Mendocino Along Highway One’s rocky shoreline, the passage of time, fierce storms and strong winds have shaped a dramatic landscape. The vistas are breathtaking as the highway meanders through trees and pastureland, over rivers and past weathered barns and leaning fences before reaching Mendocino. Viewed from across the Big River to the North, the town of Mendocino appears as a cluster of New England-style captains' homes and stores perched on rocky headlands surrounded by the Pacific Ocean. Despite its proximity to the Bay area, and its popularity with visitors and artists alike, Mendocino has managed to retain the charm and pace of a bygone era.

Anderson Valley For most visitors, a trip to Mendocino includes a drive through the visually-arresting Anderson Valley. Highway 128, the gateway to the Anderson Valley and the coast, picks up just off of Highway 101 in Cloverdale. The road rises and falls for the next 46 miles through forests of oak and fir, sheep pastures, meandering creeks, the town of Boonville and countless vineyards before plunging through 10 miles of redwoods and finally emerging at the ocean. Just 2 hours from the Bay area, the Anderson Valley seems like light years away.

Mendocino Information & Activities
	Weather & the Seasons Festivals/Events Arts & Entertainment Outdoors & Gardens Horseback Riding Whale Watching Fishing & Diving Canoeing/Kayaking Biking Farmers Market Bird Watching Nature walks Beaches & State Parks Vineyards & Wineries Scenic Tours Restaurants

Weather and The Seasons

Spring – In few places does nature better display spring’s rebirth than in coastal Mendocino. Fruit trees blossoming, wildflowers carpeting the hillsides, clouds scudding across the skies…nature in her full glory. Winters’ storms give way to spring breezes and sparkling days, wildflowers begin popping up everywhere. Bring a heavy sweater and celebrate this spectacular time of year with us.

Summer – Summers in Mendocino mean a cool coastal escape from the high temperatures found just a few miles inland. Calm seas and winds, along with little rainfall, combine to create perfect conditions for building sandcastles or bonfires; kayaking through the sea caves or up the Big River; or taking long hikes through the redwoods. Bring sunscreen, your hiking boots and revel in the abundance of outdoor activities here along the coast.

Fall – People who know Mendocino know that fall is the hidden season. Indian summer days; crisp, star-filled nights; empty beaches; and dramatic colors reward fall visitors to Mendocino’s coast. With woodsmoke hanging heavy in the air, shops are decorated for the holidays, and craft fairs abound. Bring a lined windbreaker, a hat and your camera.

Winter – This is the time of year to curl up with a good book or DVD next to the fire in your room, or join the other guests gathered around our iconic steel and glass fireplace while spectacular storms rage outside. This is the time for relaxation and reflection. Massages, a night at the theater in town, a performance of the Opera Fresca…winter in Mendocino is centering. Bring a warm jacket, gloves and that book you have been wanting to read.

WEATHER
Weather is very dynamic along the North Coast. A morning may start out rainy, a midday wind clears the clouds and the afternoon wraps up with a coastal fog. For an excellent historical overview of Mendocino’s weather, month by month,
click here

Annual Festivals and Events
January
Crab Cake Cookoff and Wine Tasting– This festival offers a variety of local and regional winery presentations combined with crab cake delicacies prepared by each contestant. Wine, tastings, a raffle and an auction, this event benefits the Mendocino Coast Clinics.

Crab Feed Dinner – This two-night event is held in Mendocino’s Crown Hall. A two-night event, last year saw over 750 pounds of Dungeness crab, along with salad, French bread, wine and dessert, served to 200 crab fanatics each night.

March
Whale Festival –This festival celebrating the gray whale migration is split into two celebrations; the one in Mendocino is held during the first weekend in March; the second is held in Fort Bragg during the third weekend in March.

May
Anderson Valley Pinot Festival – The Anderson Valley is one of the finest pinot-growing regions in the world. This festival showcases Pinot Noirs made from grapes grown in the beautiful and rugged Anderson Valley. For more information, visit their website and click on the Festival link:

Mendocino Heritage Days – Mendocino Heritage Days is a celebration of the rich history of the Village of Mendocino, one of only two National Historic Preservation Districts in the state of California. For more information, click here.

Mendocino Film Festival –Mendocino is known for its artistic and politically active population, so local audiences are informed, engaged and supportive. Filmmakers and filmgoers love this festival. For more information, click here.
June
Taste of Chocolate, Wine and Ale – Chocoholics unite at Taste of Chocolate, Wine & Ale on Kelley House Lawn in the heart of Mendocino on Main Street. Chocolate cookies, candies, cakes, ice cream, wine and beer while enjoying incredible views of Mendocino Headlands State Park and Pacific Ocean. For more information, click here.

