Exhibitions & Programs

Permanent Exhibition Halls

Key artifacts found in the Exhibition Hall

  • Rocinante, Steinbeck’s actual camper from the book Travels with Charley
  • Canisters from Doc’s Lab in and from Cannery Row
  • War memorabilia from World War II featured in Steinbeck’s Bombs Away and The Moon is Down
  • Letters, journals and equipment that inspired the stories East of Eden, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice & Men
  • Personal belongings of the Steinbeck family

Key points in the Rabobank Agricultural Museum

  • History of the Salinas Valley culture
  • Creation of crate labels and their social commentary
  • Keeping produce fresh when shipping all over the world
  • Development of the agricultural field from horse-drawn plows to laser planting

John Steinbeck Exhibition Hall

The John Steinbeck Exhibition Hall brings the world of the writer to life through six themed galleries of artifacts, photographs, film clips and interactive exhibits.

As you walk through the hall, you will take a journey into Steinbeck’s life and discover how his experiences and values help shape some of his greatest works such as The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden and The Red Pony. The Exhibition Hall delves deeply into Steinbeck’s life and literature, with sections devoted to each of his major works and most of the rarely read Steinbeck titles.

The Rabobank Agricultural Museum

*The Rabobank Agricultural Museum will be temporarily closed The Wonder of Learning - The Hundred Languages of Children Exhibition*

The Rabobank Agricultural Museum is an in-depth, field-to-fork experience.

This interactive exhibition hall explores the agricultural industry of Salinas Valley, one of the world’s most fertile areas, where everything from strawberries to lettuce is grown. As you explore this part of the Center, you will be exposed not just to the history of the valley’s industry, but also to the many cultures that have come to the valley over the past 200 years to cultivate its soil.

The exhibition hall pays tribute to every aspect of the agricultural industry, from growing to picking to packaging to shipping, taking you on the same journey a head of lettuce might take. You will learn about the important cultural movements of the valley and the impact of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers UFW, as well as explore the different cultural histories of the valley.