Fantastic local Natural History Museum! Lots of excellent interpretive exhibits! The Museum is run…read moreby Humboldt State University. There is an admission fee to get in - (I forget how much - but it was not a lot). The exhibits focus on the geologic history of the world (lots of dinosaur information), as well as information about the local area wildlife, forests, and more. There is also a nice selection of gifts in their gift shop. #HumboldtStateNaturalHistoryMuseum

Awesome and very informative museum with lots of local flora and fauna. There is a small admission…read morefee but it's totally worth it. Great stop for anyone interested in learning about natural history and has lots of fun little hands on exhibits for little kids. Worth a stop if you are in the area. It's a short walk from Humboldt State and downtown Arcata.

So much fun for our three year old and one year old. We had to take them out after two hours cause…read moreit was time for lunch and nap but they would have kept playing!!! Absolutely love how perfect it is for under age 5. The front room has some things for older kids. It's nice how it's basically all one giant room so if you're going alone with multiple children it's definitely manageable. They even have hot coffee (Keurig) and tea for kids. My only complaint is the sensory area (the busy boards were placed a little too high for the kids to reach). But overall, this place is a MUST. $6/person. Under 2 are free. Definitely affordable. Thank you!!!

Great spot for the younger kiddos to burn off some energy. We flew into town and stopped here for…read more2-3 hours and let the kids get that energy out. While there are "infant" areas, I'd say that this place is ideal for the 2 years through kindergarten crowd. Grocery shopping area, water play, baby doll area, gardening area...and it's not too big. It's definitely worth the $5/pp admission. The gift shop has some great M&D items but all have been there awhile as you can see the fading from the sun (and overpriced compared to what you can buy on AMZN). 5 stars for a great kids museum in a small town.

This is an annual EVENT that occurs the first weekend of October…read more A charity benefit for Coastal Grove Charter School, the Medieval Festival of Courage has just celebrated its 10th year running. Admission is cheap: $5 for adults and $3 for kids up to 12. Toddlers 2 and under are free. The time period is broad, spanning from the 5th - 15th centuries, with heavy references to Scottish, Saxon and Scandinavian cultural themes. Fantasy characters, in the sense of period appropriate mythical folklore, are encouraged and live performers enact a Court of the Fae each year. The height of excitement is live, real action jousting performed by televisions Knights of Mayhem each day from 12:30 - 3:30. After the competition is complete, children and adults are welcomed into the jousting ring to partake in combat training overseen by the Knights themselves. Tour several historical encampments spanning different periods of history, now including Pirates and Vikings! Listen, if you are brave enough, to a tale of life's lessons often learned by tragedy told by the pale and deathly master story teller, The Carpathian. Browse a medieval market in which artists from all up and down the western coast sell hand made medieval reproduction items and art ranging from true cast-molded reproduction gold doubloons, to bone-ware dishes, costumes, weapons and armor. Food vendors include a stuffed flat-bread stand, Leg O Beast, Ye Old Confectioners, and a hospitality booth that provides hot meals ranging from rolls and gravy to delicious stews and chili. Alcohol is served at several vendors' booths and local goat cheeses and mead are often available. Be prepared to show ID, as there is no stamp for age at the ticket booth. Coastal Grove Charter school has several dancing and acting performances throughout the day by students, and live music plays all throughout the faire. My ONLY complaint is that at times, they had modern cover-bands playing, and I felt it was wrong for the event theme. Really shattered the immersion for a while, especially since they were acoustic, slowed down renditions of a pop songs. Hopefully that was a one time, emergency situation where the scheduled performer couldn't make it, and a local band had to fill in last second? Hopefully that won't happen again. Actors and vendors from North Coast Renaissance, The Scottish Heritage Society, Longship Trade Goods, and several local volunteers all work together to make this fun local fundraiser happen each year, and the kids it benefits are largely involved as well, learning the value of pitching in as a community towards a goal.

I'm not going to say this is the most authentic ren fair I have ever been to, but as a parent with…read morea 2 yr old, it was an entertaining way to spend a morning. They had a small petting zoo, kids performing songs, a bouncy castle, and various food booths. Also jousting, but we didn't stay for that performance. Note: the field where the fair is set up is extremely uneven and bumpy. We brought our burly jogging stroller and even that made for a pretty comfortable ride for our son. Bonus: there's a pumpkin patch in the next field over so you can get a ride on a hay wagon and a pumpkin the same day you get a turkey leg roasted on a BBQ shaped like a dragon!

Excellent and compact home returned to its original decorated state with lots of historical items…read moreof City of Arcata history on display,

The Phillips House Museum is located in Arcata, CA - and chronicles what early life in the area was…read morelike. The building it is located in - is allegedly the oldest remaining house in the area. It's a small house/building - and I believe it is currently only open for visits on Sunday afternoons - please verify their hours before visiting. There are lots of interesting exhibits, including old newspaper articles about the events of the day throughout various parts of history... There are two levels to the house - the main level (ground floor) and an upstairs. I found the kitchen to be interesting - seeing how things were back in days of yore... #PhillipsHouseMuseum

Great stuff but it's mostly jewelry. I did get a Kachina doll and a small sculpture/figurine. I…read morewish they had more art but it's a good little place to stop by and check out.

How many of my friends & ex's have worked here??? More than my fingers can count. I remember…read moreworking the reception desk for a summer here---very interesting summer job. But yeah, the gift shop is decent. They have a decent selection of Native artwork, with quite a bit of art from the local Northern California tribes. I love/miss the basket designs of the Northern California tribes (Wiyot, Yurok, Hoopa, etc.). While here I picked up a greeting card made by a local artist as well as Blackfoot Confederacy's latest pow wow cd.

Khan!!! The Musical! was spectacular, yet I came home traumatized. During the play, a giant space…read morechicken pecked at my head... I had seen it earlier, lined up at the bar with two other chickens in tutus... Seriously, the space chickens were drinking. I was not.

Really fabulous plays and musical events! Always a treat to sit under the stars or fog and be…read moreentertained by world class theater.

Huge collection! Awesome trains, saws and steam donkeys! Bunch of cool old machines and some very…read moreinformative volunteers!

A great glassblower and glassblowing shop, right in the middle of downtown. All kinds of functional…read moreglass art. Sconces, vases, bowls, orbs, spheres and many other one of a kind works in glass. The shop is run by a husband and wife team, Willo and Ember who are both working glass blowers. Live demonstrations and works being created are always going on during their normal business day. A great shop with great people running it and definitely worth a visit and stop by to say hello and add a new piece of glass art to your collection. There are a nice assortment of other local artisan glass pieces as well. I acquired a new one of a kind glass piece from Willo and he signed it for me on the spot. Definitely recommended. 4.5 Stars - rounded up for the great atmosphere and the folks who run this cool shop. 00629

I commissioned a piece of art for a buddies birthday present. When I presented the reference photo…read morethe individual was very confident they could produce this art. However, the end product looked nothing like the ref. pic provided. When I contacted them to notify them I was dissatisfied with the the final result and requested a refund I was charged a 25% restocking fee for something that was never in stock to begin...how does that make sense? I would say save your money and take it to a studio where they have a more realistic view of their talents and/or a more honest business practice. Pic included for your viewing pleasure!