11 Reasons to Explore the Magical Land of Eureka, CA
It started out as a trip being planned to get lost in the wilderness of the Redwood Forrest. My boyfriend and I finally decided to break our pandemic lockdown with a six hour hop over the continental United States. From one coast to the other, we picked up a rental car in San Francisco and made another six-hour journey on land to Eureka, California – the gateway to the Redwoods. What we found there was way more than we had even bargained for.
What northern Californians call the “city of Eureka” is not much more than what we big city kids call a village, and on entry it seems a bit run down and industrial. Do not let that fool you! The hidden charms of the city are vast, and the weed culture is as strong as you’ll find it anywhere in the country. No lie, Eureka CA quickly became one of my most favorite visited places in the States. Here’s why:
A City of Victorian Houses
The Victorian era definitely left its mark on California in a lot of places, but Eureka CA takes the cake. It is worth a stroll through the residential parts of the city to ogle the incredible mansions adorning the streets. If you only stop at one, the Carson Mansion is the most stunning Victorian in the city. Converted into a private club, the Carson Mansion has the reputation of being the grandest Victorian home in America.
No lie, the house itself is a bit creepy looking and you can picture it being featured in a Tim Burton movie. That being said, it is quite stunning. Take a stroll around the back side of the house and check out the animal murals adorning the fence. And don’t overlook the cute pink Victorian across the street. It is smaller, but way less creepy!
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The Wall Art is Fantastic
For a fairly small city, Eureka CA is definitely busting at the brim with expressions of artistic creativity. My personal favorite is the Performing Arts Theater mural. If you catch it on a cloudless sunny day, the sky in the mural matches the color of the actual sky giving the impression that the top of the mural is painted into the sky. Absolutely stunning.
There are others, murals that is, all over Old Town. Definitely worth meandering the streets to take in the wonderful artistry. They fit perfectly with the aesthetic of the city.
Eureka CA is the Place to Experience Weed Culture
If you have ever been curious about weed culture in California, the first place that comes to mind is Humboldt County. The crème de la crème of cannabis plant comes from the area, and it is the largest legal (and not) producer and distributer of marijuana in the country. Humboldt county will educate you about the plant in ways that will absolutely blow your mind.
We didn’t set out to California for the bud, but as they say, “when in Rome”… I was entranced by the number of dispensaries in the city with full on menus of completely legal plant for consumption. In New York, weed culture is still very quietly tucked under the table. I was completely taken back by how organized, controlled, and yet readily available at the highest quality and sometimes overwhelming number of options.
Get Mind Blown on a Cannabis Tour
The production and distribution of cannabis as a multibillion-dollar industry in Humboldt County. Even if you are not a user of cannabis, it is wildly interesting to learn about the differences in plants, uses, effects, methods of growing, tracking, legalization, and so on. Yet, as available as it is for consumption, there is very little organized information available about it for people who are not in the industry. I am curious by nature and throughout the trip became fascinated with discovering how it all works.
A quick Google search for weed tours in Eureka CA led me to Humboldt Cannabis Tours, which as it turns out is the only licensed weed related tour operator in Humboldt County. It was super last minute when I booked it, but to our surprise it turned out to be a private tour with Matt, the owner of the company. Indisputably this man was the best tour guide I have encountered in my numerous travels.
Not only was Matt incredibly friendly and engaging, but his knowledge about the history and industry of cannabis is actually mind blowing. There was no question we asked that he could not answer, or a fact he did not know. Given that our visit was early in the season, he first took us about 45 minutes south of Eureka to a cannabis nursery called Plant Humboldt.
What looks like your ordinary run of the mill greenhouse at first is actually a seemingly endless slew of baby cannabis plants stacked in elegant rows. Julia, who runs the nursery, and her super friendly staff walked us around and explained all sorts of interesting things to us about the growing and nurturing the cannabis plants. Suffice it to say that we left the nursery a whole lot more educated about weed than when we arrived.
From there, Matt took us back to Eureka where he introduced us to Papa & Barkley, Humboldt Social, a local dispensary that also has what California calls a “consumption space”. This place was awesome!
The consumption space is an outdoor lounge in the back of the dispensary with patio furniture and a recently opened food truck for some munchies to snack on. What blew my mind most was the inventory of women grown and cultivated products sold there. There was something incredibly empowering to me about that, and the quality of products sold there made this dispensary my favorite of the trip.
