fun
We love Sonoma, and we hope you will too! Here are some ideas to get you started exploring the area.
Tours
The following tours look like fun. If you’re interested, please call the tour company directly to book. Please call soon, so we can make sure there are enough people!
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Wine tasting by |
We’ve arranged winery tours of the Healdsburg/Dry Creek Area for Friday and Saturday. Those who are up for an easy peddle can take the 10-mile route by bike. Or you can relax and join the tour by van. Lunch is included. $115/person. Leave at 10:30, return 3:00. Offered Friday, May 29, and Saturday, May 29 To book, call Terry at Getaway Adventures: 800-939-8765. |
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Custom tours |
California Wine Tours can send a car and driver to take you touring. The drivers are knowledgeable about the area and wineries, and you’ll be able to taste as much as you want without worrying about driving. The tour route is not pre-determined; you and the driver can decide where to go. To arrange, call Cecily at California Wine Tours:
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Sonoma A-Z
These are a few of our favorite things...
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Tired of wine? Check out this Sebastopol pub and cider brewery. |
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Antiquing |
The stretch of Hwy 116 between Petaluma and Sebastopol is famous for its antique shops, as is downtown Petaluma. |
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Art |
This month, the Museum of Contemporary Art in Santa Rosa features an exhibition of works inspired by Art Spiegelman. |
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Balloon Tours |
Skip the traffic and get a birds-eye view of Northern California. up-away.com, aerostat-adventures.com, or balloontours.com |
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Reputably the best winery tour in Sonoma, with a tractor-pulled trolley. Call ahead. |
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A lovely little restaurant in the town of Sonoma, with fabulous wine country food. |
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Candy |
Satisfy your sweet tooth and your kids’ wildest fantasies at Powell’s Sweet Shoppe, recently named best candy store on the West Coast in Sunset magazine. 720 McLelland Drive, on the Windsor Town Green. |
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Canoeing |
Take a leisurely paddle down the Russian River in a canoe or kayak. Trowbridge leaves from Healdsburg, Burkes from Guerneville. |
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Dinner |
There’s no shortage of fabulous restaurants in Sonoma. Some of the best include John Ash, Zazu, Café Lolo, Syrah, and Gary Chu in Santa Rosa; Langley’s on the Green in Windsor; Dry Creek Kitchen, Madrona Manor, Ravenous, and Manzanita in Healdsburg; The Kenwood Restaurant in Kenwood; The Fig Café & Wine Bar in Glen Ellen; Café La Haye, La Salette, and The Girl and the Fig in Sonoma; K&L Bistro in Sebastopol; The Farmhouse Inn in Forestville; Willow Wood Market Café in Graton; and the Applewood Inn in Guerneville. |
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This bakery and ice cream shop on the Plaza in Healdsburg is famous for its sticky buns, brownies, and ice cream. |
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Eggs |
It was chickens, not wine, that built the town of Petaluma. Wander through the picturesque downtown, exploring the many antique stores and Victorian-era buildings. |
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Perhaps the loveliest winery picnic spot we’ve seen. Barn-red buildings frame a sweeping valley views. |
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Want to pick fruit, meet goats, or learn how cheese is made? Check out Sonoma Farm Trails, a listing of over 100 farms and wineries that welcome visitors. |
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A great place for breakfast or lunch in Glen Ellen. |
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Gardens |
Check out the beautiful Luther Burbank Home and Gardens, a horticultural oasis in downtown Santa Rosa. |
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Golf |
Local courses include the Fountaingrove, Oakmont, and Windsor. |
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Guerneville |
A funky and laid-back resort town on the Russian River. It’s also home to Korbel Champagne Cellars. |
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What used to be a sleepy little wine country town with a few gourmet gems is now a major wine country destination. A great starting point for exploring the numerous local wineries. Farmers market on Saturdays. |
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Horse-back riding |
Ride through the redwoods in Guerneville with the Armstrong Woods Pack Station. See also Jack London. |
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Hot springs |
If you don’t feel like making the trip to Calistoga, visit Morton’s Warm Springs in Kenwood. |
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Jack London |
Glen Ellen was home to one of Kim’s favorite writers. Check out the Jack London Bookstore in Glen Ellen. Or visit the Jack London State Historic Park to see where the writer lived and worked. Hiking, horse-back riding, and picnics. |
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If you’re touring the Alexander Valley, be sure to stop at this funky gourmet eatery and mercantile. |
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Learn about vineyards, tour the themed gardens, and taste a wide variety of wines. In Santa Rosa. |
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Lavender |
Sip wine and stroll through lush lavender fields at the stunningly beautiful Matanzas Creek Winery in Santa Rosa. |
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You’ll find high romance at the restaurant in this restored Victorian mansion surrounded by English-style gardens. |
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Napa |
Sonoma’s neighboring county includes big-name wineries in beautiful castle-scale buildings, and some true gourmet meccas, but wine snobs say Sonoma actually makes the better wines. If you want to visit Napa on Memorial Day weekend, be prepared for some serious crowds and traffic. |
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On the Plaza in Healdsburg, a great place to sample gourmet treats, pick up provisions for a picnic, and taste Robin Ladin’s favorite cookies. |
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A cooperative olive press and store for olive aficionados in Glen Ellen. |
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Picnics |
There’s no end to beautiful picnic spots in Sonoma, including wineries, the town squares in Sonoma and Healdsburg, beaches on the Russian River, and public parks. |
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On Sunday, stop in for Zindfandel tasting and a delicious lunch prepared on the hillside barbecue. |
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A great resource for touring the wineries of northern Sonoma, with details on over 100 wineries. |
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Cheetahs and zebras and wildebeest, oh my! It’s a 400-acre park for endangered wildlife in Santa Rosa. |
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Snoopy |
The world’s largest collection of Peanuts memorabilia is housed at the Charles Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa. |
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An old-fashioned amusement park and petting zoo in Sonoma. |
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Water |
If you’re out winetasting, drink lots of it! |
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Wine |
Yes, Sonoma has a few wineries – just hit the road, and you’ll bump into about 20 of them. We suggest you tackle them by area: there’s the Carneros region south of the town of Sonoma; the Valley of the Moon between Sonoma and Santa Rosa; and the Alexander, Dry Creek and Russian River Valleys north of Santa Rosa. |
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A nursery and sculpture garden in Kenwood, off Highway 12. |
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This much-lauded Santa Rosa restaurant serves playful American and Northern Italian cuisine in a friendly, roadhouse setting. |
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