My son, 10yo, really wants to go to Pebble Beach during Car Week one of these years... I told him it would be a $10k for the both of us for a few day but was wondering if there is a way to go and enjoy the cars without spending a fortune. For example, i saw that hotels nearby are insanely crazy during that week, but if we drive a bit further, maybe we can book hotels at a more regular price. Event tickets are insane of course. Not spending $500 or more. But is it worth it to go and see cars driving around and in between events? I see a ton of photos of cars just parked in Carmel or on the 17 miles road.. Anyone has gone and done it on the cheap? or at least cheaper?
Early Thursday morning 17th August at 7 am in front of the Gooding tent in Pebble Beach is the start of the PB Tour with almost all of the cars to be shown 3 days later on the lawn at PB. Approximately 200 cars. The start of the PB Tour attracts thousands of people but it is free. No charge, nothing. Just be there really early at 7 am, at the latest. And good luck with parking or come by your yacht. Marcel Massini
I'm the king of doing car week on the cheap! The only thing I ever had trouble with was finding a place to stay, up until recently. There seems to be no way to do that on the cheap unless you have a camper and can find space at an RV lot type of thing (that will still be expensive, but not nearly as much as a hotel or Air B&B). Fortunately, I have a friend who lives in the area so now I get to stay for free. But, seeing cars can be done on the cheap. Marcel Massini noted above showing up early on Thursday in front of the Gooding tent… he's 1000% right, you'll all the amazing cars you can handle. It gets packed, so heed his advice about showing up early. Aside from that, find a place to park in Carmel and just walk around downtown. That in and of itself is essentially its own car show. There are a few free car shows that take place during that week as well, such as Prancing Ponies, The Little Car Show, Classic Motorsports Monterey Kickoff, Werks Reunion, Legends of Autobahn, and this year the FOC is hosting the "Ferrari Owners Club Concours Carmel" which is the 1st annual gathering of curated Ferraris and Italian motorcycles on Dolores Street in Carmel. Another way to get in to shows that cost money is to volunteer. With your kid that might not be possible, unless any of them allow children to volunteer, but when he gets older you can volunteer for shows like Pebble, Quail, Concorso, etc. You usually work two to four hours depending on the venue then you have the rest of the day to enjoy the show. If you want to show a car, every show you enter always allows for two people per car (driver and guest). Register early and get the early bird pricing and you and your son can go for less then the price of one general admission spectator ticket in most cases. Your car doesn't have to be a show car, you can generally select whether or not you want it judged or not. If you and your son are car enthusiasts, and you've never been to car week in Monterey, then you absolutely must go at least once in your life. There's ways to be frugal about it, and still see some of the rarest, beautiful, and most unique cars in existence. Good luck!!
My wife and I are glad we went in 2004. Prices were high but nowhere near nosebleed like they’ve been the last few years. We not only did Pebble Beach but Concorso Italiano as well. It was a real treat to see an Enzo parked on the grass with the rest of the spectators’ cars!
Who said that?? I have not actually done that myself, but I know people who have—as recently as last year. So, yeah, that still happens, and apparently still works! There's also people who hang out around the entrance gates of shows and ask people who are leaving if they'd give them their wristband. There's all sorts of ways to sneak into shows, I'm sure there's some clever folks out there who've done things I haven't even thought of… yet.
Its a popular tourist area so its never cheap but car week is another order. Last we went just a couple of years ago we stayed up North in Santa Cruz. It has lots of motels and can be reasonable. Santa Cruz is Berkeley By The Sea so lets say more "Eclectic" than Monterey. Its a little bit of a drive in the morning but not too bad. There is a lot to do and see and much even for free. Parking will be very hard no matter where you go. One day take your son down to Nepenthe for a burger for lunch in Big Sur (pray for sunshine) and discover why people put up with living in Coastal California.
I reserved an AirBnB south of Monterey. It's a bit of a drive, but I don't think it was terribly expensive, around $1400 for the week. It remains to be seen if we will like it or not. I hope so. In addition to the free shows mentioned, don't forget the auction previews. 2 of them are free to preview, and the other two are $50 and $60 per person. How much, if any, of the displays around the Concours can one see without a ticket? And is going to watch the cars drive in without a ticket going to lead to unpleasantness?
Stay in Salinas and go to the lower priced events like the Historics at Laguna (I think $50 for general admin) and Concorso Italiano (around $300). Or buy $10M of Ferraris and your dealer will get you into Casa Ferrari and the Concours for free.
Laguna Seca admission (no car corral, just admission) prices are $45 (Wed), $60 (Thurs), $75 or $95 (Fri advance or at gate), $115 or $135 (Sat advance or at gate). Car Corrals are now up to a whopping $125. https://www.co.monterey.ca.us/home/showpublisheddocument/123568/638227632923100000
How much is the entry ticket for the PRE-Historics/PRE-Reunion on Sunday 13th August, at the gate? Marcel Massini
The Saturday morning chilis restaurant cars and coffee is free and always good….it’s also a stones throw from Saturday mornings Concour d’lemons which is always fun and free.
We last went in 2013 as part of the AMOC (Aston Martin Owner's Club) group. For members, they reserved a block of reasonably priced rooms at Casa Munras, hosted several Happy Hours, a private show at a nearby estate (very nice!), a few dinners with keynote speakers, a car corral and lunch at Laguna Seca, etc. It made it feel both special and quite affordable. I believe the cost of everything has gone up considerably since then. A lot of good suggestions posted here. If you can find lodging and parking, the rest is easy... ;-)
