Bodega Bay Travel Guide

Introduction

Beyond the tip of the Point Reyes peninsula, the road curves around toward the coastal village of Bodega Bay, which supports a fishing fleet of around 300 boats. It's a good place to stop for lunch or a stroll. Despite the droves of tourists on summer weekends, Bodega Bay is mostly a working-class fishing town, where most locals start their day before dawn mending nets, rigging fishing poles, and talking shop. Several shops and galleries are interesting, but the best show in town -- especially for kids -- is at Tides Wharf, where the fishing boats dock, unload their catch, gut it, and pack it in ice.

Bodega Head State Park is a great vantage point for whale-watching during the migration from January to April. At Doran Beach, a large bird sanctuary is home to willets, curlews, godwits, and more. Next door, the UC Davis Bodega Marine Laboratory (tel. 707/875-2211; www.bml.ucdavis.edu) conducts guided tours of its lab projects on Friday afternoons between 2 and 4pm. (Suggested...