July
Mendocino Fourth of July Parade – An eclectic mix of fun, political humor and community, more than 5,000 people (five times the population of Mendocino!) line Main Street to watch the parade of floats, decorated cars, dancers, animals, kids, circus performers, musicians and more. For more information, visit their website and click on Mendocino Parade.

World’s Largest Salmon Barbecue – For over thirty years, the Salmon Restoration Association (SRA) has hosted the World's Largest Salmon BBQ to benefit the Hollow Tree Hatchery. The whole community comes together to celebrate the salmon runs on Independence Day Weekend, to support salmon fishing and raise money for our locally owned and operated hatchery on the Eel River in Mendocino County. For more information, click here.

California Wine Tasting Championship –Along with wine and gourmet food, this Anderson Valley 2-day affair also includes international chocolate and cheese tasting contests. For more information, click here.

Music Festival – The Mendocino Music Festival, a 15 day event, delights audiences with a wide breadth of talent and covers a multitude of musical styles including opera, chamber music, dance, blues, jazz, folk music and big band. For more information, click here.

August
Art In The Gardens – Cited by many as the premier garden party on California's North Coast, Art in the Gardens is held in Mendocino’s Botanical Gardens. Over 70 talented artists, a dozen of the finest Mendocino County wineries, delicious food and local culinary treats, and fabulous musicians all come together to create a dynamic event. For more information, visit their website and click on Art in the Gardens.

Paul Bunyan Days – An annual festival which celebrates the mythical lumberjack, Paul Bunyan. Highlights of the festival include the logging show, a parade, a beer festival, square dancing, a craft fair, a fireman's ball and a beauty contest. For more information, click here.

Great Day In Elk – The Great Day in Elk celebration is a community-sponsored event which includes a parade down Highway One, a carnival, a watermelon-eating contest, gunny sack races, a greased pole climbing contest, music, dance performances, a silent auction, a raffle and Elk margaritas. For more information, visit their website and click on Great Day in Elk:

September
Winesong! – This nationally-recognized charity event is attended by more than 1,100 guests from across the country and around the world who come together to make this one of the most spectacular functions on the West Coast. Winesong! kicks off with a barrel tasting on Friday afternoon. Saturday features a Grand Tasting showcasing more than 100 winemakers pairing their wines with food prepared by the area’s top chefs. A live and silent auctions of wines, art and trips; and live music round out the day. This event sells out early. For more information, click here.

Mendocino County Fair – This is a fun, small, old-fashioned county fair beloved by locals and visitors alike. Fair attendees can sample Anderson Valley apples, ciders, and local wines; browse the classic car show; watch the sheepdog trials; visit 4-H displays and craft areas; ride the carnival rides; and take in the beautiful reds, golds, and oranges of fall flowers and foliage. For more information, click here

CasparFest – CasparFest fills the old school house with dancing and the Village Square with music, artists, crafters and “green” enterprises - all sharing traditions that connect with the sun, the planet, and the finest traditions of lasting technology from the folk of many lands over centuries. For more information, click here

October
Abalone Festival – The world’s only Abalone Festival & Cook-off, the event features a chowder tasting, a craft fair, and live music. For more information, visit their website and click on Abalone Festival and Cook-Off:

November
Thanksgiving Arts and Crafts Fair – Over 40 high quality juried artists and craftspeople from throughout Northern California will exhibit handmade artwork in all media. The Fair is a fund-raising benefit for the Mendocino Art Center. For more information, click here.

Mushroom Festival – There are plans for a guided mushroom walk with a noted mycologist, tastings at various local restaurants and mushroom and wine pairings. For the first time this year there will be a Mushroom Ball, which will benefit another local treasure, the Mendocino Film Festival. For more information, click here

December
Lighting of the Kelley House Christmas Tree – An annual event that signals the beginning of the Christmas season on the coast. Santa arrives by fire truck to join the festivities. For more information, please click here

Mendocino Coast Candlelight Inn Tour – The inns along the coast open their doors to locals and visitors alike during this 3-day event so that all can enjoy the holiday decorations and light refreshments. For more information, visit: http://www.mendocinoinntour.com/

Things to See and Do

Arts and Entertainment

Mendocino Art Center -- A haven for artists since 1959, today the Art Center is a highly regarded artistic and educational institution offering nearly 300 unique retreat-style workshops each year in ceramics, computer arts, fine arts, jewelry, sculpture and textiles.

Mendocino Theater Company -- Located in the picturesque village of Mendocino, on California's North Coast, the Mendocino Theatre Company has been producing high quality theatre for thirty years.

Symphony of the Redwoods -- Twenty-seven musicians performed the first Symphony of the Redwoods concert in 1983. Now, after twenty-four years of serious work, the Symphony has come of age.

Opera Fresca -- From its inception in 1996, Opera Fresca has demonstrated a strong, unparalleled commitment to fulfilling its mission to make opera accessible to a wide audience at a high level of artistry and performance.

