“You’re playing hooky today,” Jerry Rohde’s mom informed him one autumn morning when he was 12. They piled into her 1954 Ford sedan and headed into the San Bernardino Mountains to explore a historic Wild West village she visited when she was a girl. Set in a pine forest surrounded by steep cliffs and rocky […]
Visitor’s Guide
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Old Time Revival
J enny Metz first walked into the ballroom of the Eagle House while scoping venues for her children’s theater group. Captivated by the history, architectural quirks and vast potential, she came home and told her husband, “We should buy it.” Two years later, destiny had its way — the Eagle House, operated as a hotel […]
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The Old-Fashioned Way
The Back Porch 1380 Ninth St., Arcata Open Friday and Saturday, 10 am–5 pm or by appointment. Locals remember when you could go down to the old recycling center in Arcata and get a door, or an old sink, or some random wood for a project you dreamed up that morning. Well you can again, […]
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A Trip Back in Time
Sixty-five million years ago the Earth changed dramatically when a giant asteroid struck. A mass extinction ensued with dinosaurs disappearing as the planet warmed. Before the asteroid, conifers, like dinosaurs, ruled. Almost unimaginable forests of cone-bearing trees decorated the Earth with as many as 20,000 species, including nine different redwoods. With the global warming that […]
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Treat Yourself
If you stroll by between 7 am and noon, go around the side to the walk-up coffee window at Sweetness and Light, and you might get a peek at Matt and Tami Toste tempering chocolate or hand dipping the old-fashioned candies that fill the cases at this Ferndale institution. Inside, treat yourself to browsing the […]
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Farm to Glass
“You’re making this hard for me,” says a regular who’s sidled up to the standing-only bar that divides the small tasting room from the tap house at the Humboldt Regeneration Brewery. He came to get a growler filled, but with 28 unique beers on tap, and a small littering of empty tasters in front of […]
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Shopping the Farm Stands of the North Coast
The one place that’s closer to the source of our scrumptious North Coast fruits and vegetables than our fabulous farmers markets is the farms themselves. And fortunately for us, an increasing number of local farms have produce (and sometimes farm-raised meat) for sale to the public right on their farms. Some also offer pick-your-own, or […]
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Grazing
A sketch from the comedy show Portlandia mocks a food-aware couple at a farm-to-table restaurant who demand specifics about their chicken. Unsatisfied with the animal’s name and history, the couple asks the waiter to hold the order until they’ve visited the local farm that raised the animal. Far-fetched joke? In Humboldt County, the source of […]
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Perfect Summer Trips
Trees, trees, everywhere — and not just evergreens. Maple madness, a little known tradition in Humboldt, offers fall foliage and apple orchards bear the fruit of a festival and award-winning hard ciders. Feast your eyes on Eureka’s sculpture scene (which is looking up), a world record steer, Shakespeare in the redwoods, a rare lunar event […]
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A Little Something
Keep an eye out for whimsical pieces with a sense of history and place as mementos of time spent here in Humboldt. 1. Land of Lovely 514 Henderson St., Eureka “California Love” Pillow $38 2. Humboldt Flea Market Redwood Acres Fairgrounds, Eureka (First Sunday of every month) Vintage drill with drill bits $7.50 Vintage weed […]
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Local Flavor
Humboldt’s spice rack is stocked with rubs, salts and seasonings for everything from barbecue to Bloody Marys (just add tomato juice and vodka). You need only decide whether you’re going to share the wealth or make them your new secret ingredients. Find them at Eureka Natural Foods, North Coast Co-op, Wildberries and other local markets. […]