On our weekend trip to Fort Bragg, we also visited the city of Mendocino which is about 15 minutes to the south. In fact, we were also looking into staying in Mendocino instead of Fort Bragg, but all of the hotels were fully booked. During the summer months and holidays, most of these little towns on California’s Pacific Coast Highway get tons of visitors, so reservations need to be done weeks before.
Most people come to Mendocino to spend some time at the beaches, camping, hiking and fishing. It is a nice little stop if you are driving through Highway 1. There are two lighthouses close by, Point Arena and Point Cabrillo Light Station. From both sides of the road, you will find state parks where you can do shorter or longer hikes. RVs and tents seemed to be everywhere.
Earlier I told you about our visit to Glass Beach in Fort Bragg. Also Mendocino has lots of beaches. Even from the Main Street of downtown, you can walk down to a beach, and the views are of course spectacular. Mendocino has a long history and you can see it when walking downtown. It almost felt like time had stopped. There were many old houses with wooden water towers next to them. There were a few nice looking restaurants and cafes, and all of them seemed to be into organic produce. One restaurant that we particularly enjoyed, was Cafe del Mar in Fort Bragg. We went there for dinner, and the next morning we decided to have breakfast there as well. The menu was great and you could really taste the freshness of the ingredients in the food. We really loved this little place!
Mendocino water towers
We treated ourselves to some delicious ice cream both evenings. Too bad that they were out of mushroom ice cream, I really wanted to try it! Cowlick’s is in Fort Bragg, and is so popular that the line often went outside of the ice cream shop.
Mendocino has also been a filming location for many movies and TV series. The most known out of the movies probably are Karate Kid, Part III and Mel Gibson’s Forever Young, and from TV Murder She Wrote. I remember sometimes coming home from school in the afternoon and watching it. In the Ford House Visitor Center & Museum, you can even find a little book that will tell you the exact filming locations of Murder She Wrote. I was able to point out a couple of them downtown, but I have to say, I don’t really remember them from the show.
This is one the buildings in Mendocino seen in Murder She Wrote
When visiting Mendocino or Fort Bragg, I would recommend one of the Bed & Breakfast places. There are plenty of those all over town. Unfortunately, we were too late to get a room from any of them. It can also be a little bit pricey during the high season, so the earlier you make the reservation, the better price you will get. Most of the little Inns were in old, Victorian houses and either downtown, or by the ocean.
Country Inn in Fort Bragg
In the evening, definitely head down to one of the beaches to see the sun set.
Jug Handle Beach
