The village of Mendocino provides a great base to tour Mendocino County and the Mendocino Coast. Visitors can head to local parks and forests like Russian Gulch State Park and Mendocino Headlands State Park, for an array of outdoor activities such as walking, diving, camping and wildflower viewing. Van Damme State Park, popular with tourists, features an area of unique soil that permits only miniature trees to grow. Within the village of Mendocino itself, restored Victorian homes such as Ford House and Kelly House have been transformed into museums, bed and breakfasts, and inns. During the winter, the grey whale migration can be witnessed from the village's towering cliffs. Point Cabrillo Light Station, an historical lighthouse, provides some insight into the area's maritime past and the village's beginnings. In town, visitors can tour the numerous locally-owned galleries, restaurants and shops.