Ukiah is the inland side of Mendocino County: warmer, drier, and more practical than the coast, with vineyards, county offices, old ranch land, and low hills around the valley. It is not as pretty as Mendocino village, but it rewards a traveler who wants more than surf and headlands.
The town's strongest stop is the Grace Hudson Museum and Sun House, where Pomo culture, early California art, and a preserved artist's home sit together in one compact visit. Just east of town, the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas gives Ukiah a very different identity: a large Buddhist monastery on the old Mendocino State Hospital grounds.
Ukiah also works as a base for a quiet redwood day. Montgomery Woods State Natural Reserve is a winding drive away, but its old-growth grove is a good reason to leave Highway 101 for a few hours.