Not overexaggerating, our tour with Matt was the highlight of our trip in the most unexpected way. The experience alone was worth every penny, but the amount of knowledge and insight we gained spending an afternoon with him is priceless. I have no doubt it’s not the last time we meet Matt, and I for one cannot wait to pick his brain again.
Explore the Redwood Forrest via the James Irvine Trail
What originally drew me to make Eureka CA our base for a few days was its proximity to Prairie Creek Redwood State Park, famed for housing some of the oldest and tallest redwood trees in the world. My boyfriend and I had gotten tired of being cooped up in our tiny New York apartment and wanted to reconnect with nature. After about a week of researching, we finally settled on Prairie Creek, about an hour’s drive north of Eureka.
Given our adventurous spirits, we decided to take the long way, starting with the James Irvine Trail. From the parking lot, past the wild elk grazing on the grass, we made our way onto the roughly 7-mile trail. It is quite easy to navigate the trail that has signs posted often for the directionally challenged. From the moment we entered the winding trail, we found ourselves in awe of the skyscraper sized redwood trees adorning the path.
As the sun peaked through the leaves it created an almost mystic aura, as if we were in a magic forest and fairies would pop out to sprinkle fairy dust on us. The fairly easy terrain left us plenty of time to safely look upward at the massive trees whose trunks were taller than us. If you have ever had the urge to feel small in nature, this is the place to do it.
The James Irvine trail is one way from the entrance of the park all the way to the coast of the Pacific. An absolute must stop on the trail is Fern Canyon, about a quarter mile of ridge land that is completely covered in wild growing ferns. It is nothing shy of magnificent.
We chose to loop our way back on the Miner’s Ridge Trail, three miles down the coast, to get a bit of a different perspective. Not going to lie that even on a fairly simple terrain at a leisurely pace, 14 miles is not a small order. Definitely worth it for the experience, but if you feel like that is a bit much for you, don’t be intimidated. You do not have to do the whole trail, and it is still worth walking a mile or two into the trail to get a glimpse of these natural wonders.
Lots of Great Nature to Explore
Beside the Redwood Forest, Eureka CA is a great base for tons of other “bonding with nature experiences”. An afternoon in the valley at Grizzly State Park for example offers several appeals. Firstly, half an hour’s drive inland raises the temperature from the coast by at least 15 degrees, so if the ocean air is a bit chilly it is a great place to seek refuge.
Grizzly State Park sits on the Van Duzen River, which even in mid-May was prime for swimming. After hiking along the lovely (and empty of people) riverbank we set up a small picnic that we packed with us and basked in the sun watching majestic birds flying overhead.
If you pop into Google “nature near Eureka CA” you will find nearly hundreds of different hiking trails and natural points of interest to explore. The truth is it is impossible to do them all in one trip, so pick the ones that seem interesting and go for it.
The Food in Eureka CA is On Point
I am a New Yorker, so I have a high standard for food that makes me a harsh critic. I can say with full confidence that I did not put a single thing in my mouth in the three days we were in Eureka CA that I did not like. Seafood, top notch. Steak, we saw the cows grazing on the farms earlier that day. Cheese, they have a Costco cheese production factory in the area. Even the basics like sandwiches and breakfast burritos were mouthwatering.
These were my personal favorites:
- Breakfast burritos at The Grind Café on 5th Don’t let the “pre-made” fool you, they’re pumping them out regularly and they are amazing. Easily best breakfast burrito I have ever eaten.
- Lobster Mac n’ Cheese and Fish n’ Chips at Jack’s Seafood. The restaurant is super cute, sitting on a waterfront bay (great for sunset). The food is finger licking, and the portions are obnoxious.
- Literally any sandwich at Chuchi’s Old Town Eats. I had the Robbie; boyfriend had the Gobble Grinder and we went halfsies on it. Definitely great for a quick lunch bite.
- Kumamoto Oysters and a Cocktail at Café Waterfront. We tried oysters in a few places, and they were great everywhere, but this place took the cake. They also have Pacific oysters on the menu, but I prefer the smaller, sweeter Kumamoto ones to the briny, salty Pacific oysters.
Find the Speakeasy on Opera Alley
Ok so realistically, it is not hard to find and does not exactly embody the traditional idea of a speakeasy in the sense that it is not hidden. That being said, if you’re looking for a great spot to unwind after a long day hiking and prefer a place that doesn’t smell like yesterday’s beer, The Speakeasy needs to be your go to spot.
