Location: Mendocino
Top Things to do in Mendocino
10 Things to do in Mendocino That You Shouldn't Miss
Shop, eat, and enjoy the feeling of going back in time to a simpler era as you groove to the vibes of downtown Mendocino’s hippy past and quaint New England style architecture. Find a secluded bluff, and listen to seals splashing and barking. Visit the Mendocino Art Center, started by San Francisco artists in the 1950s. Enjoy a Mendocino Theater Company performance. Stop in historic Ford House, which doubles as city museum and Mendocino Headlands State Park visitors center. Mendocino Headlands State Park winds around Mendocino Bay, and is a wildlife corridor linking coast and inland areas. Savor the spring wildflowers. In July the Headlands and city are home to the Mendocino Music Festival. Groove to the ocean views, blowholes, wave tunnels, sea arches, grottos, and tide pools as you hike the beaches and cliff trails. Along the Mendocino Headlands Trail, watch for old cross-ties from the oxen-powered railway that dumped lumber to ships below the bluff. Drive 2 miles north of Mendocino to Russian Gulch State Park for rock fishing, swimming, skin diving, tide pools, bicycling, a 36-foot high waterfall, and a Devil's Punch Bowl of churning water. Savor spring rhododendron blooms at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. Take the family on the half-day Skunk Train roundtrip from Fort Bragg to inland Northspur. Bird watch at Cleone Lake, a tidal lagoon in MacKerricher State Park, 3 miles north of Fort Bragg. Enjoy MacKerricher’s wheelchair accessible nature trail, Ten Mile beach, fishing, hiking, jogging, horseback riding, and bicycling. Take the kids to Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park. Tee off at the 5,458-yard, 9-hole coastal golf course at Little River Inn, which also offers llama treks. Take the family to Little River State Park and Van Damme Beach State Park, which are near Little River Airport (KLLR). Kids love the recently renovated Point Arena Lighthouse, because they can climb to the top.
Restaurants in Mendocino
1. Gallery Bookshop & Bookwinkle's Children's Books
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 70 reviews
This bookstore caters to adults and children.
Reviewed By 394kayen
This is the type of bookstore where I could spend hours browsing, but they kindly asked patrons to limit their time to 20 minutes. I quickly found the one book I was looking for and also discovered another that I had to read. They limit the number of people in the store during the pandemic and marked spots for the checkout line. This was my first time in a bookstore during the pandemic, and their precautions helped me feel like it was a safe experience. I appreciated the sign on the window requiring masks, along with one for Black Lives Matter.
2. Highlight Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 36 reviews
Dedicated to hand-crafted wooden furniture.
Reviewed By 659neald - Lincoln, United States
Travelled to Mendo, our favorite place in California, and visited Highlights gallery again. It is a must stop on Main street with so many high quality wood art pieces, wire scuptures, paintings, pottery and much more. Everything well displayed.
3. Mendocino Coast
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 756 reviews
A scenic drive along California's Pacific coastline offering beaches, historic lighthouses and old-time fishing villages.
Reviewed By Martysfo - San Rafael, United States
Great cliffs, fog and quiet mark this coast. It is cold and chilly, even in August. Yet it is a must see so one can step back in time to how California used to be. A bonus is the trip up through the Anderson Valley Wine Region on the way to the coast from the Bay Area.
4. Mendocino Coast Massage
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 11 reviews
Our Mendocino massage studio is conveniently located right in the village of Mendocino at 45180 Main Street directly across from the bay. We are also happy to come to your home, hotel room or vacation house serving the Coast from Fort Bragg to Point Arena. Whether you are visiting the beautiful Mendocino Coast for a few days, or live here full-time, we would love to help you feel relaxed, rebalanced and refreshed. With a genuine desire to meet your individual needs, we can offer a fabulous massage in your choice of location.
5. Catch A Canoe & Bicycles Too
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 88 reviews
The Stanford Inn's Catch a Canoe & Bicycles Too is open year round to both Inn guests and the general public. Established in 1972, Catch a Canoe offers kayak, outrigger and canoe rentals on Big River Estuary. Locally made redwood outriggers are extra stable, efficient and easy to control with a foot operated rudder. Perfect for couples, families and pets. Mountain bikes are also available for rentals or for sale. Open daily from 9 to 5.
6. Mendocino Area Parks Association
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 7 reviews
Funding for MAPA's vital mission comes from grantors, fundraisers, special events, donations, memberships, visitor center operations, volunteers and our local communities. This multifaceted team effort, along with collaboration of the Department of Parks and Recreation, makes possible the park improvement projects and natural and cultural history programs that inspire thousands of people !!
7. Shady Dell
8. Out of this World
9. Smithwood Mercantile
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 3 reviews
10. Spring Ranch Trail
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