Fort BraggThings to do

Things to do in Fort Bragg

  1. A

    Rendezvous Inn

    The North Coast's top restaurant (really), blends rustic charm with big-city cooking in a converted redwood-paneled Craftsman-style house. Protégé of Michelin-three-star-rated, celebrity French chef Georges Blanc, chef-owner Kim Badenhop showcases seasonal, regional ingredients like lavender, wild boar, blackberries and venison, in his down-to-earth, French-provincial menu; the wintertime crab tasting menu is worth the drive from San Francisco.

    reviewed

  2. B

    Skunk Train

    Everybody loves the Skunk Train, the historic logging train that chugs from Fort Bragg and Willits, passing through redwood-forested mountains, along rivers, and through deep mountain tunnels en route to Northspur, the midway point, where it turns around - a plenty-long 3½ hour trip. There's also a 90-minute jaunt if you're tight on time. The depot is downtown at Laurel St, west of Main St.

    reviewed

  3. C

    Chapter & Moon

    The top spot at Noyo Harbor serves down-home American-style cooking (think meatloaf and chicken with dumplings) overlooking the water in a whitewashed room with pinewood tables and ladder-back chairs. Mains are cheap; starters aren't. Good breakfasts.

    reviewed

  4. D

    Triangle Tattoo & Museum

    Literally and figuratively on the other side of the street from the 1982 Guest House Museum, the Triangle Tattoo & Museum is flanked by galleries that unveil new shows and stay open till 20:00 on the second Saturday of each month.

    reviewed

  5. E

    Nit's

    Mains are pricey, but plates are huge, beautifully presented and dynamically spiced at this tiny French-Thai storefront café run by a Thai-born chef-owner. After the Rendezvous Inn, Nit's serves the town's best food. Cash only.

    reviewed

  6. F

    Mendo Bistro

    Choose a meat, a preparation, and an accompanying sauce from Mendo Bistro's crowd-pleasing, mix-and-match menu. The loud, bustling room is big enough that kids can run around and nobody will notice. Good crab cakes.

    reviewed

  7. Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens

    The jaw-droppingly stunning Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens displays native flora year-round along serpentine paths on 47 seafront acres south of town. Primary trails are wheelchair-accessible.

    reviewed

  8. G

    Cap'n Flint's

    For fried fish, coleslaw and fries, skip the pricy Wharf restaurant and head next door to Cap'n Flint's where you will get (nearly) the same food for half the price.

    reviewed

  9. H

    Laurel Deli

    Locals pick the Laurel for cheap breakfasts and good sandwiches, while kids love the giant, real locomotive parked in the middle of the cavernous room.

    reviewed

  10. I

    Sharon's by the Sea

    Of all Noyo Harbor's seafood joints, Chapter & Moon is best, then Sharon's by the Sea, a pretty little dockside fish grotto with picnic tables outside.

    reviewed

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  12. J

    Headlands Coffeehouse

    The town's informal cultural center point features live music nightly - jazz, folk and classical - and kick-ass jazz jams Sunday afternoons. Free wi-fi.

    reviewed

  13. K

    North Coast Brewing Co

    The thick, hoppy brews at North Coast Brewing Co are reason enough to pull over.

    reviewed

  14. L

    Guest House Museum

    The 1892 Guest House Museum, a majestic Victorian, displays relics of Fort Bragg's history.

    reviewed