Gloriana Opera Company -- The Gloriana Opera Company was founded in 1976 with Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Mikado as its first offering at Crown Hall in Mendocino, 1977.

Flynn Creek Circus -- Flynn Creek Circus is a rurally based circus-theatre company pushing traditional arts to an innovative edge.

Caspar Inn – Mendocino Coast’s historic nightclub.

Outdoors and Gardens Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens -- A rare jewel: the only public garden in the continental United States fronting directly on the ocean, Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens offers everything from colorful displays to thunderous waves.
	Horseback Riding Ricochet Ridge – Trail rides on the beach and in the redwood forest.
Fishing, Diving and Whale Watching Noyo Fishing Center -- The Noyo Fishing Center offers several different types of excursions along the scenic North Coast. Sub-Surface Progression Dive Shop -- Sub-Surface Progression Dive Shop has been providing Abalone Diving Rentals and SCUBA Gear to the North Coast since 1977.
	Canoeing and Kayaking Catch a Canoe - Offering canoe and kayak rentals on the Big River, the last major, undeveloped navigable estuary remaining in Northern California. Kayak Mendocino - Professionally guided sea cave tours from Van Damme State Park in Mendocino.
Biking Catch A Canoe and Bicycle Too! – Offering an outstanding selection of mountain bike rentals.
	Farmers Markets (May-Oct) Boonville – Boonville Hotel – Saturdays 9:45a-12:00p Fort Bragg – 801 N. Main St. – Wednesdays 3:30p-6:00p Mendocino – Howard and Main Sts. – Fridays 12:00p-2:00p
Bird Watching/Nature Walks Big River Interpretive Walks (complimentary)-- Big River Interpretive Walks are a wonderful way to discover more about Big River and the Mendocino area. Mendocino Coast Bird Watching-- The Mendocino coast is one of the most scenic locations in California. Specialty birds: Resident—Peregrine Falcon, Black Oystercatcher, Hutton’s Vireo, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Pygmy Nuthatch, Wrentit. Summer—Brown Pelican, Osprey, Heermann’s Gull, Pigeon Guillemot, Allen’s Hummingbird, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Hermit Warbler. Winter—Pacific Loon; Black Turnstone; Surfbird; Rock Sandpiper; Mew and Glaucous-winged Gulls; Varied Thrush; Townsend’s Warbler. Migrant—Wandering Tattler.

State Parks and Beaches

Navarro River Redwoods State Park -- After winding over rolling hills and through the Anderson Valley, motorists traveling along Highway 128 suddenly enter an eleven-mile-long redwood tunnel to the sea. The redwood forest along the Navarro River is a magnificent sight.

Van Damme State Park -- Of all park system units along the Mendocino coast, Van Damme is perhaps the richest in terms of historical resources connected with the redwood lumber industry.

Big River State Park -- Big River wasn’t named for its length or breadth, but for the size of the redwoods that once grew along the banks. Big (second-growth) redwoods and a big estuary are among the compelling natural attractions of Big River State Park, a big (7,334 acres) unit added to California’s park system in 2002.

Mendocino Headlands State Park -- The park features grass-covered headlands and a beach, with access from the mouth of the Big River south of town.

Russian Gulch State Park -- This park is known for the heavily forested Russian Gulch Creek Canyon, a headland that features the Devil’s Punch Bowl (a large, collapsed sea cave with churning water), and a beach that offers swimming, tide pool exploring, skin diving and rock fishing. Inland, there is a 36-foot high waterfall.

Jug Handle -- Jug Handle State Reserve is a special place. Few places on earth display a more complete record of ecological succession. The heart of the park consists of a strip of land roughly one mile wide enclosing a set of five terraces resembling a staircase. The Ecological Staircase trail takes the visitor on a tour of the geological updrift from the coast to the Pygmy Forest two and a half miles inland.

Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve -- Montgomery Woods State Reserve, in the heart of the Coast Range, has redwoods, where visitors can walk along one of the park’s many trails. It is an excellent example of both a magnificent coastal redwood grove and a beautiful fern forest.

MacKerricher State Park -- MacKerricher State Park offers a variety of habitats; beach, bluff, headland, dune, forest and wetland. Tidepools are along the shore. Seals live on the rocks off the park’s Mendocino coast.

