California Official Visitor's Guide 2024 - 176

north coast ITINERARY
The Pinc Lady, Eureka
48 Hours
in Humboldt
County
This northwest California county is
famous for magnificent redwoods,
but its human history is fascinating,
too. This trip is a peek into the lives
of North Coast people, from the
Native American tribes who fished
and hunted on this remote coast
to the sailors, gold-seekers, and
lumber barons who followed.
Day 1:
EUREKA EUREKA
Start at the Clarke Historical
Museum, where you'll learn about
Humboldt Bay's sailing heritage,
the " Red Gold Rush " lumber boom,
and Native American basketry.
Next, take a self-guided walking
tour of Old Town's waterfront, a
cluster of coffeehouses, bookstores,
and galleries housed in historic
buildings. More than 60 percent
of Eureka's architecture dates back
to the Victorian era of water-glass
windows, hand-milled woodwork,
and ornamental details. Learn how
these ornate features are made at
Blue Ox Millworks Living History
Park, where master craftspeople
use vintage machinery to create
architectural pieces that replicate
1800s originals.
Head to lunch at the Buhne
Building, an 1884 Italianate
structure made for the first
European sea captain to sail into
Humboldt Bay. Behind the Buhne's
stately windows, Humboldt Bay
Provisions serves local oysters,
176 | VISITCALIFORNIA.COM
bread, olives, beer, and wine. Stroll
over to M Street to the fabulous
Carson Mansion, a four-story
masterpiece built for lumber baron
William Carson. This monument
to 1880s gingerbread is still the
most photographed building
in town. Across the street, The
Pinc Lady, an 1889 Queen Anne
Victorian, glows with Barbie-pink
splendor. Now a hotel and event
space, the mansion was built as
a wedding gift for Carson's son.
Climb the curved staircase to the
Turret Room, then spend a restful
night among velvet furnishings
and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Day 2:
FORTUNA & SCOTIA
ORTUNA
SC TIA
Drive 18 miles south to the
Fortuna Depot Museum in
Rohner Park. This restored 1893
Northwestern Pacific depot houses
historic bric-a-brac: vintage fishing
poles, typewriters, barbed wire, and
more. If you're not in a rush, drop by
Eel River Brewing Co.'s bustling pub
and order an Emerald Triangle IPA.
Continue southward to Scotia,
one of the West's longest-running
company-owned towns. The Pacific
Lumber Company built it in 1869,
and its residents worked at logging
operations until 2008. Stop in for a
hearty burger at the Scotia Lodge, a
1923 charmer that still retains its art
deco glory.
On your trip back, take a walk
around Fort Humboldt State Historic
Park, perched on a bluff overlooking
Humboldt Bay. Established in 1853,
the fort's most famous resident was
Ulysses S. Grant, who briefly served
as captain 15 years before becoming
the 18th U.S. president.
✺
TWENTY
EUREKA
BUILDINGS
ARE ON THE
NATIONAL
HISTORIC
REGISTER,
INCLUDING
SEVERAL
QUEEN ANNE
VICTORIANS
http://www.VISITCALIFORNIA.COM
California Official Visitor's Guide 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of California Official Visitor's Guide 2024
