Mendocino Fun » attractions

Candlelight Inn Tours This Week

nancy — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 21:24:08 +0000

Visit the area’s finest lodging sites, enjoy fine food and wine, while helping support Mendocino Coast youth programs. 3-6 pm each evening. For more information, call 707-964-1228. Tickets: $25 pp; $10 under age 10

Thursday, December 8, Mendocino
Friday, December 9, Fort Bragg
Saturday, December 10, Little River
Sunday, December 11, Elk

Festival of Lights

nancy — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 04:08:52 +0000

Join us at the 2nd Annual Festival of Lights where thousands of lights transform Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens into a magical Winter Wonderland. Stroll through a tunnel of lights; amble by magical toadstools; gaze in wonder at exotic forms of lighted cacti; take your picture in front of illuminated art pieces; find your way by the glow of luminarias; be awestruck by a forest of decorated holiday trees; enjoy a hot drink and dessert; shop for holiday treasures and natural wonders; be prepared for surprises. Special pricing on unique holiday gifts and decorations. Open every evening – 4:30 until 7:30 pm. Tickets $5, Fridays & Saturdays $10

Santa’s Coming to Town

nancy — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:26:18 +0000

Kids both young and old will want to be at the Mendocino Hotel on Main Street for Santa’s arrival on the fire truck. He’ll be here promptly at 3 pm, so don’t be late! Candy canes for the kids, and a photo opportunity with Santa.

Open House

nancy — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 02:21:14 +0000

Saturday, October 8, from 5-6:30 pm
Step back in time to 1861 and enjoy an old-fashioned housewarming at William and Eliza Kelly’s home on Albion Street (aka Kelley House Museum). We hope you will stop by to congratulate Mr. and Mrs. Kelly on their lovely new home, water tower, outhouse and pond located in the center of our booming mill town, Mendocino City (previously known as Meiggsville). Mr. Kelly will pour you a tasty glass of Mendocino Apple Cider. Mrs. Kelly will be serving her famous apple cake, along with traditional snacks of popcorn balls and peanuts. Kelley House Museum, 45007 Albion Street, Mendocino. Free. 707-937-5791

Paul Bunyan Days

nancy — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 03:12:59 +0000

Two-man Saw Contest

Four Fun-Filled Days on Labor Day Weekend! The tale of Paul Bunyan and his blue ox has always been a favorite with the kids, but here in Fort Bragg, we celebrate the real thing! Paul Bunyan hosts the festival, which celebrates the long history of logging on the Mendocino Coast. This year’s theme, “All Aboard! Fort Bragg to Willits with Paul & Babe,” commemorates 100 years of the Skunk Train line running from Fort Bragg to Willits. Join us for the fun with logging contests, parades, and the highlight – the crowning of the Belle of the Redwoods, a long-standing tradition.

Abundance of Color at the Gardens

nancy — Mon, 08 Aug 2011 02:15:09 +0000

Photo by Dennis Freeze

This is one of my favorite times of the year at the Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens — when the dahlias and fuchsias are in bloom. Plus, Friends of the Garden’s display artists created birdhouses for their annual auction, and I can guarantee you’ll be delighted with the creativity of these artists. You can leave a bid on your favorite birdhouse or “Buy It Now”. But don’t forget to mark your calendars for the Artist Reception and final bid night on August 19th…a guaranteed fun evening with friends, food and wine…and all for the Gardens we love. Open daily 9am – 5 pm, 18220 N. Highway One, Fort Bragg. 707-964-4352

The Pavilion Open This Weekend

nancy — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 02:54:25 +0000

Special preview nights on 7/28 & 7/29 for ONLY $10

The Mendocino Theatre Company in association with Harvest Market/Harvest at Mendosa’s proudly present “The Pavilion” by Craig Wright, Directed by Kennedy White

“This is the way the universe begins.” With those words, the Narrator of The Pavilion, like the Stage Manager in Our Town, takes the audience on a ride through the past, the present, and the future, introducing us to Peter and Kari, former high school sweethearts on the night of a high school reunion. Their past is broken. Can it be mended? Can time ever be coaxed into running backwards? The Pavilion is a sweepingly romantic modern classic. The Pavilion staring Van Phillips, Jodi Britton and Dan Kozloff, plays Thurs – Sat @ 8:00 pm with 2:00 matinees on Sunday 7/31, 8/28, and 9/4 at the Helen Schoeni Theatre on the grounds of the Mendocino Art Center. For tickets or more information, please contact the box office at: 707-937-4477 or

