Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Ferndale relies on tourism, it has avoided becoming a tourist trap - and has no chain
stores. Though a lovely place to spend a summer night, it's dead as a doornail in winter.
Sights
Half a mile from downtown via Bluff St, enjoy short tramps through fields of wildflowers,
beside ponds, past redwood groves and eucalyptus trees at 110-acre
Russ Park
. The
cemetery
, also on Bluff St, is amazingly cool with graves dating to the 1800s and expans-
ive views to the ocean. Five miles down Centerville Rd,
Centerville Beach
is one of the
few off-leash dog beaches in Humboldt County.
Kinetic Sculpture Museum
MUSEUM
(580 Main St; 10am-5pm Mon-Sat, noon-4pm Sun; )
This warehouse holds the fanciful, astounding, human-powered contraptions used in the
town's annual
Kinetic Grand Championship
. Shaped like giant fish and UFOs, these color-
ful piles of junk propel racers over roads, water and marsh in the May event.
Fern Cottage
HISTORIC BUILDING
(
707-786-4835;
www.ferncottage.org
; Centerville Rd; group tours per person $10;
by appoint-
ment)
This 1866 Carpenter Gothic grew to a 32-room mansion. Only one family ever lived here,
so the interior is completely preserved.
Festivals & Events
This wee town has a packed social calendar, especially in the summer. If you're planning a
visit, check the events page at
www.victorianferndale.com
.
Tour of the Unknown Coast
BICYCLE RACE
(
www.tuccycle.org
)
A challenging event in May, in which participants in the 100-mile race climb nearly
10,000ft.
Humboldt County Fair
FAIR
