A history of the town awaits at the Scotia Museum and Visitor Center, at the town's southern end. The museums' fisheries exhibit is remarkably informative – ironic, considering that logging destroys fish habitats – and houses the largest freshwater aquarium on the North Coast.
Scotia Museum & Visitor Center
North Coast & Redwoods
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
16.09 MILES
Along Hwy 101, 53,000-acre Humboldt Redwoods State Park protects some of the world's oldest redwoods and has three-quarters of the world's tallest 100…
20.49 MILES
A 67-acre old-growth redwood grove is a surprising green gem in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It has biking and hiking trails, a children’s…
Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
17.71 MILES
This pristine wildlife refuge protects wetland habitats for more than 200 species of resident birds and their feathered friends migrating annually along…
Arcata Marsh & Wildlife Sanctuary
26.39 MILES
On the shores of Humboldt Bay, this sanctuary has 5 miles of walking and biking trails, plus outstanding birding. The Redwood Region Audubon Society…
22.5 MILES
The best community historical museum on this stretch of the coast houses a set of typically musty relics – needlework hankies and paintings of the area’s…
27.02 MILES
The university on the northeastern side of town holds the Campus Center for Appropriate Technology (CCAT), a world leader in developing sustainable…
22.56 MILES
Of Eureka’s fine Victorian buildings, the most famous is the ornate 1880s home of lumber baron William Carson. It took 100 men two years to build. Today…
26.76 MILES
This handsome 1915 building was designed by a well known San Francisco architect of the time, W H Weeks. Built as a hotel, the first guests were…
Nearby North Coast & Redwoods attractions
12.52 MILES
This 1866 Carpenter Gothic grew to a 32-room mansion. Only one family ever lived here, so the interior is completely, and charmingly, preserved.
2. Humboldt Redwoods State Park
16.09 MILES
Along Hwy 101, 53,000-acre Humboldt Redwoods State Park protects some of the world's oldest redwoods and has three-quarters of the world's tallest 100…
3. Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
17.71 MILES
This pristine wildlife refuge protects wetland habitats for more than 200 species of resident birds and their feathered friends migrating annually along…
19.14 MILES
It's not the greatest of the drive thru tree options in these parts (more of a large slit in the tree), but if you want a snap to impress the folks back…
5. Samoa Dunes Recreation Area
20.42 MILES
Grassy dunes and windswept beaches extend along the mile-wide, 10-mile long Samoa Peninsula, Humboldt Bay’s western boundary. At the peninsula’s south end…
20.49 MILES
A 67-acre old-growth redwood grove is a surprising green gem in the middle of a residential neighborhood. It has biking and hiking trails, a children’s…
7. Morris Graves Museum of Art
22.26 MILES
Across Hwy 101, this hit-or-miss museum shows rotating Californian artists and hosts performances inside the 1904 Carnegie library, the state’s first…