Sonoma County, California is calling you. It is a lush area on the northern California coast. It is the southwestern county of California’s Wine Country region, which is also home to Napa Valley and the Santa Ynez Valley. Driving on the highway through the county you will see hundreds of acres of grapes being grown for one of the 250 wineries in the area. Stop and visit a winery or two and tour to see how wine or champagne is made and sample the wares.
After a tour some of the wineries there is so much more to see in Sonoma County and do. Visit the Sonoma Coast State Beach and play on the Arched Rock Beach, Goat Rock Beach and Lake Sonoma, a picturesque area great for swimming, boating or fishing.
Visit Fort Ross which was a former Russian fur trading outpost or see the gardens at the Quarryhill Botanic Garden.
We all know their hidden child in each of us so Sonoma Train Town Railroad here we come. It is a miniature train amusement park. If you are a “Peanuts” fan you will just love the Charles Schulz museum that memorializes his work in his adopted hometown of Santa Rosa. The main feature of the museum is an early mural of Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the statues around town.
While driving though Freestone, California, stop at the Osmosis day spa for a relaxing afternoon. It is nestled in the countryside that has world-class wineries, gourmet restaurants, and artisan cheese makers. Again stop and enjoy a tour and sample of the wines and cheeses. The spa itself has Cedar Enzyme Bath deep heat treatment and expert massages and therapeutic facials. The spa also has extensive gardens with authentic Japanese landscaping, ponds and resplendent plant life. Truly worth the time and effort need to get there. When you leave you will feel like a new person.
Lastly don’t miss the giant redwoods that are hundreds of years old at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Preserve. It is beautiful and a wonderful respite from the city crowds with its 805 acres. The best way to enjoy the park is walking so get a good pair of walking shoes and follow the marked paths for something not seen anyplace else.
Sonoma County makes a wonderful vacation area and has an abundance of hotels, motels and B&B’s. Life is too short not to enjoy your time there.
Photo by Jill Clardy on flickr
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