Visit the Victorian Seaport of Eureka, California

Our trip up the Northern California Coast on Route 1 was a bucket list trip that did not disappoint. The Victorian seaport town of Eureka, 270 miles north of San Francisco, was one of the highlights. Its Old Town district has been painstakingly restored and preserved and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Over 800 historic homes grace the town and, if the daisy adorned van and graffiti covered sedan we spotted are any indication, Eureka is the last bastion of "hippiedom."

Eureka has a wild lumber and waterfront history, prodding author Jack London to search there for models of authentic "tough guys" for his books. He found one in the Oberon Saloon in the person of Stanwood Murphy, owner of the Pacific Lumber Company, who took exception to London's politics. The result was an hour-long fistfight when the door was locked and the shades drawn.

Our day trip to Eureka included a tour of Old Town in a horse drawn carriage, a view of the Carson Mansion and its sister home, "The Pink Lady" and a visit to the Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum.

Old Town Carriage Co.: We began our visit to Eureka with a horse-drawn carriage ride. The Old Town Carriage Co. at the Gazebo at 2nd & F Streets provides an informative tour of the commercial district that took us by Eureka's eclectic shops, galleries, theaters, restaurants and many examples of Victorian architecture. The carriage accommodates four adults and two small children, and prices are charged per group. The 20 to 25 minute tour is $26, and the 40 to 45 minute tour is $44. Tours run six days a week, closed on Tuesday. Call 608-588-4638 for more information.

Carson Mansion: No trip to Eureka is complete without a stop at the ornate Carson Mansion, one of the most photographed Victorian houses in the country. Search the words "haunted house" on the Internet, and a spooky rendition of the Carson Mansion will be the first result. Lumber baron William Carson completed the three-story, 18-room Victorian at Second and M Streets in 1868, and it was family owned until 1950. It is a totally wooden structure built primarily of California redwood and white mahogany from Central America, and boasts three onyx fireplaces. The interiors include stained glass and elaborate plasterwork and carved ornamentation. Now privately owned by the Ingomar Club, the Mansion is not open to the public, but visitors are welcome to view and photograph the building from outside. For more information on the Carson Mansion, visit this site.

The "Pink Lady": William Carson also had the J. Milton Carson House, known as "The Pink Lady," built across the street in 1889 as a wedding gift for his eldest son Milton. The pink Queen Anne Victorian was sold by Milton in 1920, eventually falling into the hands of German sisters who turned it into a rooming house. It was seized by the government in 1942 as Nazi property. In 1951, it was bought by the late actor Lloyd Bridges, and finally sold in 1963 to a realtor who now leases it as commercial space.

The Humboldt Bay Maritime Museum: While Eureka was primarily a lumber town, it has a seafaring heritage as well. Located in its new building in Samoa just outside Eureka, the Museum explores California's north coast history. It houses artifacts, ships, models, and photographs of North Coast maritime history and lighthouses, including the Fresnel lens from the Table Bluff Lighthouse. The Museum also runs bay tours on the state historic vessel M.V. Madaket, built and launched in 1910, on the Humboldt Bay. The Madaket is the oldest wooden passenger vessel in continuous operation in the United States. Details on scheduling a cruise can be found here.

Visit this link for a Virtual Tour of Eureka.

Sources: Redwoods Info; City of Eureka; Carson Mansion; Pink Lady; Humboldt County Maritime Museum; Jack London Story