"This isn't my country anymore. And it won't be until I am dead," the author wrote when such personal attacks prompted him to move New York City.

It was a prophetic statement. Today, Steinbeck, who died in 1968, is a revered figure here. A major museum, the National Steinbeck Center, brings thousands of visitors to this agricultural hub 17 miles inland from Monterey and the Pacific Ocean. His onetime family home has become a restaurant that proudly displays his artifacts and bears his name - the Steinbeck House.

At the Steinbeck Center, the author's life and works are celebrated in many ways. Visitors can journey through seven themed galleries with attractions that include listening to stories on period telephones and viewing episodes of films made from Steinbeck's works, including The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Cannery Row, Tortilla Flat, and Of Mice and Men. In a boxcar, you can look at crates of lettuce, the region's prime product. You can crank up the engine of a real Model T truck, peer inside the pickup camper Steinbeck used to tour the country with his poodle, Charley, and listen to excepts from Travels With Charley, the book he wrote about that trip.

Also at the center is the Rabobank Agriculture Museum, showcasing Monterey County's people, history and growth as one of America's greatest food-producing regions.

Known as the "Salad Bowl of the World," the Salinas Valley grows more than 80 percent of the lettuce consumed in the country. It also has become a major producer of wines and wine grapes, plus dozens of truck crops.

That agricultural bounty also brings visitors to this 100-mile-long valley sandwiched between two mountain ranges. Some of them come to buy fresh vegetables, some to taste wines at valley wineries. And some come simply to enjoy the panorama of endless acres of lettuce, artichokes, broccoli, celery, strawberries, squash, tomatoes, asparagus, and dozens of other crops.

A good way to get a sense of this agricultural region is to stop at the Farm, which is both an agricultural education facility and demonstration farm. You can take a tour, do a bit of farm work, and buy organic fruits and vegetables picked that day.

Salinas Valley also is home to a number of large vineyards and excellent wineries, most with tasting rooms. Standouts among wineries I have visited are Estancia, Jekel, Scheid, Chalone, and Hahn (Smith & Hook). The latter offers a wonderful view of the valley. Kendall-Jackson has a huge winery in the valley, but it is not open to visitors.

Aside from the Steinbeck Center, Salinas' festivals are major attractions. The biggest event is its annual California Rodeo, in July. "Next year, we hope to draw more than 50,000," Mayor Dennis Donohue says.

Other major annual events include the Air Show and the Steinbeck Festival, both held in August. And every Saturday year-around, you can poke around a diverse Farmers Market across the street from the Steinbeck Center.

Old Town Salinas, the downtown district, is little changed in appearance from the days when Steinbeck lived there. Most of the buildings along Main Street date to the turn of the century - a walking tour brochure is available. Art Walks, with music, art, and stores open late, are offered on the first Friday of the month.

New in the last year in Old Town is the Bankers Casino, where gamblers can play such card games as poker, blackjack and Texas Hold 'em (no slots or table games). Also new is a visitor center, Destination Salinas, which offers a "self-guided walking tour you can take using your cell phone."

And finally, a unique overnight stay is offered by Salinas' Vision Quest Ranch, home of Wild Things, which trains and houses lions, bears, tigers, baboons, birds, and other animals to perform in movies and commercials. One-hour day tours are offered, but overnight visitors stay in safari-style canvas-walled suites, perhaps lulled to sleep by the growls and roars of beasts in the nearby compounds. And in the morning, your breakfast is delivered by one of the four-legged residents.

Steinbeck Country

National Steinbeck Center

One Main St., Salinas

831-775-4721; www.steinbeck.org

Admission: $10.95 for adults; $8.95, seniors/students/military; $7.95, ages 13-17; $5.95, ages 6-12.

The Farm

Highway 68, Salinas Valley

831-455-2575

www.thefarm-salinasvalley.com

The tour costs $8 for ages 16-up; $6, 2-15. More comprehensive custom tours also are offered.

Bankers Casino

111 Monterey St., 831-422-6666

www.bankerscasino.net

Vision Quest Ranch

400 River Rd., 1-800-228-7382

www.visionquestranch.com

One-hour day tours: $10, adults; $8, ages 14-under. Overnight stay in safari-style, canvas-walled suites cost $225-$255 in summer, $195-$225 in winter.

More information

For information about the city of Salinas, go to www.ci.salinas.ca.us and click on the Visitors link.