Things to do :
· Sonoma website http://www.sonomacounty.com/what-to-do
Sonoma Discovery http://www.sonomadiscoveries.com/
Sonoma Uncorked http://www.sonomauncorked.com/
· Trails for hiking http://www.trails.com/trailfinder/browsebymap/?q=95404
· Trails for running http://www.run.com/city.asp?dest=Santa+Rosa+CA
· Russian River Canoe & Kayak http://www.russianrivertravel.com/canoeing.htm
· Bicycle Rentals & Rides: Rincon Cyclery http://rinconcyclery.com/
Here are ten great rides you can take,
· Walk along Spring Lake. Near downtown Santa Rosa . http://www.sonoma-county.org/parks/pkslake.htm
· Farmer’s Markets: Great food, music, fruits, veggies, cheese, fresh sea food, sweet treats. Everything you need for a day trip through the wine country, or a trip to the beach.
Ø Santa Rosa, Saturday 7:00am-12:00pm. Downtown (In parking lot of Veterans Building across for Fairground off Hwy 12.)
Ø Healdsburg, Saturday 9:00-12:00 (one block west of the Plaza, on Foss Creek).
· Armstrong Redwood State Park, Guerneville (beautiful walks through giant redwoods) http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=450
· SOFA: South A St. Arts District.
Peruse 28 artist studios within the one-block
neighborhood of downtown Santa Rosa. Pack a
picnic lunch and enjoy a nap under the shade of
an oak tree in Juillard Park. SOFA
(South A St. Arts District) is located just behind
Julliard Park at the intersection of South A St.
and Sebastopol Ave in Santa Rosa. Also enjoy a
great lunch or dinner at The Spinster Sisters
Restaurant.
http://sofasantarosa.com/artwalk-2012-3/
· Coleman Valley Road is a beautiful drive with spectacular views from Occidental to the coast and Tomales Bay. On a clear day you can see San Francisco and East Bay)
· Old Railroad Square, Santa Rosa downtown (10 minutes south), Healdsburg Square (7 miles north) and the Sonoma town square (40 minutes south/east)
· Luther Burbank Home & Gardens (famous horticulturist) http://lburbank.users.sonic.net/
· Safari West (5 minutes away). This is a wild animal preserve where the animals roam free and you are driven through the preserve. http://www.safariwest.com/
· Safari West (5 minutes away). This is a wild animal preserve where the animals roam free and you are driven through the preserve. http://www.safariwest.com/
- Farm Trials Tours: Experience life on the farm.Seasonal adventures include summertime berry picking, apple farms, pumpkins and gourds in the fall, Christmas trees in winter and baby animals and fields of flowers in the spring! Enjoy delightful wineries, breweries and cheese factories year-round. Check out the website for the variety of tours available http://www.farmtrails.org/
· Horseback riding. Just five minutes from our home is Cloverleaf Ranch a riding academy. With advanced reservations you can do trail riding with horse and all equipment provided. http://www.cloverleafranch.com/#/nav/riding
· Indian Hot Springs, Calistoga (20 min.) Enjoy the mineral water swimming pool, then have a mud bath &/or message http://www.indianspringscalistoga.com/
· Charles M. Schulz Museum. Yes this is the home of Snoopy.(south 3 miles) http://www.schulzmuseum.org/
· North Coast Air: (At Airport) Provides air tours of coast and viticulture regions. http://www.northcoastair.com/ScenicTours.htm
· Pacific Coast Air Museum: display of historic aircraft and aviation history
http://www.pacificcoastairmuseum.org/aircraft/
· Train Town: In the town of Sonoma. This is the most well-developed Scale R.R. in America.
www.vom.com/traintown
· Junk Art Sculpture Tour in Sebastopol. Patrick Amiot and Brigitte Laurent have created many wonderful sculptural pieces in yards throughout town. We’ve got a map you can use to take your own tour http://www.patrickamiot.com/
· Sonoma County Museum. 7th St. Santa Rosa. Also see A St. gallery section.
· Hess Collection, (Napa) Great modern art collection, http://www.hesscollection.com/art/index.html
· DiRosa Museum of contemporary art: 45minutes near Sonoma/Napa (reservations needed) http://www.dirosaart.org/. Also visit Artesa Winery next door, it’s got great architecture. http://www.artesawinery.com/index1.html
· Hot Springs, Calistoga: This is a very fun day trip over the hill into Napa Valley (20 minutes away). There are many hot mineral water/mud bath/massage opportunities in this town and a cute little downtown walk. Indian Hot Springs has a great pool you can use with a spa treatment. http://www.indianspringscalistoga.com/
Restaurants
· The Farmhouse. 5 miles up River Road toward the coast.
· ZAZU 5 miles on Guerneville Rd.
· Madrona Manor. Beautiful Colonial Hotel in Healdsburg.
· La Gare: French food, Old Railroad Square, Santa Rosa
· John Ash & Co. 2 miles on River Rd & Hwy 101)
· Stark Steakhouse: Old Railroad Square, Downtown Santa Rosa
· Rosso Pizzeria. Gourmet pizza and salads, Downtown Santa Rosa
· Portofino, Great Italian, 4th St. Santa Rosa
· Dierk’s Parkside Café. Great breakfast and lunches, Downtown Santa Rosa.
· Rivers End. On the coast in Jenner, 30 minutes.
· Willie’s Wine Bar. 2 miles on Old Redwood Hwy.
· Gary Chu’s. Great Chinese food, Downtown Santa Rosa.
· Jhanthong Banbua: Great Thai 3 miles south on Old Redwood Hwy.
· Sea Thai Bistro. Montgomery Center, Downtown Santa Rosa)
Wineries and Vineyard Tours:
Wine Tasting Tour: Jesse Shaw, a personal friend, gives the best wine tours in the North Coast http://www.gourmetwine.com/index.shtml
Local Appellations:
· Dry Creek & Russian River appellations are a wonderful day’s drive through beautiful wine country. http://www.wdcv.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1&Itemid=3
o Favorites: Preston (great family winery), Kendall Jackson, Murphy Goode, Ferrari Carrano (spectacular gardens), Nalle (wonderful wine maker), Korbel
o Healdsburg is in the Dry Creek region, with 22 tasting rooms and over 20 great restaurants, here’s a link to restaurants http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&view=text&hl=en&gl=us&q=great+restaurants+in+healdsburg+ca&btnG=Search+Maps
· Alexander Valley. Nice drive and great wineries. Be sure to visit the Jimtown Store for lunch. http://www.alexandervalley.org/
· Napa Valley: Napa has many large well known wineries with impressive history and architecture. However, it tends to get crowded and very touristy. Napa map http://napavalley.com/maps/ The best route is to go through Calistoga with stops in St. Helena and Yountville.
Hot Springs, Calistoga: This is a very fun day trip over the hill into Napa Valley (20 minutes away). There are many hot mineral water/mud bath/massage opportunities in this town and a cute little downtown walk. Indian Hot Springs has a great pool you can use with a spa treatment. http://www.indianspringscalistoga.com/
Massage: by Barbra Friedman. Barbra, is a very talented and diverse licensed massage therapist. She will come directly to the cottage and will cater the massage according to your needs. . Advance reservations are needed. http://www.barbrafriedman.com/