Mendocino, California

A small village on headlands above the Pacific, Mendocino is surrounded on three sides by a state park whose bluff-top trails look down on sea arches and hidden grottos. That means a week of walks that start at your door, with bakeries, galleries and a bookstore close by and no need for the car once you arrive. In winter, gray whales pass offshore on their migration, and the foggy days are made for reading. Summer weekends bring the most visitors; midweek in the off season the village is peaceful, and the coast feels close to empty.