Things to Do at Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay's attractions run from genuine film history to a physically visitable piece of Cold War-era environmental history, to real hiking, golf, and horseback riding -- named, sourced destinations rather than generic 'lots to see and do' filler.
The Birds Filming Locations
The 1873 Potter Schoolhouse and, immediately beside it, St. Teresa of Avila Church are the real, still-standing locations from Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film The Birds -- both actually located a few miles south in the separate hamlet of Bodega, not in Bodega Bay itself, though the film's editing makes them look adjacent to the harbor. The schoolhouse, which was abandoned before Hitchcock's crew chose it and was shored up and rebuilt for filming (arguably saving the landmark building), is a private residence today, and visitors are asked to admire it respectfully from the road rather than approach. St. Teresa's Church, briefly visible in the film, was also separately made famous by an Ansel Adams photograph. In Bodega Bay proper, The Tides Wharf Restaurant -- covered on this site's Dining Guide -- is the film location actually located on the harbor itself.
The 'Hole in the Head': A Real, Physically Visitable Nuclear-Plant Pit
At Bodega Head, within what's now the UC Davis Bodega Marine Reserve and Sonoma Coast State Park, sits a 70-foot-deep, water-filled excavation pit -- nicknamed the 'Hole in the Head' -- left over from Pacific Gas & Electric's abandoned attempt to build a nuclear reactor here in the early 1960s. The project was stopped in October 1964 after a geophysicist, smuggled onto the site in 1963, found an active San Andreas Fault strand directly beneath the proposed reactor. This is a genuine, physically visitable piece of environmental-movement history, not a museum exhibit or a historical marker describing something long gone -- the pit itself still exists, on public land, near the same trails used for hiking and whale watching.
Bodega Head: Hiking, Whale Watching, and a Working Marine Lab
Bodega Head's trails, part of the 362-acre UC Davis Bodega Marine Reserve protecting eight distinct coastal habitats, offer real hiking with genuine whale-watching potential during migration season, alongside views over the harbor and open Pacific. The reserve is home to the Bodega Marine Laboratory, founded by UC Berkeley in 1960 and now part of UC Davis's Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute -- a real, active research facility sited here specifically because Bodega Head sits at the edge of one of only four major coastal upwelling regions in the world, not a generic scenic-overlook attraction.
Doran Regional Park and Bodega Harbour Golf
Doran Regional Park's 2-mile beach offers walking, picnicking, kite-flying, surfing, and bird-watching, plus a boat launch and a jetty that doubles as a popular fishing and crabbing spot -- real, accessible recreation open to visitors and residents alike, with a 120-site campground for anyone wanting to stay overnight. Just north, the Bodega Harbour community's links-style, 18-hole golf course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr., is described as one of Northern California's most scenic seaside courses, with a clubhouse restaurant (the Bluewater Bistro & Bar) open to golfers.
Chanslor Ranch: Horseback Riding and Retreat Space
Chanslor Ranch, on 378 acres just outside town, offers horseback riding, hayrides, pony rides, kayaking, camping, and group retreat space, surrounded by beaches and more than 10,000 acres of nearby parks and protected land. This is a genuinely different kind of Bodega Bay attraction than the coastal and harbor activities described elsewhere on this page -- an inland, ranch-based recreation option that broadens what 'things to do' means here beyond the water itself.
The Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival
The Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival, a two-day event held annually and running for more than 50 years, celebrates the start of the salmon fishing season with a Blessing of the Fleet ceremony, live music, food and wine tasting, a crafts fair, children's events, and a wooden boat race. This is a genuine, long-running community tradition directly tied to the town's working-harbor identity, not a manufactured tourist event -- a real way to experience Bodega Bay's actual fishing-village culture rather than just its scenery.
What This Page Doesn't Cover
This page names the real, sourced attractions at and around Bodega Bay -- the Hitchcock filming locations, the abandoned nuclear plant site, Bodega Head, Doran Regional Park, Bodega Harbour golf, Chanslor Ranch, and the Fisherman's Festival. It does not provide current hours, admission fees, or a comprehensive activity calendar, since those change too often for a static page to track responsibly. Confirm current hours, fees, and event dates directly with Sonoma County Tourism, the official Bodega Bay area website, and individual attraction operators before planning a visit. Nothing on this page is a paid endorsement.
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Get a Free Agent Referral →Independent research. No ads. No sponsored listings. Data sourced from: Sonoma County Tourism (sonomacounty.com) and MovieMem's, California Through My Lens's, and RoadsideAmerica's coverage for the Potter Schoolhouse and St. Teresa of Avila Church filming-location history; Sonoma Magazine, the Press Democrat, and Bay Nature for the Bodega Head nuclear plant's history and the "Hole in the Head" pit's current status; UC Davis's Natural Reserve System and Coastal and Marine Sciences Institute materials for the Bodega Marine Reserve and Bodega Marine Laboratory; Sonoma County Regional Parks materials for Doran Regional Park; real estate and community-guide sources for Bodega Harbour's Robert Trent Jones Jr.-designed golf course; Chanslor Ranch's own materials for its acreage and activity offerings; and Sonoma County Tourism and the Bodega Bay Fisherman's Festival's own materials for the festival's history and Blessing of the Fleet tradition. Facts not independently confirmed and not invented here include: current hours, admission fees, and event dates for any named attraction. Confirm current details directly with Sonoma County Tourism, the official Bodega Bay area website, and individual operators before planning a visit. Nothing on this page is a paid endorsement.