Eureka
Waterfront walk - Take a walk with the kids on the Eureka Boardwalk (starts at the foot of F Street.) The boardwalk begins at the little plaza along the water's edge, marked by a bunch of signal flags flying in the air. Boats use flags to signal short messages, e.g. the red and yellow triangle flag means "Man overboard," yellow and black check squares -"You should stop instantly," white and red checks - "You are running into danger." The boardwalk is a great place to watch the boats by.
Harbor cruise - From the boardwalk, buy tickets for a cruise around Humboldt Bay on the charming little Madaket. The Madaket, built in 1910, was originally ferried workers to the lumber mills around the bay. Now you can chug around on a 75 min. ride, narrated by a guide.
Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum - The Maritime Museum is housed in a small old wooden building, right next to the boardwalk. Out front on the grass, there's a big old buoy and ship's propeller. Inside the museum, you'll find bits and pieces of shipwrecked ships, two full size row boats, some ships models, a collection of stuffed birds from Humboldt Bay, fishing nets and floats. Ask to hear the hand cranked fog horn.
Fort Humboldt (off Highway 101) - Fort Humboldt was founded in 1853 by the U.S. Army, to keep the peace between settlers and native Indian groups. It lasted for barely twenty years. And today, all that remains of the fort itself on the hill above Humboldt Bay is a few white painted wooden buildings, but it's a grassy area and a lovely spot for a picnic. Stop into the museum to see exhibits about fort's history, a hand carved dugout canoe, woven baskets, and a scale model of the fort in its heyday.
Logging exhibits - Don't miss the logging exhibits in outdoors the fort area. Poke your head into a lumberjack's cabin - it was pretty spartan, with a narrow bed, wood stove to keep warm, small cooking area, a shelf for personal items. "Steam donkeys," special engines on sleds, were used to pull the huge redwood logs out of the forest, and later, the big logging locomotives, are all on display outdoors. In the museum, find out how the 19th century loggers cut down the giant redwoods with just axes and two handed saws.May to September, third Saturday of the month, see demonstrations of logging steam locomotives, the "steam-ups."Picnic area - Driving up Hwy 101, this is a good spot to stop for a picnic lunch, with tables, grass to run around, restrooms.Go kayaking- At Woodley Island Marina, you can rent kayaks or have a guided boat tour around Humboldt Bay. With the sea kayaks, there are single and double kayaks, life jackets are available for infants and kids. Rent kayaks to go out on your own, or go with a guide for a two hours around Humboldt Bay see the egret rookery or where the seals hang out. You can also take sailboats out (with or without a guide), and a motorboat, "water taxi," for tours of Indian Island.
Samoa Dunes - Take a family picnic to the Samoa Dunes. All the way at the end of the island, you'll find picnic tables under a bunch of cypress trees, protected on the leeward side, where you can watch the fishing boats go by. Don't walk on the rock-cement structures - even in calm weather, waves can come up unexpectedly.
Fun food
For a fun meal for kids, head over to the Samoa Cookhouse (in Samoa). You'll enjoy family style breakfast, lunch or dinner in this old lumber camp dining hall, and bring a big appetite.
