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Established 1840s · Sonoma County, California

Bodega,
California.

“A timeless village since 1840.”

Nestled in the rolling hills five miles inland from the Pacific coast, Bodega is a Sonoma County village of fewer than two hundred residents that has preserved its 19th-century character almost intact. The site has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years — first by the Coast Miwok of the village called Kennekono, and from the 1840s onward by American settlers drawn by the redwood lumber trade and Gold Rush prosperity.

James Watson opened the first general store here in 1852. Saint Teresa of Avila Church went up in 1859. In 1962 Alfred Hitchcock chose Bodega as the primary filming location for “The Birds” — a connection that still defines the town’s place in popular memory. The buildings he photographed are still here, and so is the community.

Established
1840s
Filmed
1962
Population
211
The white wooden Carpenter Gothic exterior of Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church in Bodega, California, with its bell tower and steeple set against a clear sky.
Saint Teresa of Avila Catholic Church, Bodega — built 1859, dedicated 1861, the oldest church in continuous use in Sonoma County. Photo: Frank Schulenburg / CC BY-SA 4.0.

The Birds · 1963

Set in Bodega Bay.
Filmed in Bodega.

The two scenes everyone pictures from Alfred Hitchcock's 'The Birds,' the crows swarming the schoolhouse and the church on the rise, were filmed here in the inland village of Bodega, not the coastal town the film is named for. The water is Bodega Bay, five miles west. The rest is San Francisco and the Universal lot.

Explore the filming locations
The two-story Italianate Potter Schoolhouse in Bodega, California, a white wooden building with green trim and bell tower, used in Hitchcock's 1962 filming of The Birds.
Potter Schoolhouse, Bodega, built 1873 on land donated by Sheriff Samuel Potter, used by Hitchcock for the 1962 schoolyard scene in 'The Birds.' Now a private residence. Photo: Frank Schulenburg / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Explore Bodega

Start anywhere.
It all connects.

Every part of the village has its own page. Follow the history back to Kennekono, walk the historic loop, find the bar and the bakeries, or plan the drive up from San Francisco.

  • A Living Timeline

    History

    The valley has been continuously inhabited for thousands of years: first by the Olamentko of the Coast Miwok village of Kennekono, then by the settlers who followed Captain Stephen Smith's 1844 land grant. James Watson opened the first general store in 1852, and St. Teresa of Avila Church went up in 1859.

    Read the full history

  • Points of Interest

    Attractions

    The historic core is a single walkable loop. The Carpenter Gothic church (1859), the Italianate Potter Schoolhouse (1873), and the Bodega Country Store all sit within it, and two of them appear in Hitchcock's 'The Birds.' The Greek Revival Watson School (1856) is a separate stop about two miles east.

    See all the attractions

  • Local Flavors

    Eat & Drink

    The social heart of the village is the Casino Bar & Grill, family-owned since 1949 and still run by the Casini family. A short drive brings Wild Flour Bread in Freestone and the waterfront kitchens of Bodega Bay.

    Where to eat and drink

  • Cultural Impact

    Culture

    Bodega holds a Coast Miwok lineage older than California and a film history younger than the Kennedy administration. Three styles of 19th-century architecture stand within a short walk, and the small-farm tradition continues on the surrounding hills.

    Read about the culture

  • Plan Your Visit

    Visit

    Bodega sits about 65 miles north of San Francisco, roughly a 1.5-hour drive, on Bodega Highway between Sebastopol and the coast. The historic core is a single small loop: allow two to three hours, and pair it with the wider Sonoma Coast.

    Plan your visit

Frequently Asked

Answers before
you drive up.

Quick answers for first-time visitors, starting with the question we hear most: what is the difference between Bodega and Bodega Bay? Plus how long to allow, what you can visit, and how to find the village.

Read the FAQ

Get in touch

Send us
a note.

Questions about visiting, corrections to anything on this site, or notes from someone with a longer memory of the village than ours — all welcome.

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