Knowledgeable docents will discuss harbor seal and sea lion natural history from Lake Cleone parking lot.

A ten minute intermediate walk to an actual rookery is the grand finale!

Binoculars are provided.

While dogs are allowed on leash only, they must stay well back from the bluffs so as not to disturb the marine mammals.
 

The annual migration of 20,000 whales — a roundtrip from Alaska to Mexico to give birth and find mates — takes place each December through April. A dozens whales were spotted off Point Cabrillo Lighthouse just this last weekend.

The celebration takes place the third weekend of March; this year March 16 and 17, as the female Grays escort their new calves north.

In or near downtown — and  just a few blocks from the Atrium Bed and Breakfast Inn — will be a chowder tasting (offerings by some of our best chefs), wine tasting (Mendocino County wines) and beer tasting (more than 50 different microbrews).

Of course, between food and beverage samples, there are docent-led whale walks: at Point Cabrillo Lighthouse (the whales come closest to shore here), the Mendocino Botanical Gardens and MacKerricher State Park. To find out more, visit MendoWhale.com. It’s a great time to be in Fort Bragg’s heavenly slice of the Mendocino Coast.

The concert will take place under the newly-painted roof of the 1909 lighthouse, which still operates as an aid to navigation along our Mendocino Coast. This is a small, intimate venue, which makes the concert and music much more up close and personal. Surrounded by lighthouse lore and history, the music will play and the light above will turn like it has for more than a century.

The details:

3:30 pm – doors open / 4 pm – concert begins

Tickets: $15 in advance; $20 at the door

Parking: at the bottom of the hill near the lighthouse (no half-mile walk down the hill required!)

For information: 707-937-6123 / Giftshop@PointCabrillo.org

About Kevin Carr:

Fiddle tunes, bagpipe melodies, songs and stories from Ireland, Quebec, Galicia, Scandinavia and other green places.

Grandfather’s Fiddle was an elusive instrument, a legend in Kevin’s family, which he pursued for many years. The whole time he was also traveling and collecting music and lore from far flung places around the world, following his imagination and luck into just the right places at just the right times. It took him many years to realize he was never going to find his grandfather’s actual fiddle, but that he was, in fact, slowly discovering the kind of magic that would make his grandfather’s fiddle come alive again, and resonate in the imaginations of audiences far and wide.

For over thirty years dynamic fiddler-piper-storyteller Kevin Carr has honed his craft in smoky Irish pubs, remote cabins in Quebec, and in dance halls across America. He’s played banjo in Latvia, learned to play the bagpipes of a dozen countries and dug deep to find just the right stories to share.

Want great storytelling and a big dose of inspiration? This film is for you and a definite “must see” for anyone who happens to live on this planet.

Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, and Isabelle Allende narrate this definitive film on the history of the environmental movement. A Fierce Green Fire is a dynamic documentary that explores grassroots and global activism spanning fifty years, from conservation to climate change, with vivid stories of people fighting and succeeding against enormous odds.

A Fierce Green Fire was honored as an Official Selection of the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, even though it was an early cut of the film. The Mendocino Film Festival is one of the first festivals to screen the final cut.

Tickets: Tickets are $10, and on sale now at Brown Paper Tickets.com and at the door.

Show Time/Place: Saturday, November 10, at 11 am, Coast Cinemas, Fort Bragg.

Other Showings In The Area This Weekend: The film will also be shown in Mendocino and Point Arena this weekend. Visit MendocinoFilmFestival.org for all screening dates, times, venues, and to see the film’s trailer.

Blue Dudes

Attending a Local Licks Concert, where some of Mendocino County’s top musicians are featured, is a must-see if you’re in town.

Sponsored by our local radio station, KOZT, known as The Coast, tickets are a modest $15 (in advance) for an amazing show.  Here are the details:

Details: The Coast presents LOCAL LICKS LIVE XIX:, Saturday November 17 at 7:30p, our nineteenth benefit for Music in Our Schools.The premiere concert of the season with some of Mendocino County’s top musicians, all in acoustic performance. This year featuring – alphabetically – Blue Dudes (Nat Montoya, David Jonason, Doug Smith & Claudia Paige); Gwyneth & Monko, (Gwyneth Moreland & Michael Monko); Jamie & Hugh (Jamie Peters & Hugh Connolly); the Sourdough Loafers (Frannie Leopold, Chip Yerbic, Lee Rider & Peter Barg).

Cotton Audiitorium, corner of Harold & Fir, Fort Bragg. Doors open at 7PM, show at 7:30. Advance tickets $15 at Harvest Market in the Boatyard Center, Racines in Fort Bragg, Out Of This World in Mendocino and Dig Music in Ukiah. $20 at the door. To order online or for more information, go to kozt.com.

If you love good food – like crab — and the idea of doing a little wine and beer tasting without driving, then here’s the perfect event with plenty of time to plan ahead. Watch the video.

Pictured above: scenes from the 2011 events.

