At Carter House Inn, a welcoming wood fire in the main lobby is lit mornings and evenings nearly year round. Starting at 5 pm, you can sink into leather chairs and sofas with a starter or dessert and a glass of wine from Restaurant 301's award-winning cellar stocked with 3,400 bottles. You could also order up a seasonal cocktail or happy hour nibble from the bar overlooking the lobby, which opens at 4 pm. If you don't want to leave, book a room, suite or cottage with your own private fireplace (or fireplaces!) and join other guests each evening for tea and freshly baked cookies around the fire.
Carter House Inns
301 L St., Eureka | (707) 444-8062
www.carterhouse.com
Eureka Inn
7th & F Streets, Eureka | (707) 497-6093
www.eurekainn.com
In Ferndale, The Victorian Inn's dining room is just the place for a cozy meal on winter days. Built in 1890, it's a period stunner and one of the most photographed structures in California. The warm and inviting VI Restaurant serves breakfast from 8 to 10:30 am, lunch from 11:30 am to 3 pm (except Monday) and dinner from 4:30 to 9 pm. Reserve a dinner table by the fireplace and enjoy a glass of wine with roasted asparagus and Kumamoto oysters to start, followed by a chargrilled 16-ounce ribeye or paella Portuguese while listening to the baby grand on Wednesdays and Sundays, or a guitar soloist on Mondays and Fridays.
Victorian Inn & VI Restaurant
400 Ocean Ave., Ferndale | (707) 786-4949
www.victorianvillageinn.com