The county is noted for its gorgeous Pacific Ocean coastline, stunning redwood forests, excellent wine in Anderson Valley, fresh local food & produce, and microbrews like North Coast Brewing. Also, it is estimated that roughly one-third of the economy is based on the cultivation of marijuana.
We love Mendocino and we hope that you can take some time to enjoy the area - maybe you'll fall in love too!
Mendocino is the first trip that Monica & Dan took away together. We stayed at the lovely Greenwood Pier Inn in the small town of Elk (It has since closed). We spent the day driving through the redwood-laden valley along the Navarro River and going to some wineries in Anderson Valley - Husch, Navarro, Brutocao, and Scharffenberger are some of out favorites. We love the low key feel of Anderson Valley, where things are quieter than Napa and Sonoma, the tastings are cheaper, and the wine is good! We also enjoyed walking along the bluffs and shores of the beautiful Pacific Coast, and just letting the slower pace of life wash over us. At night, Dan bulit a fire in the small iron stove provided by the cabin, and got carried away...the room became so warm that they had to open all the doors and windows to bring everything back to a normal temperature. Luckily, that just let in the soothing sound of the nighttime surf down below, and Dan quickly drifted to sleep, as he always does.
Mendocino has a special place in our hearts from that first time, and we thought it would be wonderful to have our wedding here, not only so our family and friends can experience this beautiful place, but also because we knew we'd have to take a bunch more trips to our favorite coastal spot in order to plan the wedding.
We hope you enjoy Mendocino as much as we do!
Hike along the bluffs at Mendocino Headlands or Russian Gulch State Parks. Russian Gulch has a waterfall!
Visit the glass beach in Ft. Bragg, formed from the former site of the city's dump. Most of the rubbish gradually degraded or washed away, but the bottles wore down to leave multicolored sea glass.
Ride the skunk trains from Ft Bragg through the mountain passes.
Shop in the cute town of Mendocino.
Drink beer at North Coast Brewing Co in Ft. Bragg, or at the many wineries in Anderson Valley.
Kayak along the ocean or up Big River.