Here at the Monterey County Agricultural and Rural Life Museum, we celebrate the past, present and future of Salinas Valley agriculture and rural life by interpreting authentic objects, providing exceptional programs and building community connections.
The Monterey County Agricultural & Rural Life Museum (MCARLM) is expanding its beloved 4th Grade Jamboree to serve more schools across the county, providing an immersive, standards-based day of hands-on history, agriculture, and cultural heritage. This special event brings students face-to-face with blacksmiths, butter churning, adobe brick making, and more—bringing California history to life in unforgettable ways. To support this growth, we are also expanding our high school internship program, offering teens valuable experience in museum education, public history, and event coordination. These young leaders help deliver the Jamboree while gaining mentorship, job skills, and community pride. With support from Monterey County Gives!, we will reach more students than ever before—preserving local history, building youth confidence, and inspiring the next generation to value and share our rural heritage. Your gift helps us grow impact, opportunity, and connection—one story, student, and school at a time.
MCARLM serves all of Monterey County by preserving and sharing the region’s rich agricultural and rural heritage through hands-on education, exhibits, and community events. Our programs primarily benefit students, families, and educators—especially in rural and underserved areas—by offering immersive field trips, living history days, and youth internships that bring California history standards to life. We partner with schools from across the county and increasingly reach communities with limited access to cultural resources. Located in King City, we are a vital cultural hub for South County and a resource for the entire region.
I got to go to the Gold Rush Jamboree with my class, and it was the best field trip ever! We panned for gold, made butter, and saw a real blacksmith. I didn’t know history could be so fun! I learned a lot about how people lived a long time ago, and now I want to come back with my family. I think every kid in Monterey County should get to go—it’s like stepping into the past! -4th Grader at Del Rey Elementary
- 4th grader Del Rey Elementry, King City Ca
