Around the Bay and Away: 2025

Ever since I was a little girl, watching the skit “A Swiped Life” on the Carol Burnett Show with my mom, I always dreamed of what it would be like to stay next to a lighthouse. Over the years as an adult, I would be drawn to different ones on both coasts from the Portland Head and Nubble Lighthouses in Maine to the Point Reyes Lighthouse in Northern California down to the Old Point Loma Lighthouse in So Cal.

It was not until 3 years ago, with a stop to Point Arena Lighthouse on the way to Fort Bragg and the Avenue of the Giants - Around the Bay and Away: Avenue of the Giants, Lesson in Resilience, that my dreams could become a reality, when I noticed they offered lodging on the grounds.

Point Arena Lighthouse Lodging

With a choice of 7 options to choose from ranging from the small keepers and bookkeepers rooms for 2, to 2-3 bedroom cottages that can accommodate up to 6 people, there is something for everyone. We chose the highly coveted 1 bedroom 1 bath,

keeper’s apartment,

complete with a chef’s kitchen

to cook or heat up your meals, living and dining room to curl up in front of that gas fireplace and enjoy the provided DVDs of movies filmed on location

and private flagstone patio in the back to sit out and enjoy the beautiful ocean views.

Point Arena Lighthouse and Outdoor Museum

Lodging guests receive complimentary tours of the Lighthouse Tower during normal business hours 10 am – 3 pm, 4pm between Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, and unlimited access to the 23-acre Outdoor Museum to explore after hours, during the stay.

Staying two nights allowed us a chance to get a better view from the Lighthouse Tower when the fog burned off the next day,

even if it means climbing those 145 steps of the tallest lighthouse on the Pacific Coast twice.

That and a deeper appreciation of how they got all that furniture up for the movie Shirin in Love we just saw the night before just steps away.

A guide to the outdoor museum provided with your check in packet allows guests to explore the 16 sites early in the morning before the gate opens to the public

or after hours before catching a beautiful sunset on one side and the full moon on the other.

Franny’s Cup and Saucer

Tucked in this small coastal town in Mendocino county is Franny’s Cup and Saucer,

a bakery that rivals some of the best in the big cities if the Reine de Saba (Queen of Sheba) she has been making since her 20s is any indication.

Here you get to return to simpler times where you call and speak to Franny herself to order a special occasion cake and payment is cash or check only.

Everything from the cake, to the savory and sweet baked goods is made with love that I couldn’t resist swinging by for the savory bread pudding and some sweet treats for my mom for Mother’s Day so she can taste the love too.

Ledford House

Only downside staying in Point Arena for this foodie is the limitation of food options. Although I did end up bringing pastries for breakfast and pre-cooked meals like baked ziti and fresh bread to reheat for our lunches and dinner one night, I did want to have one good meal out.

Forty five minutes north of Point Arena and 15 minutes south of Mendocino in the town of Albion, I discovered what could well be my favorite restaurant along the Mendocino Coast, the Ledford House.

I was so impressed with everything that hit our table, that we polished off everything from the bread to the escargot

and finally both the halibut and ahi fish specials

paired with beautiful views.

It’s nothing an after dinner walk in downtown Mendocino wouldn’t solve so we can have room to split a double scoop of Cowlick candy cap ice cream

before returning to Point Arena with a lighthouse to the right of our front door and a fireplace inside to thaw out.

B. Bryan Preserve

Point Arena was placed on my radar back in 2021, when most of us opted to cautiously travel locally by car after coming out of two lockdowns the previous year. However, plans for a self-guided car safari at B. Bryan Preserve in our own vehicle on the way to Mendocino was derailed due to a Covid exposure at my husband’s workplace.

Staying in Point Arena this time meant we were close enough for the afternoon guided tour where for $35 per person, they drove us to visit the antelopes

and 3 different zebra species (Plains, Hartmann’s Mountain, and Grevy’s) on property,

before ending the hour with a giraffe feeding.

As each year passes, time flies by a little faster as we returned to our old favorites and explored new destinations further away, but a stay at this lighthouse was always on my mind. After all this time, I am glad I finally made that little girl’s dream come true to fall asleep with this to the right of my front door, even if that foghorn didn’t bellow “Hi Paaaaat!!”.