour to add depth and dimension to a great vacation!

Thom is a great storyteller who brings Monterey history alive. More than just dates and events, history becomes engaging and odd and important and even funny!

We really enjoyed our historical walking tour. The pace was great and it was filled with lots of interesting infomation. A winderful way to learn more about Monterey!

Thom (our guide) was wonderful and lead us on an amazing two hour tour with lots of places and info.

Thom the tour guide was personable and knowledgeable. You walk (easy) for a couple of hours and learn about the early history of California. Many of the sites are California State Park property, so tour guides cannot be on the grounds (weird rule), but visitors can go in. I learned a lot about the creation of the California constitution, the early Caucasian and Mexican settlers of the Monterey area, and how California was eventually claimed by the U.S. I'm from California but there was much I didn't know! Well worth it.

I am an avid taker of guided tours throughout the world. I think it's a great way to discover a new city. To be fair, I did not complete this tour because after 30 minutes I was bored stiff - so very disappointing. I thought I was going to hear about the history of Monterey, how the area was settled but after the guide (Shirley) told us about how Spain came twice to the area tin the mid 1500s & again in 1602 the thread was dropped and we effectively began window shopping, stopping at store fronts and receiving commentary on furniture, how Rosina's restaurant served good food, that the fox theater was sold and thankfully not turned into condos etc. There was no substantive detail, nothing of interest.