West of the Napa Valley and bordering on the Pacific, Sonoma County is an area full of California history, spectacular scenery and excellent wine. Before you start your wine tour, stop by the Sonoma County Wine and Visitors Center in
Santa Rosa for information on wine tours, special events, lodging and restaurants. The center even has a demonstration winery that uses audiovisual displays to explain how wine is made.
In Santa Rosa, you might want to see some of the fine Victorian architecture in the city or the Robert L. Ripley Memorial Museum. This is not just another Believe It or Not! museum—it contains Ripley's papers and mementos, and it's housed in a structure called the Church of One Tree, built entirely from the lumber of a single redwood (believe it or not). Hitchcock fans may want to drop by 904 McDonald St. to see the house where Shadow of a Doubt was filmed, and those interested in the history of the peoples of the region—from the original Native American inhabitants to Spanish explorers to Russian settlers—will want to visit the Sonoma County Museum. Devotees of nature should check out the Luther Burbank Home and Gardens—once the home of the renowned horticulturist who introduced more than 800 varieties of plants into the world—and Safari West, a 400-acre/162-hectare wildlife park that's home to zebras, lemurs, giraffes and scores of other species of animal and bird, most of them from Africa.
The next town you should visit, especially if you enjoy outdoor activities and festivals, is Healdsburg. Thousands of years ago, this beautiful, lush area was home to the Pomo Indians. The mid-1800s brought new settlers. Art galleries are scattered throughout the town and feature local artists. Intricate glassware, jewelry, paintings and photographs all reflect the California and Sonoma County lifestyle.
Healdsburg is situated between Fitch Mountain to the east and a range of low mountains to the west, and is 75 mi/120 km north of San Francisco off Highway 101. Travel the back roads for picnics under redwood trees in one of the many parks or at many of the wineries in the Dry Creek Valley. Road cycling is enjoyed year-round. For bike enthusiasts, the Harvest Century Bicycle Tour is held in July. Experience hot-air-balloon rides through the vineyards and rolling hillsides, and golf on some of the best courses in the San Francisco Bay area.
The Russian River runs through Healdsburg, so visitors enjoy beaches, swimming, canoeing and kayaking, all the way to the Pacific coast. Ride or drive the coast to enjoy sightseeing, walking on beaches, whale-watching, bird-watching or rock climbing.
Wineries to visit in Sonoma Valley include Buena Vista (original domain of Colonel Haraszthy, who pioneered the transplantation of European grape cuttings to California); Chateau St. Jean (observation tower and beautiful buildings); Benziger Family Winery (very popular cabernet sauvignons—a nice place to picnic while tasting wine); Sebastiani (the tour features the largest collection of hand-carved casks in the U.S.); and Gloria Ferrer Champagne Caves (a lovely Spanish-style winery with tastings and tours).
Other attractions in the area include the town of Sonoma, site of the northernmost California mission (today part of Sonoma State Historic Park) and Sonoma Barracks (begun in the 1830s when Sonoma was Mexican California's northern boundary). See the town plaza and its heroic bronze statue of the Bear Flag Patriots (who staged a failed revolt against Mexico in 1845). Also notable is the New England-style home of Gen. Mariano Vallejo, the founder of the town. In fall, Sonoma throws the Valley of the Moon Festival (after the Native American name for the valley), the oldest wine festival in California.
Novelist Jack London built his home in what is now Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen. London's celebrated Wolf House, a magnificent redwood and lava-boulder structure with 26 rooms and nine fireplaces, was destroyed by fire in 1913 before he and his wife could move into it. Another house on the property serves as a museum of memorabilia related to London's Alaskan and South Sea adventures.
Petaluma, on the county's southern border, calls itself both the Egg Basket of the West and the World's Wrist-Wrestling Capital (this is up in the air at the moment—Petaluma is fighting with Las Vegas to be the site of the championships). A large collection of Victorian iron-facade buildings grace the town, as well as the Old Adobe State Historic Park and the residence of Gen. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo (1837-46), once one of the most powerful men in the Mexican Province of California. Local events in Petaluma include Butter and Egg Days (lots of small-town-style fun—April) and the Sonoma-Marin Fair (June).
The 60-mi/97-km Russian River is one of the few undammed rivers in California, making it good for tubing, canoeing, kayaking and fishing. Huge redwoods are found in Armstrong Redwoods State Park, popular for hiking (camping is available in the adjacent recreation area). Towns such as Guerneville and Monte Rio along the lower Russian River (the area close to the ocean) cater to summer visitors and river recreation needs. Lots of antiques shops are found along Highway 116 between Santa Rosa and Guerneville.
Take time to explore the spectacular and scenic Sonoma County coast, where one highlight is a remnant of Russia's territorial claim to California—Fort Ross State Historic Park. Also on the coast is small Bodega Bay, the only fishing port between San Francisco and Fort Bragg, popular for beachcombing in summer and whale-watching in winter. If you find yourself glancing fearfully up to the sky, try to remain calm—you're probably just having a flashback to Hitchcock's The Birds, which was filmed in the nearby town of Bodega and its environs. Sonoma County begins 30 mi/50 km north of San Francisco.
