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The chilly winter months are a perfect time to explore California’s Mendocino Coast, which boasts one of the most dramatic panoramas anywhere with its crashing waves and ancient forests. Its cozy inns, beachcombing possibilities and crabbing and whale watching make it a welcoming place for families, in particular.
Crabbing and rock fishing charter boats cruise out of Fort Bragg’s Noyo Harbor daily, and it’s not uncommon to see three generations of a family enjoying the shared adventure. Sometimes the charters have combination trips – fish for rock cod, then stop to haul up the crab pots on the way back. With limits of 10 per person, a family of four can come home with a lot of crab – and most charters offer cook-and-clean services for a small fee. (Bonus: Children under 16 don’t need a fishing license.) When whale season arrives in January, the charters will be offering whale watching trips as well.
Noyo Harbor has plenty of casual places to eat clustered in between the boats, traps and nets. Princess Seafood Market, named for the owner’s commercial fishing boat, has fresh fish and a seafood deli inside the market. You may find Captain Heather — Heather Sears, who owns both the boat and the market — or one of her crew behind the counter. Try the Dungeness crab roll or rock fish tacos, and sit outside on the covered patio, watching the fishing world go by.
For more refined dining, head up the road to the Noyo Harbor Inn, with its white tablecloths and harbor and ocean views, as well as stylish accommodations.
A couple of miles away in downtown Fort Bragg, where restaurants, cafes and shops line the streets, you’ll find the boarding point for the famous Skunk Train, a historic train that brings visitors deep into a forest of old-growth redwood trees, traveling over trestles and through tunnels. If you are standing outside, on the open carriage, you can practically touch the forest’s foliage as the train curves on its narrow tracks. During December, the train becomes the Magical Christmas Train, complete with Santa Claus — and during Crab Feast Mendocino in January, there are special Crab and Cremant sparkling wine excursions.
Traveling with beachcombers? Fort Bragg is home to Glass Beach, a long-ago garbage dump that’s now a glistening, jeweled stretch of glass bits worn smooth by the ocean. For years people came here to collect the glass, but now taking the glass is off-limits, making the beach a sort of natural museum. Stroll and admire, then leave those glass gems for others to enjoy. And a few miles south, near the charming town of Mendocino, you’ll find the driftwood-strewn beach at Van Damme State Park, which is ideal for beachcombing, exploring and simply walking the sands.
Mendocino is also home to two especially cozy inns. Just south of town and nestled in the forest sits the Craftsman style, award-winning Brewery Gulch Inn. Ten woodsy guest rooms await, and the great room offers space to lounge near the modern, glass-encased wood stove and enjoy the complimentary wine hour that includes a hot buffet meal provided by the kitchen. It’s not billed as dinner, but with two main dish options, a salad, dessert and wine — which is often from the owner’s winery, Fathers +Daughters — it’s dinner in my book. A delicious hot breakfast the next morning is complimentary, too.
Just to the south, the Little River Inn has been owned by the same family for 75 years — the current innkeeper is fifth-generation owner Cally Dym. Family photos and artifacts of fishing, abalone diving and crabbing adorn the walls of the inn’s Whale Watch Bar and Abalone Room and tell the story, not only of the family but the region.
The inn includes a large, white main building with a sweeping veranda on the east side of Highway 1 facing the ocean, plus several other buildings with balconied rooms — and cottages across the highway on the ocean side. The inn has two dining options: a fine dining, white-tablecloth restaurant and an atmospheric bar with a more casual menu and sunset view. Both are popular with locals, as well as tourists, and the bar especially is a great place to mingle. During January, the inn’s chef, Marc Dym, Cally’s husband, will offer daily specials of crab and more crab.
In fact, the whole region goes into a Dungeness tizzy during the annual Crab Feast Mendocino festival, which runs from Jan. 24 through Feb. 2 and offers scores of seafood and wine-related events at restaurants and wineries throughout Mendocino County. But you needn’t wait for that. Mendocino makes a great family getaway at any time of year.
If You Go
Skunk Train: Regular train rides start at $42. The Magical Train Rides, which depart from Willits and Fort Bragg on select dates in December are $11 to $53. And the Crab and Cremant rides on Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, which include a bread bowl of crab chowder and a glass of Sharffenberger Crémant Sparkling Wine, are $11 to $69. Find details at www.skunktrain.com.
Little River Inn: Rooms start at $185. 7901 N. Highway 1, Little River; www.littleriverinn.com
Brewery Gulch Inn: Rooms start at $325. 9401 N. Highway 1, Mendocino; www.brewerygulchinn.com
Crab Feast Mendocino: This crab and wine-centric festival runs from Jan. 24 to Feb. 2 at venues across Mendocino County. Find details at https://visitmendocino.com/event.