Sonoma County, north of San Francisco, is California wine country, but it offers a wide variety of activities apart from wine. From hikes to gardens and coastal views to historical sites, Sonoma has something for most travelers.
Begin your exploration at historic Sonoma Plaza, where you can stroll the square, shop, and dine. Here's where you will find the Visitor Center as well.
Along the square, you can tour some of the sites of Sonoma State Historic Park. The California Mission Trail ends at the Sonoma Mission. The Sonoma Barracks contains many exhibits to browse.
If you enjoy local history, you can also visit General Vallejo's former estate, also part of the state park. The interior of the home is furnished, and the surrounding gardens are beautiful.
Sonoma County is famous for its wine, so wine lovers will want to schedule tours and tastings. But Sonoma's wineries also offer great architecture and gardens to discover.
Cornerstone is a complex of gardens in the city of Sonoma. Sunset Magazine has a few test gardens here, and there are several other gardens to stroll, plus a little bit of shopping, wine tasting, and dining.
If you enjoy gardens, be sure to visit the Sonoma Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen. Here you can see many Asian plants, grown from seed gathered in the wild. The garden now also has a California native plants section.
In Santa Rosa, you can tour the Luther Burbank home and gardens. Burbank was a renowned horticulturist. He created hundreds of varieties of plants and trees, including the Shasta daisy.
Walk among coastal redwoods at the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve in Guerneville. River Road or Bohemian Highway are scenic redwood drives in Sonoma County.
The Russian River offers lots of opportunities for recreation, from beaches to kayaking or paddleboarding and birdwatching. At Jenner, you can see the river meeting the Pacific Ocean.
Sonoma Coast State Park is a must-visit. The drive along the coast is gorgeous, with numerous overlooks for photos, and there are coastal hikes to try and beaches to visit.