Albion is located on the
northern California coast in Mendocino County, home to some of the
prettiest beaches and coastal views in all of California. Retaining
the charm of its early foundations, visitors are swept by the
romance of this sometimes fog-shrouded destination. Don't be
surprised to see some local characters, as well.
Overlooking the Albion River,
the last wooden bridge along Coast Highway, Albion River Bridge, was
constructed during World War II and was made from salvaged wood. It
is but one of the treasures that visitors enjoy and see with new
eyes as the first settlers once did when the town was founded in
1853 by English sea captain William Richardson. Surrounded by
redwood forests, the seaman built a saw mill and made a living
selling some of the finest (and world's oldest) lumber for growing
California. The forests were thick and little thought was
given to the age of the giants, many that are protected today
through legislation and a reverence for the knowledge of the rarity
of them.
Albion is located along the
winding highway between other small towns such as Elk and Mendocino.
It offers a few B&B hotels, homes, general stores selling everything
from food to staples, a post office and little commerce beyond
tourism and limited fishing enterprises. Unique to this region are
the in-house restaurants of the B&B's. Known for hiring talented
chefs, the focus on regional and international wines provide very
gourmet dining, far from what you would expect in places that seem
so remote from the big cities such as San Francisco only 150 miles
away and a three hour drive by car.
Albion
is a drive market destination, though you may pass through and
consider it no more (or less) than a road stop. An ideal trip
would be a flight into San Francisco International Airport (SFO),
and drive along the coast to Mendocino. Because the area is so
sparsely populated and there are so few accommodations, the
widest selection of hotels will be in Mendocino. Albion is
located on the ocean side of Coast Highway 1, six miles south of the
historic village of Mendocino.
Mendocino is the regional
center for shopping, dining, museums, hotels and things to do.
Unique art galleries, boutiques, state parks, beaches, hiking,
bicycling, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding, golf and
tennis are some activities and things to do. There are also concerts
and other performing arts events and special festivals throughout
the year.
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