What could be better than eating good food, drinking wine and learning about whales on the Mendocino Coast? For four weekends starting this Saturday, coastal towns will celebrate the ocean giants with educational workshops, music, clam chowder competitions and wine tastings.
The towns participating in this year’s Whale Festival are Mendocino, Little River, Fort Bragg, and Point Arena.
Every spring, gray whales migrate from Baja California to Alaska, often so close to shore that beachgoers can see the tips of their flukes poking out of the water. The spectacle draws visitors from across the county and state to witness the whales’ northbound migration.
This Saturday, the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce will be kicking off the festivities with the first event of the series, the Mendocino Whale Festival. Chowder tasting, a popular component of the festival, will begin at 11 a.m. and conclude when the chowder is gone or at 1 p.m. A wine walk, which will feature local wines, will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 4 p.m. There will also be other educational whale-themed activities that last until 8 p.m.
A full schedule of the Whale Festival and other events taking place in March in nearby coastal towns can be found on the Visit Mendocino website. The Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce has details on how to purchase tickets to the various events, or call the Mendocino Coast Chamber of Commerce at (707) 961-6300.
Ticket prices for the events range from $10 to nearly $82 for activities such as wine tastings, though several of the events have free admission.