The vibe was super laid back. The music was 1930s jazz, and the décor was tasteful New Orleans. The Speakeasy has a lovely outdoor patio adjacent to the bar, and the interior is large enough that it does not feel cramped. The showstopper, however, is the bartender and his list of signature cocktails that will blow you out of the water.
I only wanted one drink. I ended up drinking three. That happened the next night and the one after. The beauty of the cocktails at The Speakeasy are that they are tastefully crafted, and you can’t taste the alcohol in the least bit, even in the spicier drinks.
This is dangerous because they are so good you want to keep drinking, but then getting up is a struggle. I have met many a great bartender in my day, but somehow Eureka CA managed to stash away a couple in secret.
Eureka CA is a City with a Small-Town Feel
I think what got me the most about Eureka, and the one characteristic that will make me want to visit time and time again is the friendly nature of people there. Everyone you talk to smiles to say hello, wants to stop, chat, and learn a bit about you. There is a communality to the city that makes it unique to many of the places I have visited.
The best thing about it is that none of the interactions feel forced or fake. It is a genuine community spirit that is evident among just about all the residents. Eureka CA may be a city, but the people who live there are not city folks in the traditional sense. They embrace a love of kindness, love of nature, and the simplicity of small-town living.
Immerse Yourself in History at Eureka Inn
Regardless of where you choose to stay in Eureka, take a stroll through the lobby of Eureka Inn. Besides being a beautiful Bohemian looking building with really reasonably priced lodging for the quality you get, Eureka Inn is a place where many a famous face stayed before.
The lobby and second floor are adorned with portraits of some incredible guests of the past. Some names that come to mind include John. F. Kennedy Jr., Walt Disney, and Shirley Temple, though there are many more throughout the halls. Definitely worth a stop if you are in the neighborhood.
Get Way More than You Expect out of Eureka CA
Like I said when I started this article, Eureka CA surprised me in a lot of ways. We started the trip wondering if we allocated too much time there, and ended it wishing we had allocated more. Eureka is a place that sucks you in and makes you want to stay because it brings out a lot of happy in you. (And it can’t all be the weed talking!)
If you are looking for a place that will take you pretty far off the beaten path, blow your mind in a lot of ways, and fill you with loads of joy in a small period of time, look no further. It will end up being a trip you will not soon forget.
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This Post Has 13 Comments
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Amazing, thank you for including us at the Speakeasy 😎.
Next time you’re in town, we’ll get you a drink on us and give you the scoop on the locals-only secret spots 🤙🏽🤙🏽
Thank you so much for shining a positive light on our dear town of Eureka!! It makes me want to read more of your reviews about all of the places you have traveled.
Lovely article about a well kept secret! Humboldt County! The redwoods, the rivers, the ocean and the people are extraordinary. Thank you for traveling across the country to our beautiful corner of the world and sharing your experience.
Such a darling article about a place I love dearly…Eureka! Makes me want to read more and be inspired by other places you’ve explored! Nicely done. 🙂
I felt exactly the same way reading this article!! Thank you for shining a positive light on our small town of Eureka!!
Nice post – it sounds like you caught the Humboldt vibe. I had friends who went to college there and visited a number of times. A few times around the world later I still can’t find anywhere that tops the scenery and atmosphere.
For any readers interested in a visit – she’s not exaggerating the number of “natural sights.” There are a couple dozen places that will be the most beautiful postcard vista you can imagine, and you’ll have them mostly to yourself.
I felt exactly the same way reading this article!! Thank you for shining a positive light on our small town of Eureka!!
I’m impressed. You managed to figure Eureka out! Thanks for visiting – we look forward to your next trip!
Pingback: Travel writer with 50-country resume recommends Eureka – Redheaded Blackbelt – Cheaptravler
There is so much to do around here! I’m making a list for an upcoming visitor and it is way too long for one trip. One thing I highly recommend: A cruise on the Madaket. It’s one of the original passenger ferries built in 1910 and will take you around the waterfront and bay. Absolutely beautiful. https://humboldtbaymaritimemuseum.com/madaketmainpage.html
We just opened a stunning Skywalk at Eureka’s Sequoia Park Zoo! You can see the majestic ancient redwoods like the squirrels do, from half way up their massive trunks. Sequoia Park is another hidden treasure of nature, and it’s right in town.