Tourists flock to the filming location of the birds

There is a scene in Alfred Hitchcock’s “The Birds” near the beginning of the movie where Tippy Hedren is speeding his sports car through the rolling green field. Suddenly the camera reverses to show a bay and coastal town that are so pristine and picturesque that they would do any fine painting justice.

The movie then proceeds to allow thousands of birds to terrorize this idyllic little place and knock Tippy and her boyfriend Rod Taylor out of town entirely. Fortunately, it was all just a movie and we’re happy to report that the movie’s small town, Bodega Bay, has survived to become an even more popular getaway than it was before Hitchcock cast it in his movie.

In fact, birds are big business at Bodega. You can’t cross the street without a reminder that the movie was shot there. The Tides Restaurant, featured prominently in the film, now has a gift shop that has become almost a museum with its shelves and racks of stuffed birds, Hitchcock posters, photos of venues, and just about any type of clothing that want adorned with some variation of Bodega Bay or “The Birds”. Of course, it doesn’t matter that the “real” restaurant burned down a long time ago and the replacement buildings don’t look like the ones used in the movie.

What remains is the same sleepy seaside town that appeared in the movie. While many new buildings have certainly been added since the film’s 1963 release, the city retains the same character so evident in the film.

Our suggestion would be to rent “The Birds” before embarking on your trip to Bodega Bay. It will be fun to compare the many places in the movie to how they look now, 40 years later, and the movie will also give you a good idea of ​​what to expect when you get there, as long as you ignore the birds.

You can also ignore some geographic inconsistencies. For example, one of the most memorable scenes in the film is when the birds attack the children at the rural school and the children attempt to leave the school in an orderly fashion only to be forced to run and scream all the way to the boardwalk. In the town of Bodega, you can visit Potter School that you will remember from the movie.

Another great place to blend scenery with film is to take Bay Hill Road from the town area a little over a mile into the hills above Bodega Bay. You’ll soon be able to look back at Bodega and see exactly the same “establishment shot” of the bay that Hitchcock used in those opening scenes of the film.

Back at the Tides restaurant, there is still a bit of the flavor of the coast that you see in the movie. Fishing trawlers bring their fresh catch to a seafood company on the dock, and there are always plenty of sea lions barking in hopes of eating the leftovers. In the movie, Tippy rented a small boat at this pier before driving across the bay to her new boyfriend’s house.

Now, for those who don’t give a damn about movie making, Bodega Bay was an established getaway long before “The Birds” came out. The countryside along this scenic stretch of the California coastline is like an ocean lover’s paradise. It also helps that the area is relatively easy to get to from the San Francisco Bay Area, less than two hours from almost any Bay Area location, most of it by highway.

We spent the night at the Bodega Bay Lodge and Spa, the only four-diamond resort in the area. Ideally situated near Bodega Bay’s southeastern shoreline, the property offers an expansive area just outside your doorstep to explore the bay. The sights, sounds and smells of the bay are there, especially the foghorn faintly heard in the distance, guiding ships away from the dangerous shoreline.

The hostel is spread over a series of buildings that have been updated in the Cape Cod style. Our elegantly appointed suite was like a high end studio apartment with a full bedside sitting area and small desk. Of particular note was the oversized hot tub, which got to good use during our stay. At the other end of the unit, sliding glass doors opened onto the shoreline of the bay and a patio provided a relaxing place to observe the surroundings.

The Bodega Bay Lodge also features a resort-style pool with ocean views and a large hot tub, which seemed quite popular with a group of businessmen who were staying at the lodge as part of a corporate retreat. So of course we shouldn’t forget the spa, which is not on our list of activities, but popular with guests who come to Bodega Bay to unwind, relax, and rejuvenate.

Bodoga Bay offers trails to guide you to beaches like Shorttail Gulch Beach. The trail to Shorttail is fairly new and allows access to a previously hard-to-reach beach. There is a whole network of trails of this type in the area, making the hours of exploration and discovery endless.

If you’re up for a short trip, the coastline near Bodega offers many spectacular seaside viewpoints, as well as beaches to explore. Driving this part of Highway 1, it seems that almost every bend in the road reveals another perfect view of the rocky shoreline, dramatic cliffs, or Robinson Crusoe beaches.

Just south of Bodega Bay you’ll find Tomales Bay, a popular destination for kayakers and others who want to get up close and personal with the area’s marine life. At the Bodega Marine Laboratory, every Friday from 2-4pm you can explore a series of aquarium displays featuring colorful local fish, a kelp forest, and other marine life.

Hitchcock was really looking for a great landscape rather than the birds that he eventually added to the film through special effects and mechanical devices. But ironically, Bodega Bay is known as a “hot spot” on the north shore for finding rare birds. More rare birds have been sighted at Bodega than anywhere else in Sonoma County, and thankfully none of them have instigated an attack on the thousands of tourists “The Birds” brings to this area each year.

TAKE A LOOK

WHERE: Bodega Bay is about 60 miles north of San Francisco, and unless there is heavy traffic during rush hour, it can be reached quickly and easily from the Bay Area.

WHAT: Bodega Bay, a city of only 1,400 full-time residents, has long been known as a laid-back seaside destination for Californians wanting to explore the North Shore. Although the area was made more popular by the film, which came out in 1963, it is still quiet and charming.

WHEN: The visit to Bodega Bay can be done at any time of the year, although the winter months are cloudy and cooler. The area has a moderate climate, so temperatures range from highs of 40 degrees during the winter to highs of 60 degrees during the summer months.

WHY: The Bodega area has great ocean scenery and it’s fun to see where “The Birds” was filmed. It’s a great weekend trip from the Bay Area or a great stop to include on a Northern California travel itinerary.