Sonoma Valley is the birthplace of the California wine industry and often called The Valley of the Moon. Sonoma Valley is home to some of the earliest vineyards and wineries in the state, some of which survived the phylloxera epidemic of the 1870s and the impact of Prohibition. Its wineries are generally well prepared for receiving tourists, and Sonoma Valley offers a wide range of year round festivals and events, including the prestigious Sonoma Valley Film Festival. Today, this small valley's wines are protected by the US federal government's Sonoma Valley and Carneros AVAs (or American Viticultural Areas).
The valley is located in southeastern Sonoma County between the Mayacamas Mountains and Sonoma Mountains. It stretches from San Pablo Bay in the south to the city of Santa Rosa in the north. Sonoma Creek flows down the valley to the bay. It includes the incorporated city of Sonoma and part of the City of Santa Rosa, as well as numerous unincorporated communities, including Kenwood and Glen Ellen near Santa Rosa and, near Sonoma, El Verano, Boyes Hot Springs, Fetters Hot Springs, and Agua Caliente.
PLACE TO VISIT
The Quarryhill Botanical Garden is a research botanical garden housing one of the largest collections of temperate Asian plants in North America. Plantings began in 1990. It is located near Glen Ellen, California, USA in Sonoma Valley, and is open to the public. The garden is devoted to plants from temperate China, Japan and the Himalayas, with more than 90 percent grown from wild-collected, scientifically documented seed. The collection includes rare varieties such as Cornus capitata, Holboellia coriacea, Illicium simonsii, Rosa chinensis var. spontanea, native to Sichuan, as well as extensive collections of various wild Asian dogwoods, lilies, magnolias, maples, oaks, roses, and rhododendrons.
Jack London National State Park, also known as Jack London Home and Ranch, is a California State Historic Park near Glen Ellen, California, United States situated on the eastern slope of Sonoma Mountain. It includes the ruins of a house burned a few months before Jack London and family were to move in, a cottage in which they had lived, another house built later, and the graves of Jack London and his wife. The property is a National Historic Landmark.
Sonoma State Historic Park is a state park located in the center of Sonoma, California. The park is comprised of six sites in Sonoma: the Mission San Francisco Solano, the Presidio of Sonoma or Sonoma Barracks, the Toscano Hotel, the Blue Wing Inn, and La Casa Grande and Lachryma Montis, the homes of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, Military Commander and Director of Colonization of the Northern Frontier.
Sonoma Creek is a stream in Northern California. It is one of two principal drainages of Southern Sonoma County, California, with headwaters rising in the rugged hills of Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and discharge to San Pablo Bay, the northern arm of San Francisco Bay. The watershed drained by Sonoma Creek is roughly equivalent to the wine region of Sonoma Valley, an area of about 170 square miles (435 square kilometers). The State of California has designated the Sonoma Creek watershed as a “Critical Coastal Water Resource”. To the east of this generally rectangular watershed is the Napa River watershed, and to the west are the Petaluma River and Tolay Creek watersheds.
WHAT TO DO
The first and most obvious thing to do in Wine Country is to visit one or more of the many wineries in the surrounding area.
Take a horseback ride through the vineyards.
Bicycle along the picturesque countryside.
Take a balloon ride over the beautiful landscapes.
Take a cooking course at Ramekins and then relax with a wonderful meal on site. Besides wine, Sonoma is also know for its arts.
Annual Jazz, Art and Wine festival and the Salute to the Arts. If you're around in August and September, you don't want to miss those!
TrainTown http://www.traintown.com/ is a fun attraction for young children.
WINE TASTING
You're in Wine Country! There are many great wineries all around Sonoma. If you can't decide you can also go to the Wine Exchange on First Street East on the plaza and they can recommend some great wines and beers too!
HOW TO REACH
Sonoma is a little town in the North bay that is growing constantly, but it still insists on having that small home town feel. There are no freeways or major highways that go thru Sonoma since it is surrounded by hills on every side. The best bet to get in is from Hwy 12 either from Napa, Petaluma or Santa Rosa. Sonoma County is served by direct flights to Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS). Travelers can also fly in to either Sacramento or Oakland Airport. (You can use San Francisco also but it is a little more hectic of an airport). There are many ways to get from the airport including many different bus systems, the airporter, taxi cabs (wouldn't recommend), rental car or since you are in luxurious Wine Country why not rent a limo!
