The National Steinbeck Center preserves, interprets, and illuminates John Steinbeck’s life and writing to inspire a more just, empathetic, and creative world. From our Salinas Valley roots, we engage diverse communities locally and globally through immersive exhibits, dynamic education, archival stewardship, and scholarly resources, exploring Steinbeck’s enduring legacy and relevance to literature, social justice, and the human experience everywhere today.
At the heart of downtown Salinas, the National Steinbeck Center ignites curiosity and compassion through the life and words of Nobel laureate John Steinbeck. Our interactive museum, world-class archives, and traveling exhibits bring Steinbeck’s timeless stories—and the social-justice questions they raise—alive for more than 45,000 visitors each year. We deliver free and low-cost programs that build literacy, critical thinking, and creativity, from the Steinbeck Young Authors initiative for middle-school students to writing workshops, festivals, and teacher resources used across Monterey County and beyond. Scholars worldwide tap our 45,000-item collection; local families discover their own stories here. Every ticket, membership, and gift fuels preservation of rare manuscripts, hands-on education for thousands of students, and vibrant cultural events that keep downtown Salinas flourishing. Join us in turning powerful literature into action for a more just, empathetic, and creative world.
The National Steinbeck Center has an ongoing, permanent footprint serving all of Monterey County.
The National Steinbeck Center has immersed me in the literature of both Steinbeck's country and an important era in American History, illuminating the origins and intersections of the area that I call home while also enlightening me about the unsung stories of the twentieth century.
- Jordan Hankoff, Salinas
