Chloe & James
Things To Do
Food & Drink
Fort Bragg Piaci - Where we go for pizza. Los Gallitos - If you're desperate for Mexican, it'll do just fine. Princess Seafood - The hours are weird, but they have good seafood on the harbor. Sea Pal - In the harbor. Fish and chips and burgers and things. KW Saltwater Grill - Fancy, delicious seafood. Tall Guy Brewery - Beer North Coast Brewery - Only if you like their beer... Mendocino Patterson's Pub - They have good pub food. They also have liquor. Mendocino Cafe - Solid. Trillium - Fancy food, nice setting. The Brickery - Good pizza in a beautiful garden. The Waiting Room - Coffee and pastries in the morning, wine and beer in the afternoon and evening. Also where we went on our first date. The Fog Eater - It's vegan and southern, and they only serve natural wines, but it's good! Dick's - If you want to keep drinking... Albion Ledford House - Fancy food. Beautiful views. We like to sit at the bar. Elk Harbor House Inn - If Michelin stars and debt are your things...
Anderson Valley
Wine tasting in Anderson Valley is a wonderful thing to do. We recommend Roederer for sparkling wines; Lula for pinot; Lichen for a mix of whites, reds, and sparkles; Pennyroyal for pairing wine with cheese and charcuterie; and Toulouse for the incredible view of the valley. For beer lovers, Anderson Valley Brewery has a good tasting room, as well as frisbee golf.
Big River Beach at Mendocino Headlands State Park
Big River is a good place to take a romantic stroll on the beach, have a bonfire, go on a hike, or go for a (brisk) swim; however, the best way to enjoy Big River is by canoe or kayak. Catch a Canoe, on the south side of the river, has rentals, if you're interested. We also have one canoe we could lend out. Because it's an estuary, be sure to time it so that you're going upriver toward the end of the high tide (maybe an hour or turn before the switch) and heading back as it drains out.
Mendocino Woodlands Camp Association
There are a number of trails and swimming holes in the woodlands. We like the trail to ledges best, a swimming hole that takes about 40 minutes to walk to. The Big Tree trail is also good. At the end is a very big tree!
Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve
Montgomery Woods is home to some of the biggest trees on earth. It's a bit of a drive, an hour from Mendocino, but it's well worth it. The drive is beautiful!
Sweetwater Inn and Spa
Looking to recover from a hard night of partying? Simply want to relax? Sweetwater has a number of public and private redwood hot tubs and saunas.
Pacific Star Winery
The wines aren't that great, but the view of the pacific is beautiful.
Little River Inn Golf and Tennis Club
The golf course is only 9 holes, but of the four 9-hole courses I've played, it's definitely the the prettiest and most challenging.
Russian Gulch State Park
Just two miles north of Mendocino, Russian Gulch State Park combines a three-mile leafy canyon with windswept headlands and pristine beaches along the park’s rocky coastline. Inland, a 36-foot waterfall plunges down into a bower of redwoods, mosses, and ferns. Along the coast, waves crash into a collapsed sea cave called Devil’s Punchbowl, and the photogenic Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge rises gracefully 100 feet from the bottom of the gulch.
Glass Beach
Glass Beach is a well-known beach in Fort Bragg and might be the most-searched beach in all of California. Glass Beach gets its name from the smooth colorful glass that is mixed into the pebbly beach. (VERY OVERRATED).
The Skunk Train & Rail Bikes
Take a short 2 hour round trip train ride into the redwoods from downtown Fort Bragg. Since 1885 the historic Skunk has made its way through old-growth redwood groves, over scenic trestle bridges, through spectacular tunnels, and into the heart of the Noyo River canyon. Today’s riders enjoy the same pristine views that have remained largely unchanged for well over a century.
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
Literally amazing and worth a visit. Located on 47 acres that lie between California's scenic Highway 1 and the Pacific Ocean, this magnificent site includes canyons, wetlands, coastal bluffs, and a closed-cone pine forest. Set among this striking background is a varied array of plant collections.
Jug Handle State Natural Reserve
It has a nice, calm beach, but the ecological staircase hike is the thing to do. If you want a good summary of what the Mendocino Coast has to offer in terms of natural beauty, this is your hike! Highly recommended.