carmel arts and design district

IndyGoldie60

It's a fun place in the summer, with frequent events and fun little shops. We went during the art fair and the street was lined with visiting artists and artisans, plus local food trucks. Had a great time!

lloydw219

The buildings are generally very pretty they have a cohesive style that reminds you of Washington D.C.'s monument district or some European city's downtown, but therein lies the problem: Parking is not plentiful, and making your way from the garages to your destination can involve walking a block or three. There are numerous $$$ and $$$$ restaurants, delis, and bakeries, but the only fast or simple food I found was at an Arby's and a KFC some distance from the area. I know it's meant to be upscale, but since I'm not furnishing a villa in Tuscany or Aspen, I didn't find many shops or studios that interested me.

mcbarber930

You must go through the art design district and see the various statues throughout the area. We loved them.

travellingangie

it has this Gilmore Girls Stars Hollow-esque quality with musicians standing on the street corners and a small town shopping area vibe going with the streets and store set up. There are strange statues of people on the streets and sitting on street benches but people were liking them and posing for pix with them.

mjb19532014

Nicely redone historical area with many unique shops and restaurants. We were there on a Sunday afternoon, but even so there was a lot to see. The lifelike sculptures along the sidewalks were surprising and a little disconcerting at first, but once you became accustomed to them they were fun. A nice place to spend and afternoon. Home of the worlds smalls children's art museum.

BikeLike

It was a Saturday morning and the area was filled with artists. All we talked to were veery friendly … it was an art festival weekend.We walked the excellent rail-to-trail and met other nice people our age who told us how much they enjoyed living there. We parked on the main street … free … and stayed there about 2 hours. A very delightful experience.

330margies

Good restaurants within walking distance. Great events scheduled periodically, good shope & antique mall is open 7 days

happymallqueen

the arts and design district has great restaurants, drinking establishments and a lively nightlife. Parking garages help a lot in finding a space to land. fun boutiques, art and antique shops as well as some service places too. fun and easy!

tdoug12

I got the chance to visit here while driving through the area. I was very pleased at the cleanliness of the area, old town family feeling you get from the locals and the various choices of restaurants and shopping. No car needed, lovely for just taking a stroll with family or friends.

jfgaff

Good food choices and local shops. Not just art galleries. Nice restaurant variety. If staying at a nearby hotel, it's an excellent walking and dining destination.

TMRoberts

We attended the Friday night wine and art walk this past weekend and had a great time. Such a great area and wonderful art shops

Jbitting

We headed downtown for Art of Wine in July. We had plans to meet another couple. We stood in line for about 15 minutes to purchase an wrist band for our wine tasting. Once we had our wrist band and sample glass (very cute) we headed to our first booth. The line was long and we were given a very small sample. I got the impression I was only to be given one sample. Each booth we walked towards had very long lines and each sample was very small. We ended up just buying a couple bottles of wine so we could avoid the lines. We set up our lawn chairs at the music venue and listened to St. Peter and the Broken Bones while we enjoyed our wine with our friends. If you don't like wine, they also had beer available to purchase. My husband went to the beer booths and drank beer most of the night.They had art booths set up along main street too which added to the event. Wine and Canvas was there and people could paint a wine glass picture on canvas if you were willing to stand in line and wait.It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed the night with our friends. I look forward to the event next year.

Marie715

This was a perfect area to walk and window shop on an unseasonably cool summer afternoon. The area is kept up. Nice variety of shops and restaurants. We had lunch at Bub's so we were able to park in their private parking lot. Not sure how much trouble we would have had if we had to park on the street.

893alissaj

The Arts district is very beautiful with lots of shops. Even if arts is not your thing, you should still check it out. The area is really nice!

704path

I had been receiving mailings for some time to go visit Carmel and especially it's arts district. A few art galleries, a few high priced stores and lots of restaurants does not make it an awesome destination. It looks like it has a symphony, dance troup, festivals and such for the locals. However, as a day trip destination, it just did not have much to offer.