National Steinbeck Center point for activities which encourage learning about literature, human nature, history, agriculture, and the arts. Many educational programs are provided for the public, students and teachers, a multimedia experience for regional and national audiences. Steinbeck's House is located near the museum. "Drawing from the works of John Steinbeck, the National Steinbeck Center is dedicated to Steinbeck’s creative legacy: to participate, to inspire, to educate, and to understand one another." The building at 1 Main Street in Salinas, California contains an orientation theater, a 2,000 sq. foot exhibit dedicated to the life and works of John Steinbeck, and a Museum Store.
Thomas Steinbeck two sons, Thomas and John Jr., and had never wanted any children. When she was experiencing problems during her pregnancy with John Jr., Steinbeck told her that she had 'complicated' his life during a busy period of writing. When John Jr. arrived prematurely in 1946, she recalls Steinbeck telling her: 'I wish to Christ he’d die, he’s taking up too much of your fucking time.' She identifies the conversation as 'the moment when love died ... He never cried for me. He never cried for his sons.' " When not in school or on holiday, Thom and his younger brother