Buildings with historic interest at the Monterey State Historic Park include:

1. the Custom House, where the stars & stripes first flew over California on July 7, 1846, bringing 600,000 sqare miles, including CA, into the Union
2. Colton Hall, site of the California Constitutional Convention in 1849
3. California's first theater, where performances and melodramas still take place
4. Stevenson House, where the writer
Robert Louis Stevenson lived when he first came to California, chasing after the love of his life

Free tours are given several times a day by costumed volunteers. You can pick up a free map of the historic buildings at the Monterey Peninsula Chamber of Commerce (380 Alvarado St.) or the Custom House, located at 1 Custom Plaza. The buildings have various hours, so if you have a specific site in mind, call ahead at (408) 649-7118. Entrance fees for the buildings are $2 for adults, $1 for kids.