Second, Humboldt County has loads of history. The Victorian seaport of Eureka, for instance, has pretty much dodged the intense redevelopment of other cities on the California coast. It still has most of its 19^th century storefronts. When you walk the streets of Old Town, it feels much the same as it did when sailors, whalers, loggers, miners and other characters did the same a century ago. A few blocks inland, entire neighborhoods of Victorian homes, where the more respectable types lived, remain intact as well. In particular, the Painted Ladies of Hillsdale Street rival any of the painted ladies in San Francisco.

      Third, there is the Lost Coast, the longest stretch of undeveloped beachfront in the continental United States. It is nearly 100 miles of sheer mountains, deserted beaches and a legendary surf break, Ghost Point. There are only a handful of roads, most of them unpaved. Located in the King Range National Conservation Area, it is popular with touring motorists, who drive from Highway 101 to its only coastal settlement, Shelter Cove. Shelter Cove has a few hotels, restaurants, a lighthouse, reefs full of abalone and Black Sands Beach, a stunningly beautiful place, which also offers access to the Lost Coast Trail.

 The trip from San Francisco to Humboldt County takes four hours. The route is popular with bus tours because Arcata/Eureka is a convenient stop for multi-day tours between the Bay Area and point farther north on a Highway 101, such as Portland and Seattle.

     Moreover, in Arcata, buses can go east on Highway 299 for three hours to Redding, where tour groups can take advantage of the many attractions of the Shasta Cascades, such as Mount Shasta and Mount Lassen.

     As an added bonus, the route near Weott in southern Humboldt can include a convenient detour along the Avenue of the Giants, a stretch of historic Highway 101 that goes through the largest old growth redwood forest.

     As for recreational activities, there is hiking in the dunes near Eureka. With little beachfront development, the dune ecosystems are incredibly rich and varied, with spring flowers, rare dune grasses, and small forests in the dune valleys with frogs and deer trails. Hikers enjoy this and the miles and miles of beachcombing with hardly another person. There also are several access points just a mile or two west of Eureka over the Samoa Bridge.

     On the northern tip of the bay is the 150-acre Arcata Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary, a popular spot for bird walks. It includes a system of innovatively engineered ponds, internationally lauded, that help clean wastewater from nearby municipalities.

     Farther north, near Redwood National Park, there are three scenic freshwater lagoons. Big Lagoon in particular, is near a beach popular with agate collectors, who are usually rewarded in their search with a rainbow-colored spectrum of semi-precious stones.

     Of course, there is hiking in the redwoods. Humboldt County is home to the tallest, largest and oldest in the world. Four great places to see the really big ones are the Founders Grove and Bull Creek Flats in Humboldt Redwoods State Park and the Tall Tree Grove and Ladybird Johnson Grove in Redwood National Park.

     There are tour-friendly guide services in and around Redwood National Park, including Redwood Adventures in Orick, which can handle large groups.

     As far as refreshments go, Humboldt County is famous for its fog, Humboldt Fog, that is, a tasty goat cheese made by Cypress Grove that regularly wins international taste tests. The Lost Coast Brewery makes tasty beverages like Great White Ale and Downtown Brown. Their delicious suds can be found at retail outlets across the nation, as well as at their flagship Lost Coast Brewery and Pub in Old Town Eureka.

     No Eureka stop would be complete without a meal at the Samoa Cookhouse, the last surviving lumber-style cookhouse in the West. For more than a century, the landmark eatery has served up huge meals for the appetites of lumberjacks and visiting guests alike. The cookhouse is a staple for many bus tours that are traveling on Highway 101 in Northern California.

     A convenient place for overnight lodging is the Red Lion in Old Town Eureka. The property has 175 spacious guest rooms, including nine suites, with all the amenities you would expect of a first-class hotel; complete with a lively sports bar; and the Pacific Grill Restaurant, which features distinctive Northwest cuisine.

     For additional information, contact the Humboldt County Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 346-3482, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or www.redwoods.info.