SHORT TRIPS
GETAWAY EXCURSIONS

Bodega Bay not just for the birds

The spooky Potter School featured in Hitchcock's The Birds.

By Paul Franson
CORRESPONDENT

Little more than an hour from the East Bay Is a great weekend getaway best known for birds — and not the hundreds of species that visit the area during their migrations.

Bodega Bay was the site for The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock’s scary 1963 movie based on a spooky story by Daphne du Maurier. Filmed at various locations around the small Bay, memories from the film still haunt when harmless swallows dart after mosquitoes or starlings settle on a nearby telephone wire.

Few recognizable sights from the film still exist, but the one that does is indelible.

It’s the foreboding 1863 Potter School that children flee in one of the most frightening scenes of the film. It’s actually in the nearby town of Bodega, not on Bodega Bay.

The film’s interiors were shot in Hollywood, and other locations were modified or constructed for the shooting. Still others have burned.

The movie version of The Birds doesn’t have much to do with today’s reality even if every visitor searches for reminders. Bodega Bay is one of the few well-protected natural harbors on the California coast, and the Bay is home to many commercial fishing boats. Some are available for day fishing. There’s even a harbor tour in the evening.

The small town surrounds the Bay. Its heart is Pelican Plaza on a bluff above the harbor. It’s the site for popular monthly cioppino feeds.

Along with looking at the boats in the harbor, the most popular activities are biking or hiking on Bodega Head, the rocky peninsula that protects the Bay. At the road’s end are paths along the seashore and its rocky beaches. You won’t be tempted to go swimming here, however, because of the temperature and the rough water.

Doran Beach and County Park at the mouth of the Bay is a protected sand beach, much better for kids and beach activities. North of town is Shell Beach for tidepooling and relaxing along the shore. There’s also golf at the Bodega Harbor Country Club & Gold Course.

You can visit the Bodega Marine Laboratory on Fridays from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The weather here is what you’d expect — gray and overcast during summer, bright and sunny in fall and spring. Hitchcock ran into excessively good weather during filming of The Birds, in fact, and had to have the bright colors muted. It can be cool.

The tiny town of Bodega lies five miles inland from the coast on the main road to Santa Rosa and Highway 101. It boasts two main attractions, the school and church from The Birds. The school is now a private home, but you can walk around and take a look from the road. The church is still operating: note the single grave behind it. On the way to the coast is a lonely old graveyard among eucalyptus trees, contributing to the somber atmosphere of the area.

Bodega also sports a number of antique- and tourist-oriented shops, plus the Gourmet Goat. This store sells local produce and other products, notably the excellent Bodega Goat Cheese made by Javier and Patti Salmon. Javier grew up in a cheese-making family in Peru, and his goat cheeses include queso fresco, feta, crema, casero (ricotta style), cabrero (machego style) and requeson, like mascarpone.

Bodega Bay has only a few motels, hotels and inns, so it’s vital to make reservations before you go. The ideal way to enjoy the area, in fact, is to rent a house or condo; there are many second homes on the coast. A number of services arrange accommodations for as low as $225 for two nights for four people. Some rentables are on the swank Bodega Harbor Country Club & Golf Course, others in town or along the coast.

Among the B&Bs in the area are the Bay Hill Mansion and Bodega Estero B&B. Then there’s the Chanslor Guest Ranch on a working ranch. More conventional hotels and motels include the Inn at the Tides , the Bodega Coast Inn, Bodega Bay Lodge and thrifty Bodega Harbor Inn.

Bodega Bay boasts a number of harbor-side restaurants that serve local seafood, though some menus list fish from far away such as orange roughy from New Zealand.

There are two big seafood restaurants. Lucas Wharf is built on a pier over the water with a tiny harbor adjoining. It gets its fish partly from boats based in the harbor and is a wholesale supplier with a retail fish shop and deli.

Lucas Wharf is a friendly place with a full bar as well as dining area. As true in many American waterside fish restaurants, the food leans toward fried food, but there are some grilled offerings. Ask what’s fresh and stick to simple preparations if you want to have a satisfying meal. Prices are reasonable.

Just up the road is The Tides, a more ambitious, wholesale-retail-deli-restaurant-gift shop that attracts hoards of visitors. The full meals are a little pricey, but the preparation is good and the selection excellent.

Across the street is the fancier Bay View Restaurant at the Inn at the Tides. Upscale but not challenging, it holds regular monthly gourmet dinners with winemakers.

One of the best restaurants in town is the Duck Club in the Bodega Bay Lodge. It serves only dinner and has a great view over the Bay and tidelands.

Hidden under the bluff is the funky Sandpiper frequented mostly by locals. It specializes in the fried fish that Americans love, but you can get other preparations if you ask. The view here is authentic waterfront — a dilapidated wharf, neglected fishing boats, a rundown trailer park and questionable creeks draining onto the mudflats where shorebirds scamper after unseen treats.

On the bluff, the Breakers Cafe offers meals that belie its modest name and location In Pelican Plaza. It also has good views.

Minutes outside town are traditional Italian-American family meals in Occidental and Valley Ford, and the elegant River’s End at the mouth of the Russian River.

The Russian River is just a few miles north of Bodega Bay. It’s especially known for its large gay and lesbian community, which gravitated there in the days when other destinations weren’t as tolerant as they are today.

Swimming and boating along the river are major attractions, and as you travel inland, wineries also become major attractions. The large Korbel complex features sparkling wines, a deli, tours, picnic grounds and even a microbrewery.

If you go: The easiest way to get to Bodega is via Highway 12 west from Highway 101 in Santa Rosa to Highway 1 and north a few miles. River Road north of Santa Rosa provides an alternative route.

For weekend rentals, contact Vacation Rentals USA, (800) 548-7631; Vacation Home Rentals (800) 888-3565; or Coastal Vistas (800) 788-4782.