The online hub features more than 600 businesses ranging from Native American-owned breweries to guided fishing tours and beyond. With the summer travel season in full swing, highlights include:
- Go on a guided fishing experience in Yurok Country. Bound by redwood-clad slopes, the Klamath River swirls and swerves through a 40-mile length of the Yurok Reservation. As the fish swimming in this North Coast waterway lie at the heart of Yurok livelihood and culture, guided experiences offer perspective on the river and the tribe’s history as its steward.
- Step inside history at the Barona Cultural Center & Museum, part of the Barona Band of Mission Indians Reservation. Outside this San Diego County museum sits an ’ewaa, the kind of thatched dome structure that Kumeyaay people used to build regularly as part of their fairly mobile lifestyle. Walk inside – since these were just sleeping huts, there’s only enough room to sit – and then head into the museum to learn more about the Kumeyaay, from their history to their present-day stories.
- Enjoy The Spa at Séc-he at the soon-to-be-opened Agua Caliente Cultural Plaza, which offers the perfect opportunity to unwind. Located in Palm Springs, the 73,000-square-foot spa features 22 private baths, as well as pools, where guests can quite literally immerse themselves in the ancient world of the Agua Caliente while soaking in mineral waters fed from 8,000 feet underground by the very hot springs that gave the Tribe its name.
- Visit the tap room at Mad River Brewing Company in Humboldt County. A trailblazer in the craft beer industry, Mad River Brewing Company is owned by the Yurok Agriculture Corporation, making it one of the first tribal breweries in the United States. The women-led craft brewery continues to set itself apart, developing products that disrupt the industry, offering quality, complexity and purpose by aligning new products with endeavours related to environmental stewardship and water advocacy.
- Dine at Wahpepah’s Kitchen in Oakland, which is run by Chef Crystal Wahpepah, the first Native American chef to be featured on Food Network's “Chopped” TV show. Crystal Wahpepah is an enrolled member of the Kickapoo nation of Oklahoma. She was born and raised in Oakland, on Ohlone land, surrounded by a multi-tribal, tight-knit, urban Native community.
- Choose a tribal casino resort for the ultimate golfing weekend. For example, the Soboba Springs Golf Course blends scenic grandeur with a challenging layout in the Inland Empire.
- Spend a long weekend at The Historic Requa Inn in Del Norte County. Located in the heart of Redwood National Park, The Historic Requa Inn has been a feature of the area for 100 years and offers farm-to-table dinners seasonally.
Visit Native California is funded by a federal grant awarded as part of the American Rescue Plan Act to help the communities hardest hit by the pandemic. The grant earmarks $1 million to increase awareness of and travel to the state’s cultural heritage tourism experiences. Visit California will continuously expand the hub and showcase even more Native voices throughout California as the initiative continues.
For more information about the vast array of Native offerings that visitors can experience while travelling throughout the Golden State this summer, go to VisitCalifornia.com/Native.
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ABOUT VISIT CALIFORNIA:
Visit California is a nonprofit organization with a mission to develop and maintain marketing programs – in partnership with the state’s travel industry – that keep California top-of-mind as a premier travel destination. For more information about Visit California and for a free California Official State Visitor's Guide, go to visitcalifornia.com. For story ideas, media information, downloadable images, video and more, go to media.visitcalifornia.com.
Media Contact:
Kristen Bonilla, Visit California
(916) 319-5421
kbonilla@visitcalifornia.com