Ferndale Victorians
The town of Ferndale, best known for its colorful Victorian architecture, much of it Stick-Eastlake style, is worth the 20-mile drive south from Eureka or north from the Avenue of the Giants. Many Main Street shops carry a self-guided tour map highlighting the most interesting historic buildings. Gift shops and ice-cream stores comprise a fair share of the businesses here, but Ferndale remains a fully functioning small town, and descendants of the Portuguese and Scandinavian dairy farmers who settled here continue to raise dairy cows in the surrounding pastures. If it's open, pop into the two storefronts of the Blacksmith Shop ( 455 and 491 Main St. 707/786–4216 www.ferndaleblacksmith.com), which celebrates the survival of the traditional blacksmithing arts in the area.