Mendocino Coast Garden Tour (for the Art Center)

dff — Sat, 25 Jun 2011 02:57:02 +0000

The gardens on the tour are bursting with flowers right now!On Saturday, June 25, enjoy a behind-the-scenes, self-guided tour of some of the Mendocino Coast’s most beautiful country gardens, featuring landscaping artfully blended into the natural environment, on the Mendocino Art Center’s 19th Annual Mendocino Coast Garden Tour, Saturday, June 25, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The day’s festivities will also include a garden shop and plant sale at the Mendocino Art Center and a gourmet vegetarian luncheon at Ravens’ Restaurant at the Stanford Inn by the Sea, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Mendocino Art Center. The Garden Tour is the Art Center’s largest annual fundraiser.

Gardens on this year’s self-guided tour include:

• An ideal coastal garden with over 200 ericaceous, cultivars, rhododendrons, pieris, azaleas, heathers and conifers, as well as other perennials viewable on the many pathways.

• A lushly landscaped garden sitting on eight acres at the end of a country lane. Three acres of tended gardens are surrounded by fields, forest, and towering redwoods.

• A weaver’s garden who loves incorporating color into her weaving and into her landscape design.

• A garden with themed rooms, including Japanese, water, vegetable, and succulent.

• The Noyo Hill Farm, located on the bluff overlooking Noyo Harbor. The owners, with their expertise and love for plants, have created a beautiful farm with organically grown fresh produce.

• The Weller House Inn (on the National Register of Historical Places, circa 1886) gardens were replanted in the late 1990s, with the idea of creating an English garden. The main lawn is ringed with soft-hued plants such as lavender, nepeta, artichoke and iris. Flashy edibles flank the front porch, near a collection of fragrant heritage roses. Succulents, including the native cliffhanger Dudleya, thrive atop the Water Tower, which is the high point in town.

• The Surf Motel and Gardens received the 2008 “Mayor’s Well Done Award” and the 2010 Fort Bragg Garden Club’s first place award. A highlight of these beautiful gardens is a gazebo, a peaceful spot where guests can relax and enjoy the colorful flowers and a spectacular view of the ocean.

Benefit Lunch at Ravens’ Restaurant
Stanford Inn’s Ravens’ Restaurant, will host a special gourmet meal for Garden Tour guests, featuring Indian cuisine, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Mendocino Art Center.

“Imagine… a Garden” Exhibit
To coincide with the Garden Tour, the Mendocino Art Center’s Main and Nichols galleries will feature “Imagine… a Garden,” a juried garden-themed exhibit with a wide spectrum of art, including ceramics, sculpture, paintings, photography and more, June 3-25.

Garden Shop & Plant Sale
On June 25, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., browse the Mendocino Art Center’s Garden Shop, featuring a special sale on Mendocino Maples’ gorgeous Japanese maples, creative handcrafted garden art and many other surprises.

Ticket Information
Garden Tour tickets ($40) and lunch tickets ($20) may be purchased by calling the Mendocino Art Center at 707 937-5818, ext. 10, or ordering online at the Art Center Web site.

Go Fly a Kite … Have Some Fun

bruce — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 15:12:13 +0000

Today at noon is the Habitat for Humanity Annual Kite Festival at Todd Point in Fort Bragg. Kiteflying is a sport loved by kids of all ages and generations. Even if you miss today’s event, enjoy the day and go fly a kite.

Farmer’s Markets open for 2011

dff — Wed, 25 May 2011 01:25:05 +0000

Mendocino Farmer's Market is running again!

Once again, the farmer’s markets are open at towns all along the Mendocino Coast (and inland, too). I’ve been dropping by the markets in Mendocino and Fort Bragg for years, and there’s really a wide variety of produce available. You can also find cut flowers for sale, and local honey and berries, and who knows what else? The market in Mendocino takes place on Howard Street, in the block just north of Main Street, from noon until 2:00 every Friday through October 28. The Fort Bragg market is on Wednesday afternoons from 3-6 pm in the 400 block of Franklin St, in front of City Hall. The Gualala market is on Saturdays from 9:30-12:30pm at the Gualala Community Center. The Mendocino County Farmer’s Market Association has a Web site with pointers to all of the locations in the county, and more. They’re still working on their site, evidently, but the basic info is there.