I am often asked where to bring visitors to Sonoma County. The list is so long, depending upon what your guests’ interests are. Here are just a few highlights that you can expect from a visit to Sonoma County.
Art, Food & Wine
Sonoma County is bountiful in so many ways – from art and cultural museums, beaches and beer festivals to farmers markets, safari animals and of course wine tasting. But wait, there’s more! If you are a cheese fan like me, you can take a tour on the Cheese Trails around the area.
Sonoma Coast
Visit the Sonoma Coast offering beaches for horseback riding, shell finding, sand castles and flying kites. Enjoy bird watching, tidepooling, seal and whale watching, even camping on the coast.
Sonoma Coast
Family Fun
Sonoma County offers a plethora of family fun activities such as bowling and arcade games at Epicenter, extreme driving at Driven Raceway, ice skating at Snoopy’s Home Ice, ziplining at Sonoma Canopy Tours, roller skating at Cal Skate, hot air balloon rides with Up & Away Ballooning and safari adventures at Safari West.
Safari West
Food & Drink
When it comes to food and drink, you may first think wine tasting, sure…but don’t forget beer and spirits tastings, cheese and chocolate tastings. Many of these can be experienced in the form of festivals, like the California Artisan Cheese Festival. And the bakeries! Here are my picks for best bakeries (even though I am technically gluten free) – Criminal Baking, Goguette, Sift Cupcakery and Red Bird in Santa Rosa; Wild Flour Bread in Freestone, Village Bakery in Sebastopol, Nightengale Breads in Forestville, Costeaux in Healdsburg, and Burtonz Bakery in Windsor
There’s always something to do on a budget too. Free concerts, free events, nightlife, wine tasting and some great cheap food.
Activities
It’s the perfect place to get fit for your body, mind and soul. There are a myriad of self-improvement services like wellness seminars and of course fitness in the form of gyms, personal trainers and outdoor activities. Canoe, kayak, paddle board or swim the Russian River, Spring Lake or Lake Sonoma. Take in the vistas of the Dry Creek Valley, hike or mountain bike stunning Trione-Annadel State Park or do some fishing at Bodega Bay.
Lake Sonoma
Going First Class
Want to go Sonoma County first-class? Enjoy resorts like Vintners Inn & Resort, Flamingo Hotel & Resort and the Graton Resort & Casino; gourmet restaurants like Michelin rated Single Thread in Healdsburg, The Farmhouse Inn in Forestville and Madrona Manor in Healdsburg; as well as John Ash, Stark’s Steakhouse, Ca’Bianca, Valette and The Girl and the Fig; golf courses like Mayacama, The Links at Bodega Harbour; and world class spa experiences including natural hot springs at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and the unique enzyme baths at Osmosis Spa.
Osmosis Spa Meditation Garden
Osmosis Spa Enzyme Bath
Nightlifte
Enjoy wild weekends with nightlife, dancing, comedy and live music in Petaluma, Santa Rosa or Sebastopol. Live theater is abundant in many forms, from large scale productions, to small, intimate settings, all featuring outstanding talent.
Stay tuned for more in-depth coverage of all these “not to be missed” attractions in Sonoma County!