I drive back and forth between Eureka and Fort Bragg frequently. This is a required stop for me! I…read morealways get a little something. Whether it's candy, a cool souvenir for a friend, or a new sticker, I always find something I want to take home. There's something for everyone, and for everyone's budgets as well. I've been there with $200 to spend, I've been there with only $5 to spend, and still manage to walk out with something I like. And the employees are so nice!

Fun gift shop to visit near Richardson Grove State Park. I always stop in when I'm up Northread more

We were headed to the Redwood National and State Parks on the 101-North and the SHRINE DRIVE THRU…read moreTREE in Myers Flat was conveniently located on the drive up. I convinced my driver to pay a visit! Lol! We paid the $15 vehicle fee and reached the entrance within a minute. In front of us was a hefty Suburban. I decided to jump out and left my driver to the test. Ha! I really wanted to see how the Suburban was maneuvering their way through! Haha! It was a close call! I didn't hear any scraping, so I figured the coast would be clear for our Jeep Sahara rental! Since I was already standing in front of the exit, I helped with guiding the Jeep, free and clear. No scratches!! Whew! It took us a total of 10 minutes to visit. Would recommend if you have $15 buckaroos and extra time! Because why not??!! :-)

Stopped here on our way home from a weekend getaway hoping to have a unique experience we could…read moreshare with our family and friends but ended up in a negative encounter with who we believe to be the owner of the establishment. There was a $15 entrance fee and a short distance to reach the tree. As we got closer it became apparent that the opening was not a comfortable "drive thru the tree" experience without the possibility of damaging our vehicle. But, we attempted to drive into it which involved me exiting the truck to help guide it through but did not want to risk the chance of scratching the paint or ripping off our side mirrors so we decided not to continue. As we drove toward the exit we stopped to discuss our experience with an older man who proceeded to argue and raise his voice while telling us he knows for a fact our truck fits through it. That he doesn't want us going around telling people we couldn't fit but we just didn't want to risk it. We proceeded to tell him the truck would not fit without causing damage and we wanted a refund. This was definitely not a good experience and not what it seems to be. The tree entrance is not large and you have to pay before having the chance to decide if your vehicle will fit through it. We do not recommend coming here , for a true drive thru tree experience there is another option a bit further south and it doesn't disappoint.

During this visit, we were given a tour that offered such a cool insight into the history of the…read morebuilding. And I have to say--the blueberry mojito was delicious!

Absolutely stunning private club. We happened to go by the town of Eureka and are members of a…read morereciprocal club so we stopped for a tour and lunch and it was certainly worth the stop. The building is a stunning historical space with gorgeous unique Stainglass in every room. The lunch was spectacular!

One of the magical places on the Mendocino coast. Cabrillo Lighthouse Station has been on the north…read morewestern shore for over 100 years. The Fresnel lens of the lamp make this lighhouse a special one as these types are rarely used any more and are disappearing. Restored and maintained, this facility is opened daily at 11:00 and the grounds are open from sunrise to sunset. It's a popular spot for whale watching (Nov-Apr) as well as exploring the rugged coastline, including the site of the Frolic shipwreck from 1850. The lighthouse was damaged and flooded in January of 2023 when a series of high waves from the storm crashed through the buildings ocean side doors. Making it a part of the storm history of this lighthouse, which had been only hit with waves ever on two other occasions, December of 1928 and February of 1960. The grounds are dog friendly, on leash. The lighthouse staff are knowledgeable and friendly. The lighthouse museum is free to enter. Donations are encouraged and welcomed. We spent about two hours there reading the local history inside the museum, which there is a lot and exploring the lighthouse and outside grounds. 4.5 Stars rounded up for the spectacular views 01199

To get to this lighthouse it's about a mile walk from the parking lot. I'm all for walking and…read morehiking but that could be a dealbreaker for some just wanting to swing by and see it. The background is beautiful and there is lots of room for photos of the ocean. The lighthouse is quite small but has a little gift shop inside. Tours up to the lens are a couple of times a month. Before the lighthouse there's a little compound with the old keepers' quarters which you can walk into and check out. If in the Mendocino/Fort Bragg area and only time for one lighthouse I think this one is better for being closer to town (Point Arena is about an hour drive) and for available trails to go on a walk after the lighthouse. If you want something more of a tall statuesque lighthouse where there are tours throughout the day to the top and you don't have to walk a mile from the car I'd recommend Point Arena.

