Sonoma Valley Official Visitors Guide

REGIONS
Carneros Feel the cool breezes
from San Pablo Bay as you gaze out over the
gently rolling hills and the flat plain that form
the southern end of Sonoma Valley. Life slows
down in these wide-open spaces, and there’s
plenty of time to explore, to taste fine wine
and gourmet olive oils, and to stroll through
vineyards, boutique shops, and designer gardens.
Wineries here specialize in cool-weather
varietals like Pinot Noir and Chardonnay as
well as sparkling wines.
Sonoma Sharing a name with the
neighboring Valley and the entire county, the
town of Sonoma is a charming wine-country
community known for its eight-acre Plaza.
Relax at a table under a shady tree with a
picnic, take a leisurely stroll along the
charming streets, discovering boutiques,
restaurants, and wine tasting rooms. You’ll
find old adobe buildings and other historic
sites almost everywhere you turn, and don’t
forget to spend a moment in the quiet serenity
of the last Spanish/Mexican mission built in
California.
The Springs You can’t miss the
brightly colored building façades — including
a giant, multi-colored metal chicken
outside a local grocery store — and the cool,
Mission-style lines of the Fairmont Sonoma
Mission Inn, a historic luxury resort. Both are
highlights of this dynamic area, consisting of
four adjacent communities and nicknamed
for its underground hot springs. Variety and
diversity are the watchwords here, with family-owned
eateries and businesses, boutique
shops, and wine-country fab thrift shops.
Glen Ellen “Quaint” will undoubtedly
come to mind as you explore this
wine country village, with its western chic
vibe. Dine on delicious farm-to-table cuisine
and taste wines crafted from grapes grown
in the surrounding vineyards. Hike scenic
trails and discover the life and times of famed
author Jack London in the state park bearing
his name, and then wander through acres of
beautiful Asian plants at Sonoma Botanical
Garden east of town.
Kenwood Bite into a just-picked
strawberry at the strawberry patch, and
smile at the incredible collection of colorful
metal critters outside the feed store. Tucked
into northern Sonoma Valley’s vineyards,
rolling hills, and wide meadows, this tightknit
community offers a variety of delightful
experiences, from wine tasting to hiking and
camping at the nearby state park, or relaxing
in Mediterranean-style luxury at Kenwood
Inn & Spa.
Further afield Heading
northwest, Sonoma Valley ends with a rise
in the land that marks the boundary with
the Santa Rosa plain and the watershed
that feeds not into the San Pablo Bay but
rather into the Russian River and Pacific
Ocean. The communities of Santa Rosa,
Windsor and Healdsburg are to the north,
while Petaluma lies to the southwest and the
beaches of Bodega Bay are to the west. All
these areas of Sonoma County provide more
adventures when you have finished exploring
Sonoma Valley.
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