Vineyards and Wineries

Breggo Cellars – 11011 Highway 128, Boonville – (707) 895-9589
Brutocao Cellar* – 7000 Highway 128, Philo – (707)895-2152
Claudia Springs Winery – 1810 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-3993
Esterlina Vineyards and Winery*– 1200 Holmes Ranch Rd., Philo – (707) 895-2920
Goldeneye Winery – 9200 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-3202
Greenwood Ridge Vineyards*– 5501 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-2002
Handley Cellars* – 3151 Highway 128, Philo – (800) 733-3151
Harmonique – 1810 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-3993
Husch Vineyards* – 4400 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-3216
Lazy Creek Vineyards*– 4741 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-3623
Londer Vineyards* – 4830 Monte Bloyd Rd., Philo – (707) 895-3900
Meyer Family Cellars – 1970 Highway 128, Yorkville – (707) 895-2341
Navarro Vineyards* – 5601 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-3686
Pacific Star Winery – 33000 N. Highway 1, Fort Bragg – (707) 964-1155
Roederer Estate* – 4501 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 894-2288
Scharffenberger Cellars – 8501 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-2957
Toulouse Vineyards and Winery – 801 Highway 128, Philo – (707) 895-2828
Yorkville Cellars* – 25701 Highway 128, Yorkville – (707) 894-9177
Zina-Hyde Cunningham – 14077 Highway 128, Boonville – (707) 895-9462

* Featured wines poured at the Brewery Gulch Inn wine hour

Scenic Tours

Skunk Train -- Built as a logging railroad, the Skunk line began as a logical vehicle for moving massive redwood logs to Mendocino Coast sawmills from the rugged back country. The view from the restored rail cars is pretty much unchanged: towering trees, deer drinking from the Noyo River, an isolated fisherman's cabin peeking from the forest. With occasional whistles as it chugs through tunnels, over bridges and past open meadows, the train follows the coastal "Redwood Route" as it has since 1885.

Restaurants

Albion River Inn -- Albion River Inn's innovative regional cuisine is complemented by its award-winning wine list which has won the Wine Spectator's “Award of Excellence” for 12 consecutive years.

Café Beaujolais -- Cafe Beaujolais' cooking concept starts by scouring the world for the finest ingredients, from organic local produce, to diver scallops from Nantucket Bay or olive oil from Spain

Harbor House Inn – Distinctive, creative California Cuisine has created a culinary haven at this secluded retreat.

La Petite Rive – An intimate 8 table restaurant perched on the bluffs overlooking the Pacific.

Ledford House – The Ledford House reflects the provencal style of Southern France and accommodates 65 to 90 people in the elegance of two dining rooms where expansive windows allow the Pacific Ocean to become part of the decor.

Little River Inn – At the restaurant at the Little River Inn, you will encounter exquisite cocktails, great company and fabulous food served in country garden elegance.

MacCallum House -- Executive Chef Alan Kantor showcases regional North Coast wines, seafood, meats and produce with an emphasis on organics and quality purveyors.

Mendo Bistro -- Chef/owner Nicholas Petti's seasonal menu is sure to include the finest local seafood, produce, beer and wine as well as house made fresh pastas.

Mendocino Café -- Supporting the health of the planet and of our customers by using local organic produce, free-range meats, hormone-free dairy, and wild harvested seafood.

Mendocino Hotel -- Victorian delights abound at this charming, period hotel with a dark wood interior and a California menu that's right on the mark.

Moosse Café -- Innovative seasonal, North Coast cuisine using organic produce, fresh fish, seafood, meats and poultry. Daily soups and decadent desserts are all homemade.

955 Ukiah -- 955 Ukiah Street Restaurant has been offering fine dining to residents and travelers since 1987.

North Coast Brewing Company Tap Room and Grill -- Some of the best food on the Coast and some of the best beer in the world in a comfortable Arts & Crafts setting.

Patterson’s Pub -- On September 6, 1989, Tony and Mary Anne sat nursing a Guinness in a pub on the Dingle Peninsula of Ireland, and Patterson's was conceived. With a little Irish Luck, on September 6, 1993, Patterson's became a part of the Mendocino community bringing with it a bit of the charm of the Emerald Isle.

Piaci -- This place offers ‘adult pizza’ as good as any in Naples, Italy.

The Ravens -- Haute contemporary cuisine meets vegetarianism.

The Rendevous -- The Rendezvous dining room is casual, but elegant and warm, with original redwood paneling and a central fireplace. The menu offers an enticing, diverse selection. Always available are pasta selections, steaks, fresh local seafood, and game dishes. The main influence is country-French.

The Restaurant -- Since its inception in 1973, this small, family-owned and operated restaurant has been a favorite of locals and visitors to the North Coast.

Sharon’s By The Sea -- A unique and innovative restaurant featuring the freshest seafood available, housemade sauces, and daily specials, all served from a location overlooking a spectacular view of Noyo Harbor and the entrance to the Pacific Ocean.

Silver’s At The Wharf -- Silver Canul, co-owner and Executive Chef, has an extensive background in French Cuisine, the food of his Mayan heritage, and Southeast Asian cooking. Local seafood and continental favorites are featured on both the lunch and dinner menus as well as the increasingly popular lounge menu.

Stevenswood – Chef Patrick Meany’s menu reflects influences from the Caribbean, Europe and the Near East.