You don’t need a car to transport yourself plus a backpack or bicycle to Mendocino County’s most exhilarating places. Here are six day or weekend trips for hikers and bikers who want to maximize the scenic factor while minimizing their carbon footprints. MTA’s van-style buses have bike racks for two to three bicycles and room for several more inside. There is no extra charge … [Read more...]
Ukiah
111 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge on Hwy 101,Ukiah is the Mendocino County seat and its largest city. Framed in a deep mountain valley, Ukiah is a beautiful destination that combines a wealth of natural resources with an independent character. With countless opportunities for outdoor recreation, good food and drink, year-round events and cultural attractions, Ukiah has something for everyone. And, unlike any city named anything else, its name spelled backwards is “haiku.”
#54 – Breweries of Mendocino County
If beer is your thing, you will definitely want to take the time to visit a Mendocino County brewery or two and sample their superb offerings. Here are a couple we suggest you check out: Ukiah Brewing Company WHERE: 102 S. State St., Ukiah MORE INFO: 707-468-5898If beer is your thing, you’ll want to take time to visit a Mendocino County brewery and sample its great … [Read more...]
#66 – Redwood Valley Wineries
Mendocino County is a wonderful grape-growing and wine-producing area. The county’s wine-growing areas can be divided into three distinct regions, one of which is the Redwood Valley. Every June on Father’s Day weekend, A Taste of Redwood Valley brings wine, food, arts and crafts, and fun to the area. The region starts just south of the city of Ukiah and extends north through … [Read more...]
#67 – Vichy Springs Mineral Hot Springs Resort
Mendocino County boasts some of the most fantastic natural hot springs in the world. It is home to Vichy Springs Mineral Hot Springs Resort and Country Inn, a unique 160 year old historic hot springs resort only two hours north of downtown San Francisco. It has the only naturally warm and carbonated “Vichy” mineral baths in North America. Its soothing 90-degree sparkling waters … [Read more...]
#68 – Sundays in the Park Free Concert Series
Ukiah’s “Sundays In The Park” free concert series has been going strong since 1991. Presenting performances by artists from such diverse genres as blues, classical, country, salsa, soul, rock and swing, each of the summer’s six free concerts draws an average of over 3,000 music fans to beautiful Todd Grove Park. The concerts feature artists from around the world and just down … [Read more...]
#69 – Ukiah Valley Conference and Visitor Center
The Ukiah Valley Conference Center is a great place for planning and hosting an upcoming event. The Center is a state-of-the-art meeting facility, offering a variety of spaces able to accommodate groups as small as five individuals or as large as 600 people. Located in beautiful downtown Ukiah, this modern center has every amenity to make your next social or professional … [Read more...]
#69 – City of 10,000 Buddhas
A gate of three arches located welcomes visitors to the City of 10,000 Buddhas. In the 1930s, this complex served as a state hospital and featured over seventy large buildings including 3 gymnasiums, a swimming pool, fire station, and incinerator with underground connections for electricity, water, and even air-conditioning. A severe drought in the 1970s forced a closure of the … [Read more...]
#70 – Corner Gallery/Art Center Ukiah
Corner Gallery/Art Center Ukiah opened in March 2008. Renovating a historic building just one block from the county courthouse, 24 local inland Mendocino County artists realized the dream of having a place to showcase their art. Featured theme shows, lectures and educational events for artists from childhood to the adult professional are supported by the Art Ukiah Center … [Read more...]
#71 – Ukiah Country Pumpkinfest
Each October since 1992, this two-day event dominates the streets of downtown Ukiah. The festival features craft and food vendors, fine arts exhibits, live music, a haunted house, pet costume contests, a children’s carnival, the Deep Valley Brew & Wine Fest, and “Scarecrow City.” Those blessed with green thumbs can enter the giant pumpkin weigh-off, while those with … [Read more...]
#72 – Grace Hudson Museum
The Grace Hudson Museum features the best of the region’s art, history and anthropology. Exhibits in the museum range in subject matter from Native American culture and Northern California coast history to the works of contemporary artists. The primary focus of the museum is the magnificent work of Grace Carpenter Hudson. She painted some of the most brilliant oil paintings of … [Read more...]
#73 – Ukiah Speedway
Ukiah Speedway is a 1/4 mile asphalt oval racetrack offering pulse-pounding excitement and high-velocity family fun. Come out and see bombers, modifieds, bandoleros, extreme asphalt outlaws, jammers, mini-stocks, legends and more in action. Typically a night of racing begins with a Trophy Dash, with the four to six fastest qualifiers in each division racing four to six laps … [Read more...]
#74 – Lake Mendocino
Set amid the scenic rolling hills of Coyote Valley, Lake Mendocino was formed in 1958 by the construction of the Coyote Valley Dam on the Russian River. Groves of oak mixed with manzanita and pine trees forest the area, offering intermittent shade and premium bird and wildlife habitat. The 1,922 acre lake and its environs offer a wide variety of recreational opportunities … [Read more...]
#75 – Cow Mountain Recreation Area
Named for the wild longhorn cattle that once roamed there, the 52,000-acre Cow Mountain Recreation Area offers lots of recreational opportunities. The terrain is rugged, with steep, chaparral-covered slopes and scattered stands of fir, pine and oak. The elevation varies from 800 to 4,000 feet, and the area offers spectacular views of Ukiah and Clear Lake. Over 30 miles of … [Read more...]
#76 – Hunting in Mendocino County
Mendocino County has a diverse and abundant selection of game, with quail, wild turkey, elk, bear, pig and blacktail deer among other species. The County also offers sportsmen many different choices when it comes to where to hunt. There is public land available for hunting, and most of it holds trophy-class game. There are also opportunities to hunt on private land for a … [Read more...]
#78 – Montgomery Woods State Reserve
Perhaps the most remote of California’s 31 redwood parks, this jewel of a natural reserve is a beautiful fern forest that is home to five separate redwood groves that have never been logged. You can access them by walking along a 2-mile loop trail that follows Montgomery Creek. The really dramatic old-growth scenery begins about one third of a mile into the … [Read more...]
#79 – Ukiah Municipal Golf Course
Since 1931 the Ukiah Valley Golf Course has provided innumerable challenging rounds of golf set amid the sloping hills and majestic terrain of Mendocino County. Ukiah is a regulation 18-hole municipal golf course with an “open to the public” policy that also offers annual memberships as well as tournaments and instruction. From the longest tees it offers 5,850 yards of golf at … [Read more...]
#80 – Low Gap Regional Park
Low Gap Regional Park is a multi-use public park covering more than 80 acres. It is situated along Orr Creek, an important tributary of the Russian River and one of three major streams that run through the city of Ukiah. Because access to all of these streams is extremely limited, access to Orr Creek is one of the most noteworthy features of this park, despite its extensive … [Read more...]