Coastal Town of Mendocino, California

Previously I had mentioned that Mendocino, California has a wonderful restaurant, MacCallum House, for fine dining.  However, if you're an East Coast-er or not a foodie like me, you might never have heard of the coastal California town of Mendocino.  Mendocino is about a 3.5 hour drive north of San Francisco.  Along the way you'll pass dozens of wineries.  I wish we had been able to stop in to one or two of them, along with Anderson Valley Brewing, but alas, we were on a time schedule so that we could get to our dinner reservation in time (we drove up from the Russian River Valley area).

Mendocino, located about 9.5 miles south of Fort Bragg, gets its town name from "Cape Mendocino" as it was named by early Spanish navigators in honor of Antonio de Mendoza, who was the Viceroy of New Spain.  Mendocino's population may be on the smaller side, but it's actually on the National Register of Historic Places in Mendocino County.  The town has also been featured in several films throughout the decades.

There are also several state parks nearby for those who prefer the outdoors.  Mendocino Headlands State Park was very close to our hotel (and downtown) and we easily and quickly founds ourselves exploring and taking in the gorgeous views of the Pacific Ocean.  All of these photos were taken at the state park.

Given that we were there in July, the weather wasn't the greatest, but then again we were also right along the coast line, so cloudy or not it will be cooler and quite breezy.  We were thankful we'd brought our windbreakers along with us.





Mendocino may not be the most "hopping" town out there, but I thought the whole area was very lovely and calming.  I loved our hotel, Hill House Inn, the local shops lining the streets of downtown, and loved the incredible outdoor scenery.  If you have time, I'd recommend at least one full day and night in the area, especially if you're looking to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city.  Visit Mendocino lists many options for food and drink as well as upcoming local events.

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