The main drag in Petaluma offers restaurants, cafes, antique stores, specialty shops and galleries, and is right along the river to boot! The San Francisco Chronicle just published a nice piece on some highlights of the street not to miss!
Petaluma is getting ready to celebrate it’s 150th anniversary, so it will be a festive time all through the year!
Petaluma is just a half hour from “At the Bay’s Edge”. If you’re coming from San Francisco, you can pass through on the way in or out of town!
There was a great highlight that just ran in the San Francisco Chronicle about the Bodega Bay Marine Lab.
Here’s the highlights from the article on this tour. Don’t miss it when you visit….it’s really informative and fun! Above is a picture of a docent with sea stars.
“Each year, 10,000 to 12,000 visit this UC Davis outpost where about 100 graduate students and scientists study underwater life along the Northern California coast.
Each Friday afternoon, from 2 to 4, docents lead free, hourlong tours that wind through parts of the sprawling complex. It soon becomes clear that visiting a marine lab isn’t anything like visiting for-profit aquariums, with their polished tanks and fancy signs. Here, the only live exhibits are a tide pool and three small aquariums.
Why now? The lab is open to visitors only on Friday afternoons, so summer is the best time for families with school-age children. The North Coast can be shrouded in fog in summer, but it usually burns off by midday, and it’s a good place to escape inland heat.
The backstory: UC students have done field work in the waters off the coast of Bodega Bay since the early 1920s, lured by the area’s diversity: Seven marine environments are found here, including mudflats, sand dunes and the waters of the Bodega Marine Reserve that stretch 1,000 feet offshore – a protected zone where little human interaction and boat traffic is permitted. UC Berkeley opened the lab in 1966, and it was taken over by UC Davis in 1984. Graduate students and scientists and staffers study at the facility and live in on-site dormitories.”
Candy and Kites hosts their “Friday Night Fun Fly” at Doran Beach from 6-7pm every Friday night through October (just a few minutes away from “At the Bay’s Edge”!).
Bring your own kites or come out and demo theirs! They have a large selection of kites for you to try, just ask and they will see what they can pull out of the bag for you!
If you’ve never flown a stunt kite, this is the perfect way to try one!
Happy kite flying!
There are 5 art galleries within a few miles of “At the Bay’s Edge”, as well as many others throughout Petaluma, Sebastopol, and Occidental. They feature local and diverse artwork….each gallery has it’s own unique style and focus.
Here they are:
Local Color Artist Gallery, 1580 Eastshore Road, Bodega Bay
Bodega Landmark Studio, 17255 Bodega Highway, Bodega
Branscomb Gallery, 1588 Eastshore Road, Bodega Bay
Heritage Art Gallery, 1580 Eastshore Road, Bodega Bay
The Ren Brown Gallery, 1781 Coast Highway One, Bodega Bay
The 35th annual Fisherman’s Festival is April 12-13th this year at Westside Park in Bodega Bay.
This popular event is a fundraiser for the community and features:
• Live Music & Entertainment • Wine Tasting
• Seafood, Food Booths & Beverages
• Crafts Fair • Exhibits
• Kite Flying • Raffle Prizes
Special events include:
• Golf Tournament – (707) 875-3538
• Wooden Boat Challenge limited to 20 entries.
• Parade of Pets • Llamas on Parade • Kite Flying
• Boat Parade & Blessing of the Fleet
I will be working at the event for part of the day at the Historical Society Booth….come by and say hi!
Bodega Bay has been named one of the best bird watching sites in Sonoma County by the Audobon Society.
For a more personal experience, our own resident seagull Charlie, lives on our deck(s) and will talk to you during your visit. You can also see heron, cormorants, sandpipers, swallows, hummingbirds, seagulls, and ducks right from your deck “At the Bay’s Edge”…..or go exploring along the many hiking trails within a few miles from the house.
Happy bird watching!
The Local Color Art Gallery is featuring a display entitled “Uniquely Bodega Bay” from January 5th – February 10th. This display focuses exclusively on the sights and scenes in Bodega Bay.
The Local Color Art Gallery is located just a few minutes from “At the Bay’s Edge”. They feature artwork from over 25 Sonoma County artists and have one of the most popular galleries on the north coast.
Enjoy!
Many folks think about wine tasting as just a spring, summer, or fall activity. Winter is actually a great time of year to go wine tasting, as the wineries are all “dressed up” for the holidays and there are no crowds. You’ll have a chance for a more personalized tour, and lengthier discussions with the winery staff.
Here are maps of the Sonoma County Wineries, and the Russian River Wineries, all of which within an hour’s drive of “At the Bay’s Edge”.
Enjoy!
Crab season is finally here! Bodega Bay has many fresh-from-the-boat sources to choose from…you can go out on a sport fishing boat, buy crab from the docks or the local fish markets, or go to one of many local restaurants. Either way….it’s delicious and fun! If you choose to cook the crab in your vacation rental, ask me about some of my favorite crab recipes. I’m always happy to share!
The town of Bodega is about 5 miles from “At the Bay’s Edge” in Bodega Bay. The biggest landmarks are the Potter Schoolhouse and St. Theresa’s Church. Both were featured in the movie “The Birds” by Alfred Hitchcock.
Bodega is also home to numerous antique stores, a gallery, and many festivals throughout the year. The Cup O’ Mud Coffee Shop is a tiny, friendly cafe that serves excellent coffee and tea. On a nice day, seats out front are a good place to watch the people go by.
The “downtown” itself is only about a 1/4 mile long but it’s packed with diverse shops, people, and lots of activities. Enjoy!