Have driven by many times and have stopped once and what a absolute icon of Northern Californias…read moreculture! It does seem like someone will replace the toilet if it breaks so that is a plus.

Did someone break it? My heart is sad... this is one of my favorite stops on the long drive from…read morethe Bay Area to the redwoods.

If you're visiting Mad River Beach along the Redwoods Coast, you can't miss the Mad River Bridge!!…read moreIt's got a great aesthetic - perfect for budding photographers. It's easy to access - and if you're there in the spring season, there's a fantastic wildflower field right across from the bridge entrance! Not to mention that it's a hotspot area for birds that migrate seasonally from the Arctic! I had no idea - was a very welcome surprise! The bridge is actually part of the California Coastal Trail - it's at the start of the Hammond Coastal Trail portion. And it's got an interesting history too! This area is know as the "Arcata Bottom" and apparently the area was widely used for dairy farming back in the late 1800s and is largely unchanged since those days! It's very bucolic! People have been crossing the Mad River at this location since 1905. There are several fun info signs around the bridge entrance and even trail maps. There's even a small parking area to the right of the bridge entrance. It's unpaved but in good condition at the time of our visit.

A simple box girder bridge in Fort Bragg, California (yes another place named after the same…read moreConfederate general as the Fort Bragg in North Carolina) it carries traffic over the Noyo River here at its mouth into the Pacific Ocan. Made from prestressed concrete, it was completed in August 2005 and is the sixth bridge at this crossing. It is quite a high bridge, 110 feet above the river and has three spans with the longest 327 feet. There are just two lanes with a narrow breakdown lane on one side. It has rather low barriers which are great for preserving the view as you cross the bridge and look at the Ocean to the one side and the harbor on the other. The harbor below has a plethora of restaurants (seafood-focused, of course), tourism vendors (kayaking, whale watching tours, fishing) and seafood vendors. [Review 17619 overall - 409 in California - 1138 of 2022.]

I relax in peace and quiet here! It's a beautiful old kept up cemetery. The only thing wandering…read morehere, could be deer! Settled in the mid 1800s. a charming little Victorian Village! Stay, eat visit quaint shops, get a cup of The Bean at Buttercup! Across Main Street from the Pizza Company! No franchises in Ferndale! It's designated a National Historic Monument! The whole bloody city!

Hillside cemetery steep as a ski slope. Observed one stone marker in the year 1799 from the hill,…read moregorgeous waves of Ferndale, with Staples, rising into the sky, old Victorian city.

Remember what "The Hobbit" was like before it was a trifecta with too much CGI&a bad romance with…read morethe elf maiden Tauriel&her beloved dwarf Kili (Aidan Turner)? It was a kids' fantasy book that JRR Tolkien penned for his kids. It's a short book, meant to be enjoyed over the course of a few nights. It's not an epic like Lord of the Rings, nor was it meant to be that way. Hobbiton USA was originally a nature walk with an audio accompaniment telling the story. It's an amazing place at twilight, with its haunting redwood trees&the powerful Eel River heads to the Pacific. Hobbiton USA closed some time in the early 2000s, tho the nearby cafe boasting a majestic redwood is still open for business. It's become an elegiac, crumbling ruin. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/194 http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/hobbiton-usa The roadside attractions along the Avenue of the Giants are lovably tacky.... and this is one of them, despite its disrepair. You can still see the fading Gandalf along with the alien-like Gollum. The audio has long since fallen silent. Though the roadside attraction is decaying, the land around it is very much alive, with rising mountains, constant landslides, and the majestic, ancient redwoods standing sentinel beside the ocean. The special effects here are perfectly natural.