Visit California Hosts Trips Full of Rich Native Cultural Experiences

As part of a continuous effort to build momentum for Visit Native California and the ongoing discovery of Native tourism experiences around the state, Visit California hosted Nikita Kahpeaysewat of @nikitaelyse in June 2023. Nikita is a Nehiyaw (Plains Cree) person who advocates for the rich indigenous history and traditional ecological knowledge for environmental preservation.

Nikita’s trip started with The San Francisco Peninsula, where she explored the Sanchez Adobe and Portolá Ohlone Heritage Trail and Filoli. In Oakland, she lunched at Wahepah’s Kitchen and then headed to Yolo county for a private tour of the Séka Hills Olive Mill & Tasting Room.

Making her way down the Redwoods in Klamath, Nikita lodged and dined at The Historic Requa Inn before embarking on a Redwood Yurok Canoe tour. She toured Elk Valley Casino and the Howonquet Village and explored the Grove of Titans Trail of the Tolowa tribe.

She also ventured a scenic river jet boat tour on the Klamath river – home of the Yurok tribe – and visited the many picturesque pit stops along the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway and the Sue-meg State Park. After a visit to the Clarke Historical Museum in Humboldt county, the trip came to an end.

During her journey, Nikita had the opportunity to meet with representatives from many different indigenous groups and visit a wide selection of several different Native-owned businesses.

This trip rounds out a year of tenacious effort following the launch of Visit Native California from September of 2022. Held at Agua Caliente band of Cahuilla Indians new Cultural Plaza in Palm Springs, the conference was nowhere short of media presence; the hundreds of stories generated from the event greatly inspired interest in American Indian tourism. 

Following the press conference, Visit California hosted both Kendra of @kendrajessie on Instagram and Dayvee of @dayveesutton on Instagram, which resulted in coverage on both Go! Explore and The TODAY Show. 

Next up, Visit California will be hosting Sandra Schulman with Indian Country Today on a tour of The San Francisco Peninsula and surrounding areas. She is set to explore Séka Hills, Wahpepah's Kitchen and the Intertribal Friendship House in Oakland, as well as some museums in Sonoma County with more plans to come. Stay tuned to hear all about her trip in October.