Things to Do Along the Way
Leaving San Francisco
Get a Birds-eye View of The Golden Gate City
Before you leave the City by the Bay check out The Bay Model Visitor Center, a working hydraulic model of the San Francisco Bay and Sacramento. It’s like chartering a jet over the famous scenery… but the tickets are free!
The town of Sausalito has great views of the bay and tons of cool shops to peruse before you venture north to unwind and disconnect on the open road. Stroll through the marina to find the majestic vessel with the best name… our winner the Knot Workin’.
Soak up some info on our ocean-dwelling friends
Sausalito is home to The Marine Mammal Center where you can explore on your own – view exhibits and animal patients or take a guided tour. Then take that knowledge to the “streets” or the Marin Headlands just outside the doors and see if you can’t spot some of the wild things you just learned about in their natural haunt.
Driving North on Historic Shoreline Highway
The Fault in our State
The San Andreas Fault… that is. Take a walk along the Earthquake Trail in Point Reyes National Seashore. Earthquake Trail is a 0.6-mile self-guided wheelchair accessible loop along the fault line and learn a little about explaining plate tectonics.
Get some sustinance after the hike at the Hog Island Oyster Farm in Marshall, on Tomales Bay. Enjoy oysters and shellfish surrounded by the scenic beauty of Tomales Bay and lively action of a working oyster farm.
Bird Watch in Bodega Bay
But beware… Bodega Bay was the setting for the 1963 Alfred Hitchcock film, The Birds. “I keep telling you, this isn’t ‘a few birds’! These are gulls, crows, swifts…!”
Had enough birdwatching? Take a walk around town, be sure to stop at Patrick’s Salt Water Taffy for some of the best snacks a road warrior could ask for. You can’t miss the colorful pink and white striped building.
Get Here Faster… Scenic Inland Route North
Taste the Mystery Grape in Geyserville
Stop by the Francis Ford Coppola Winery (that name may sound familiar for a couple of reasons) for their “Mystery Tasting”, available daily at 2:30 pm. Be one of the lucky eight to get a ticket… if not you can enjoy a leisurely game of bocce while sipping the “Director’s Cut”.
Then make a break for the coast and your long-awaited vacation at Cottages at Litte River Cove!
Getting to Mendocino from the North
Dine “Lumber Camp Style” in Eureka
Wet your whistle and take a step back into the early days of the lumber and logging industry at Samoa Cookhouse. They serve up “lumber camp” style since 1890, this landmark eatery is the last surviving cookhouse of the West.
If you happen to be heading our way for Labor Day Weekend, you are just in time to catch the festivities of Paul Bunyan Days!
Ogle the Avenue of the Giants
Humboldt Redwoods State Park contains some of the world’s most majestic ancient redwood groves. Cool off in Eel River or Bull Creek and take in the sights at eye level and 300 feet above you. Fern Canyon is a must see, this short trail follows Home Creek as it courses through the forest with vertical walls sprouting an amazing variety of ferns and moss.