Monterey County Museum launches Steinbeck tour following Netflix adaptation

The Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum in King City has introduced the ‘Steinbeck Country Tour: Exploring East of Eden.’ This free experience highlights the connection between the Salinas Valley and the celebrated novel by John Steinbeck.

The tour explores the region’s agricultural heritage and the historical sites that shaped Steinbeck’s work. The museum notes that King City holds a direct connection to the author through his mother, Olive Hamilton Steinbeck. Visitors can tour historic buildings, including Olson’s Blacksmith Shop and the La Gloria Schoolhouse, to learn how the local landscape and community influenced the author’s characters and settings.

The initiative follows renewed interest in the novel sparked by Netflix’s new seven-episode miniseries adaptation of ‘East of Eden,’ written by Zoe Kazan and starring Florence Pugh.