Ferndale is truly a gem. Nestled in Humboldt County, in far Northern California, this little Victorian town is a must see. I grew up in Northern California, and honestly had never heard of it until a few years ago (it's THAT North, haha!).
Ferndale was settled by European immigrants who came seeking a better life, and quickly became a hub for the dairy industry. In fact, dairy was so lucrative early on, that many huge victorian farmhouses were built in the area, and were dubbed "Butterfat Palaces". It was fascinating driving around and seeing the HUGE victorian farmhouses. If you're interested in staying in one of these gorgeous farmhouses, check out where we stayed here.
Our first day in Ferndale we packed a lot in, and the kids LOVED it! We spent a leisurely morning at the farmhouse, making hearty bowls of oatmeal with brown sugar and blueberries. Then we drove out to Centerville Beach, which was about a 10-15 minute drive. The beach was beautiful, and for a holiday weekend, there was barley anyone there. Beaches this far north in California are cold, and it was a bit windy...so perfect for flying a kite and making sand castles. The kids dug holes and collected shells, and we took a family walk. The water was frigid, but of course Avonlea wanted to go in. That girl LOVES the water.
After the beach, we packed up and headed to downtown Ferndale. Oh my goodness, it is so adorable. We were starving so ate at Ferndale Pizza Co, and its as delicious. If you are gluten free, you're in luck! Their gluten free pizza was amazing, as was the regular pizza. Directly across the street was a little ice cream shack, so of course we loaded up.
We then took a stroll down main street, and made sure to hit up The Farmer's Daughter. The family we rented the 1880's farmhouse from owns this store, and it did not disappoint. Think Magnolia Market, but with way more antiques and all sorts of adorable things! I actually bought two dresses from here. And, if you stay in their farmhouse they give you a discount at the store, score!!
After cruising the town, we headed back to the farmhouse for naps. The farmhouse itself was spectacular, so I enjoyed reading, journaling and resting in it's beauty. That evening, a friend's sister came over and babysat for Kevin and I so we could go on a date. We had made reservations at a really iconic restaurant in downtown Ferndale called Ivanhoe. It's an Italian place in an old saloon, and so cool. They had actually just opened the dining room for eating (instead of just having the patio open), and its as so much fun. The food was delicious. Highly recommend it! Also, I wore one of my new dresses from The Farmer's daughter on our date:) You can see the pink one at the very bottom, under the Ivanhoe sign!
After dinner we headed back to the farmhouse, put the kids down for bed, and snuggled up to watch a movie and drink tea. A perfect day had by all!!
ps- Thank you ALL so much for your excitement about baby #3! You showed us so much love on IG & FB and we are so grateful to you all:) xoxo