Tucked away behind the Trinidad Library and next to the native plant garden is a small art gallery…read moreand office of the land trust. It has limited hours and is mostly open to the public during events in Saunders Park or in the summer for Trinidad Art Night. If you are lucky enough to find their doors open you can find all kinds of information, maps and brochures. Also you will likely meet one of their friendly volunteers or staff. If you are feeling generous, become a member! It's a great local non-profit doing good work.

So, in addition to having the coolest bathrooms in NoHum, the Humboldt Coastal Nature Center, where…read moreFriends of the Dunes call home, is well worth the visit. Trails leave right from the HCNC. Friendly and knowledgable volunteer staff greet you and can help you plan your trip. Stop by after your walk and report what you saw on the whiteboard. Take a load off and use the binocs to capture a 'life' bird siting. The gift shop has ultra cool stamps, stickers, tshirts and hats. Along with local natural history guides. The architecture itself is something to behold. Do not miss this!

A place of wonderment and exploration. Awesome volunteers meet you at the front to help you make…read morethe most of your visit. There are microscopes with trays of interesting items. There's a super fun matching game that's a hoot and managed to stump two marine biologists. There a quaint little gift shop with cool t-shirts, hats, stickers and notecard plus a selection of guides and interp books. You must check out their state of the art restrooms. Definitely be sure you go for a hike in the dunes, they have heaps of markers so you can find your way back. The wildflower are beautiful and you can see lots of wildlife especially if you're quiet. Plus there's a lovely beach and if it warm.....jump in!! Anyway, it's a must visit, great for kids and it's free unless you want to make a donation.

We love donating to our local Dream Quest. We live in a very small town and one mans junk is…read moreanother mans treasure! You just never know what you are going to find . The best thing is that Dream Quest promotes healthy lifestyles to the teens in our community. Dream Quest almost always has some type of youth activity going on to keep the younger folks busy, rumor has it that there may be a skate park in the future! There are super friendly folks that welcome you in and you are almost automatically relaxed and just taking your time to browse up and down the isles. It was interesting to find out there is a man in town who buys all the puzzles, puts them together and then redonates them with a note stating all the pieces are there! I found 2 Craftsman screwdrivers for 50 cents a piece, that's a deal. There are boxes of free books and miscellaneous outside the store and reduced price clothing outside. Support your local community by supporting your local shops a specially the ones with a great mission. Highly recommended

A true asset to this community a high quality Thrift store with courteous awesome employees and…read moresupports our teens with amazing activities and opportunities for growth.

One of the things that makes the north coast the cool place to live that it is. Once a year area…read morebusinesses and artists gather together to celebrate the beginning of the fall season, share beautiful art and raise money for worthy local charities. Pastels on the Plaza takes place the first Saturday in October in the center of downtown Arcata. Spaces around the city plaza's sidewalk are "purchased" by area businesses and these donations go to support worthy local charity organizations, as well artists from all over the region converge on this downtown Arcata landmark event as they have for decades, early that morning to create amazing temporary works of art out of pastel chalk in these spaces. Artists young and old, groups and singles, couples and friends - amateur and professional all comes together to create, share and celebrate - life on the north coast - this is an amazing community event. This Saturday morning - cool and crisp, you can feel fall in the air. We arrive at about 8:15ish, check in, get our tools and supplies and go pick our space - we have a double space this year - representing a local town business. It's looking to be a great day on the plaza. There are people everywhere - young and old - pro and amateur all creating art for a great cause - the children of the California north coast area. The day was filled with live music, food, art and community. Children playing everywhere - people enjoying the market and art - artists catching up often only seeing each other once a year at this event. This first Saturday in October has been another great day. This event is one of the things that truly makes this community an amazing place to live... A real gem 5 Star event. 00102

Super awesome event and fundraiser for the local community. Incredible artwork and fun to watch the…read morecreations come alive. Some of them really pop with color and super vivid for pastels on pavement. I love walking around afterwards, an outside gallery of local talent.

This school is horrible…read more They failed to teach my son to read by the time he was supposed to be in 5th grade. Starting at the time he was supposed to be in third grade I began to ask them for an aptitude test. Kate Craig one of the quasi teachers at this sesame Street playgroup claimed my son was dyslexic also claiming that she was specially trained in recognizing learning disabilities and had special training for special education. She claimed my son was dyslexic. 2 years later we were finally in court and they were ordered to participate in professional aptitude testing outside of their quasi school. Upon being tested by a professional outside of this quasi school it was determined my son does not have dyslexia that he is incredibly intelligent that there is only one thing wrong and that is the delivery of information is not occurring properly. It was not until 2 years later that he was actually tested after my requests for aptitude testing. He was measured to be in the bottom 5th percentile of all areas. Instead of acquiescing to the idea that their structures and curriculum was failing they went on the offense and began to make retroactive documents and attempt to make it appear as though there was a problem at my home creating his inability to be given proper scholastic instruction. I've met several fathers in our small community that removed their children from this horrific institution. This failing establishment should never have opportunity to impress upon children as they will teach your child politics and extremist philosophies.... while failing to teach your child basics scholastics.... I have documentation and I'm available to answer any questions you may have. James E Shelton 7074763918

For both our children (graduates 2016 and 2019), Mistwood was a great experience and a wonderful…read moretransition from home schooling on the river to high school here at the coast! We loved their hours and flexibility, which allowed for a gradual transition. The kids loved the community created at Mistwood, the fun classes and games in- and outside. Especially remember all the birthday gatherings, where everybody shares kind memories, other special events and of course all the fabulous school plays, where many kids really found their voices. I appreciated all the play time given to the younger grades as well as the academic standards achieved in the upper classes, while allowing every child to go at his or her own pace - the advantage of a smaller school and truly committed teachers! So I can certainly recommend this unique learning experience.