The Mendocino Coast Clinics announced today that its 4th Annual Crab, Wine and Beer Days will be held January 25 and 25 in Fort Bragg. Here are the details:

Click here to purchase tickets

Friday, January 25

• Cioppino Dinner
• Three Seatings: 4:30, 6:00 & 8:00 PM
• Historic Pentecost Hall – 822 Stewart Street, Fort Bragg
• Adults $35, Youth 6-12 years $15, Under 6 – on us!

Dip fresh-baked Cafe Beaujolais’ bread into piping hot bowls of Cioppino served family style with salad, dessert & locally roasted Thanksgiving Coffee. Mendocino County wines & North Coast Brewing Company beer available in the no-host Crabby Bar. Silent Auction treasures at all three seatings!

Saturday, January 26

• Crab Cake Cook-Off & Wine Tasting Competition
• Noon – 3:00 p.m.
• in the Big White Tent at the corner of Main & Spruce Streets, Fort Bragg
• $75/adult

Spend Saturday afternoon tasting succulent crab cakes and sipping wines from America’s greenest wine region.
New this year ~ Mendocino’s own Microbreweries!

Introducing the Circle of Claws!
$125/person for early entry and not-so-crabby perks!

Listed as one of the Top 10 Seafood & Wine events by Coastal Living Magazine!

Participants compete for the Professional Judges’ Awards bestowed by renowned food, wine & travel writers, while vying for your vote for the Peoples’ Choice Awards!

Silent Auction! Raffle Prizes!

South Harbor Drive, Fort Bragg, CA (Map)

MAPA Abalone Cook-Off tickets available now

Information about the cook-off competition: One ticket allows the purchaser to serve as a cook-off competition judge with up to 10 tastes of the competing cooks’ recipes and to vote for the tastiest dish. Abalone is rich and 10 are sufficient. ‘Up to 10′ means that MAPA cannot guarantee 10 tastes because of ocean conditions that might affect the divers finding abalone or for personal emergencies. The abalone prepared in the cook-off is wild-caught, not farm-raised, making this a unique experience. The cook-off provides an opportunity to taste a variety of delicious recipes.

Each ticket will be assigned to one of three cook color-groups that will have up to 10 cook booths. By dividing the cooks into three groups, the cooks only have to provide 200 tastings instead of 600 (the maximum # of tickets sold).

Our fresh sea air and breathtaking views — so good for you!

Did we mention there’s also a fantastic run/walk (5k run/walk, 5k competitive walk, and a10k run)? It’s the 3rd Annual Noyo Run/Walk, and it takes you through a little bit of heaven, across the beautiful Noyo River through towering Redwoods.

It’s all happening at Mendocino Coast District Hospital’s annual Health And Wellness Festival, Saturday October 6^th. The festival, held on the hospital campus, 700 River Drive, Fort Bragg, is from 11 am to 3 pm. Run/Walk participants meet in front of the hospital, for a 9 am start time.

How much fun can wellness be? Come stay with us and find out!

Set in the spectacular Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens, the event this year features Celebrity Chef Bradley Ogden, who will prepare lunch for VIP ticket holders. As part of the Winesong auction, Chef Ogden has also donated a chance for 10 lucky individuals to help him prepare and enjoy one of his signature meals.

Following the wine and gourmet food tasting, the festivities continue with Winesong’s live and silent auctions. Bay Area celebrity Narsai David will serve as Master of Ceremonies for the auction. To purchase tickets, or for more information, visit www.winesong.org.

Plan To Be Here For First Friday

You’ll want to plan on arriving September 7 to take in Fort Bragg’s First Friday activities. On the first Friday of every month local galleries and shops extend their hours into the evening, and a number of them offer complimentary beverages and nibbles. This is a great opportunity to experience the excitement of our local art community, and discover unique finds in the quaint shops of downtown Fort Bragg.

Don't Miss First Friday At Fort Bragg Galleries And Shops

We’re In The Heart Of It All

It’s an easy walk from the Atrium to First Friday shops and galleries, and a short drive to Winesong at the Botanical Gardens. Did we mention our breathtaking coastline, spectacular sunsets, redwoods and rivers? When you stay with us, you’re in the middle of it all! We hope to see you this weekend.

One of  the really cool things about Fort Bragg is just how cool it is during the summer when folks “over the hill” (Ukiah, Willits, Redding, Sacramento and all points east) are suffering sweltering heat waves.

Call it an oddity of nature: when the weather is really hot elsewhere, the cooling fog is sucked in to Fort Bragg coves and beaches.

In reality, Fort Bragg is a steady 55 degrees year around. While  you might shiver at the thought, when the sun is out, the day will often feel more like 70.  True, Fort Bragg does have an occasional heat wave with temperatures soar into the 70′s for a day or two, but you can depend on being just plain comfortable outdoors anytime you visit.

If you’re looking for a really cool vacation, book a room at the Atrium and check out all there is to do, from hiking the redwoods to riding the waves in a kayak or fishing for salmon on a charter boat out of Noyo Harbor.