The Barnyard

This place is a landmark in Carmel and Monterey for good reason. The Barnyard is a collection of restaurants, retailers, salons, and shops like no other. I don’t think there is a single chain store in here. Lots of good choices.
The walking experience through this shopping center is really nice. There are terraces, beautiful gards, and flowers everywhere. We love coming here for the best breakfast in Monterey (From Scratch), really good island food (Bahama Billy’s) and some of the special events they have here all year long (though mostly in summer). Check it out!

Really odd layout here. It’s kind of difficult to find places. There is an upper level. Lower level and as a first timer it was difficult to navigate. Every store I walked past was closed and it’s only 6pm.

As Kristina R. pointed out, this place is somewhat bizarre, it has a nice feel, lots of benches to sit on or flower pots decoration and numerous staircases that lead to different levels of the mall (?) but somehow, the stores are odd and doesn’t really appeal.
We were passing by to see the Ferrari cars on display and apparently it was sponsored by one of the stores, Khaki’s but somehow, it must be in a class of its own coz we don’t feel the vibe, at all… sorry.

I’ve been coming here to eat at Lugano’s for four or five years. A few years back the place would be bustling on a Saturday night with a combination of shoppers and folks getting ready for a night on the town. Last time I was there (March 2007) It was practically deserted, shops were either closed or in the process of closing, and it was just a little after 6:00 p.m. It was kind of spooky, actually, being that it was still light out and my partner and I were literally the only people in certain parts of the complex.

Jan. 2007 update: Sadly, I have to give the current Barnyard 1 star. I visited this weekend and walked away depressed. It is truly deserted. No Peppercorn (great kitchen store that used to be there)…no nothing. Literally empty. Even the gardens looked sad. Until they revive this place, I can no longer recommend it. And it’s sad, because I truly used to love this place in the 80s and early 90s. I originally gave it 4 stars based on great times and nostalgia. Nothing is left.
First posted with 4 stars: I love the Barnyard, but I agree with the first reviewer, you don’t go here to shop (even though it is an outdoor style shopping «mall»). In the old days, it had some really nice shops. We used to stay at the Monterey Dunes every Thanksgiving and we’d come here every time. Back in the day, it had a great bath shop, kitchen store (similar to a Sur La Table), and Thunderbird Bookstore was thriving. But even back then, the true allure was in the grounds themselves. It is beautifully planted and around Thanksgiving, they decorate for Christmas with lights and poinsettias everywhere. It’s magical.