This is one of the more pretty botanical gardens I've been to. It's 44.5 acres nestled into the…read moreRedwoods. I was impressed how colorful the garden appeared, It looked like a blanket of colors from the Heather and Lavendar gardens. Some other gardens were the native plant garden and rose garden. I always love rose gardens, here I'd say it was distinct in that many roses were much larger in circumference. While it's a botanical garden it also has an arboretum feel because of its many trails into the forest. You could walk all the way out to a labyrinth. I think their brochure could have done a better job with listing the trails. Some smaller trails weren't on there and it was a little confusing.

One of my favorite places, period. So many trails and areas to explore, and the whole place feels…read morepeaceful and immersive. The mound walk is a must.

This amazing race if you will - is truly just that. Once a year, on Memorial weekend, folks from…read moreall over Humboldt county and beyond gather together to bare witness to the awesomeness that is the Kinetic Sculpture Grand Championship Race. This decades long, monumental event requires not only weeks and months or years of preparation on the part of the contestants and their machines. Fans line the route for miles and miles just to catch a glimpse of what is about to unfold. The Kinetic Grand Championship is a 3-day, 42-mile bicycle race over land, sand, mud and water. Many refer to the Kinetic Grand Championship as the "Triathlon of the Art World." Day 1 of the Kinetic Grand Championship starts on the Plaza in Arcata, California at the noon whistle every Memorial Day weekend. The racers take off to the Manila dunes, where they race through miles of sand to the great and inevitable "Deadman's Drop." Then on to Eureka's downtown gazebo. Day 2 starts in Eureka at the waterfront on the Humboldt Bay, where brave Kinetic Pilots race their crafts through the water (most float). Then back on land where kinetic sculptures go up Hookton Hill, a 1 mile-7% incline and decline. Day 2 ends with a private campout for racers and volunteers only. Day 3 starts from the mouth of the Eel River, through Morgan slough and onto dry land. Racers cross the finish line on Ferndale's historic Mainstreet, where racers park and head up to the Final Awards Dinner at Ferndale's Fireman's Hall. This weekend long, three day event draws fans, followers and media far and wide - just for the moment when these amazing machines and their crews and occupants roll by - many fans following their favorites for miles. What is a Kinetic Sculpture? Kinetic Sculptures are all-terrain human-powered art sculptures that are engineered to race over road, water, mud and sand. Kinetic sculptures are amazing works of art; many are animated with moving parts like blinking eyes, opening mouths, heads that move side to side and up and down. Kinetic Sculptures are usually made from what some people consider "junk". But one man's junk is another racer's raw material. Each Kinetic Sculpture is a work of art and each racing team has its own theme. The teams consist of pilots, pit crew and pee-ons. Kinetic Pilots pedal the sculpture and steer, the pit crew assists the pilots in transforming the vehicle for the various elements and fixing mechanical issues, and pee-ons, well, they do whatever is needed for the team to get glory. The teams give out "bribes" to their adoring spectators, judges and Rutabaga Royalty. Spectators are encouraged to follow the race on their bikes (obeying all traffic laws that apply please). Seeing these marvels of art and engineering turns many people on to bike culture and reminds people how much fun riding your bike can be! This event is not to be missed! If you are ever find yourself in Arcata on Memorial weekend, or you just feel the need to see it for yourself. And just one more thing that makes Arcata and coastal northern California such a cool and wonderful place to live. A 5 STAR Festival & Community Event. 00125

Very fun spectator sport, and I am inspired to someday compete! This is a three day activity where…read morewe can observe the contestants self power their vehicles over land, sand (Deadman's Drop where having your vehicle tumble down a very steep sand dune qualifies as part of the event), and sea! There are festivities each day, both bore and after the daily competition, which are fun for all.

Last year my fiance and I stopped into Shorelines Gallery to purchase an engagement ring. Their…read morecollection was unique and beautiful, made by local artists. We decided on one of the Strellman lighthouse cut rings in a silver setting. A month or two later I had tired of how the silver setting reacted to my skin. Matt, the proprietor, helped me have the ring shipped to Strellman's shop and we had the setting changed to white gold. The service was fast, friendly and supportive. I really felt like they'd taken care of my needs quickly and effectively. Last night my ring accidentally ended up in the garbage disposal. It was unwearable. In despair, I sent an email to Matt in Eureka, asking if there was anything that could be done. My fiance and I had moved to Washington, but there was a sister Shorelines Gallery nearby. Matt not only responded to my email before his gallery opened for the day, but had contacted both the nearby gallery and the jeweler. We were able to drop off the damaged ring at the nearby gallery for shipping. They are replacing stone on my ring for free and repairing the damage to the band for only the cost of shipping and recasting. The service we have received has been above anything I ever expected, and I cannot recommend the Shorelines Galleries enough.

The hubby went crazy in this shop while I was walking the puppy around old town Eureka. There were…read moreso many great, inventive pieces of art, such a wide selection! We bought a great Christmas present but could have purchased many more pieces for ourselves! We will definitely be going back!