Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, California

The Library itself

Last weekend, my hubby and I celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary by spending a long weekend in Monterey, California. We decided to drive up to Monterey from Santa Barbara, so that we could take the scenic Pacific Coast Highway - Route 1 from Carmel on our return drive home along the California coast.

Along the way home, we came upon the Henry Miller Memorial Library in Big Sur, California and decided to make a stop. I've never actually read anything by Henry Miller, but am aware of a few of his book titles.

Entrance to the Henry Miller Memorial Library

I actually learned that Henry Miller lived in Big Sur, California and that his friend Emil White was the founder of the Henry Miller Memorial Library! The following quote comes from the Henry Miller Memorial Library website:

The Henry Miller Memorial Library is a non-profit book store and arts center championing the late writer, artist, and Big Sur resident Henry Miller.

Founded in 1981 by Emil White, Miller’s longtime friend, the Library occupies White’s former home.  We are located in Big Sur, 35 miles south of Carmel-by-the-Sea on Highway One.

The Henry Miller Memorial Library is free to the public to visit and is open from 11am to 6pm everyday except Tuesdays. But the Henry Miller Memorial Library is more of a bookstore than a library in my opinion.

I have mixed feelings about our experience at The Henry Miller Memorial Library. Yes, I loved the quaint, rustic setting along with the beautiful grounds and the location of this library. The staff is friendly, helpful, and readily answers questions about the library without being intrusive. 

I also loved that the library itself is located in the former home of one of Henry Miller's friends, Emil White... Emil White's former home is small, rustic, and eclectically decorated with posters, artwork, and books written by Henry Miller and others. 

Plus, live concerts are played at this venue throughout the summer months. You can find out which concerts are playing by checking out the calendar of events on the Henry Miller Memorial Library website by clicking on the link above.

My hubby and I spent about 15 minutes at the Henry Miller Memorial Library and then promptly left. There really wasn't that much to see as the library wasn't really that big, which made our visit disappointing. When an attraction is called a "memorial library", one is expecting to see more than a just bookstore on the premises.
  
Had it been warmer day outdoors and the staff wasn't busily setting up the stage area for an upcoming event, we might have enjoyed sitting outdoors with a cup of tea on their deck for awhile and being one with nature. But alas, we hit the road.