Things to do in North Coast
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Blue Ox Millworks & Historic Park
Don't miss Blue Ox Millworks & Historic Park. One of only seven of its kind left in America, the millworks uses antique tools and mills to produce authentic gingerbread trim and decoration for Victorian buildings. One-hour self-guided tours take you through the mill and surrounding historical buildings, including a blacksmith shop and recreated 19th-century skid camp. Kids love the oxen.
Master craftsman Eric Hollenbeck does everything by hand, and even manufactures his own stains. (When colleagues laughed, saying, 'Why waste time making stain when you can buy if for around US$10?,' Eric replied, 'The hidden cost of convenience is knowledge.' Indeed.) If you spend Saturda…
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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.
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Humboldt State University
On the northeastern side of town, Humboldt State University is Arcata's raison d'être. The Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT) is a world-leader in sustainable technologies. The center is based in CCAT House, which is a converted residence that uses only 4% of the energy of a comparably sized dwelling. Dig the pedal-powered TV! You can take a self-guided tour at 14:00 on Fridays.
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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.
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Humboldt Redwoods State Park
Along Hwy 101, 80-sq-mile Humboldt Redwoods State Park protects some of the world's oldest redwoods and has three-quarters of the world's tallest 100 trees. Even if you don't have time to hike in, drive (vehicle entry $8) the park's awe-inspiring Avenue of the Giants, a 32-mile, two-lane road parallel to Hwy 101.
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Fort Humboldt State Historic Park
South of downtown via Hwy 101 to Highland Ave, the 1853 Fort Humboldt State Historic Park overlooks Humboldt Bay. Only one structure remains, the tiny hospital, now a museum, but cool outdoor exhibits show the old equipment used to fell redwoods. The park fires up the machinery on the 3rd Saturday of the month, May through September.
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Tranquilitea
Sunny and mellow Tranquilitea is part tea house-cafe, and part wellness center - so Arcata! On the menu, organic-vegetarian salads, smoothies, grilled-panini sandwiches and excellent teas. The atmosphere is mellow and girly, good for a Tarot reading. Nice garden patio. In back there's massage and bodywork; call ahead.
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Restaurant 301
Eureka's top table, romantic, sophisticated 301 serves a contemporary California menu, using produce from its organic gardens (tours available). Mains are pricey, but the five-course prix-fixe menu (around US$45) is a good deal. This is the place on date night. The encyclopedic wine list is stunning.
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Clear Lake State Park
Six miles from Lakeport, Clear Lake State Park , on the lake's western shore, is everything a state park should be - idyllic and gorgeous - with hiking trails, fishing, boating and camping. The bird-watching is extraordinary. The visitors center has geological and historical exhibits.
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Sawshop Bistro
You'd be hard-pressed to find better in Lake County. In addition to the regular California-cuisine menu of wild salmon and rack of lamb, there's a small-plates menu of sushi, lobster tacos, Kobe-beef burgers, fish and chips, and flatbread pizzas, all available at the small wine bar.
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Finnish Country Sauna & Tubs
Especially if sore from hiking, you mustn't leave Arcata without visiting the Finnish Country Sauna & Tubs, where you can sip chai by the fireside or in meditative gardens, then rent a private open-air redwood hot tub or sweat in a sauna. Reserve ahead, especially on weekends.
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Jambalaya
In a cavernous space, Jambalaya serves a mishmash of Caribbean-influenced dishes - at lunch Cuban sandwiches, at dinner wild salmon and (of course) jambalaya. Good midrange option with lots of local wines and beers. Hosts live music after 22:00 Fridays and Saturdays.
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Carson Mansion
The most famous of Eureka's impressive Victorians is the ornate Carson Mansion, 1880s home of lumber baron William Carson, designed by Samuel and Joseph Newsom, the famous 19th-century architects. It took 100 men a full year to build. Today it's a private club.
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Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary
On the shores of Humboldt Bay lies Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary. The sanctuary has 5 miles of walking trails and outstanding birding - and it doubles as the city's (nearly) odor-free wastewater treatment facility (ya gotta love this town's ingenuity).
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Carter House
Who says they don't build houses like that anymore? The Carter House, was built in the 1980s by bon vivant Mark Carter, using 19th-century blueprints he'd found in an antique store. He's a local celeb; you can meet him at the Hotel Carter, across the street.
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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.
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Morris Graves Museum of Art
The Morris Graves Museum of Art is Eureka's cultural hub and has rotating exhibitions of California artists inside a 1904 Carnegie library, the state's first public library. It hosts weekend jazz, dance and spoken-word performances (September to May).
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Folie Douce
Arcata's best, Folie Douce presents a short but inventive menu of seasonally inspired bistro cooking, from Asian to Mediterranean, with an emphasis on local organics. Wood-fired pizzas are a specialty. Sunday brunch too. Reservations essential.
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Redwood Park
Redwood Park has beautiful redwoods and picnic areas. Adjoining the park is the Arcata Community Forest, a 575-acre old-growth forest crisscrossed by 10 miles of trails, with dirt paths and paved roads good for hikers and mountain-bikers.
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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.
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Phillips House Museum
The 1854 Phillips House Museum is a living museum that shows what the life of Arcata residents and farmers was like in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The historical exhibits and tours provide insights into the character of the town.
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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.
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Hum-Boats Sail, Canoe & Kayak Center
The Hum-Boats Sail, Canoe & Kayak Center , at Woodley Island Marina, rents kayaks and sailboats. They have lessons and tours (some dog-friendly), eco-tours, a water taxi, sailboat charters, sunset sails and full-moon paddles.
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Romano Gabriel Wooden Sculpture Garden
The Romano Gabriel Wooden Sculpture Garden is enclosed by glass, between D and E Sts. For 30 years the brightly painted folk art in Gabriel's front yard delighted locals. After he died in 1977, the city moved the collection here.
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Shanty
Kick it on the patio with hipsters at this way-cool grunge bar, where you can play Donkey Kong, pool or Ping Pong between shots. Shanty is gay-friendly, but not gay per se. Sunday there's a bloody Mary bar, 10:00 to 14:00.
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