Petaluma & Sonoma County

"The Petaluma dining standard. Local farms, honest cooking, genuine flavors."

One of the best farm-to-table restaurants in Sonoma County — a small menu built from local farms, prepared with genuine technique. The duck confit and whatever seasonal vegetable is on the menu are consistently excellent. Reservations essential on weekends.

"The most unexpected restaurant in Petaluma. Swedish-Californian fusion."

A Swedish restaurant in Petaluma serving smorgasbord, gravlax, Swedish meatballs, and aquavit — all with California produce and sensibility. It makes perfect sense and is absolutely delicious. One of the more original restaurant concepts in Northern California.

"Petaluma's best casual outdoor spot. Local Sonoma County beers."

An outdoor beer garden in downtown Petaluma with a rotating selection of Sonoma County and North Bay craft beers, solid pub food, and the kind of community gathering spot that makes small cities worth living in. Good for families at lunch, livelier in the evenings.

"General Vallejo's 1834 rancho. The largest private adobe building in California."

General Mariano Vallejo's rancho headquarters — the largest private adobe structure in California, built in 1834 at the height of the Mexican rancho era. The complex gives a genuine sense of the California that existed before 1846. The surrounding ranch landscape is still largely intact.

"Where Hitchcock filmed The Birds. A genuine fishing village 30 minutes west."

A small fishing village on the Sonoma Coast 30 minutes west of Petaluma — the filming location for Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds (1963). The fishing fleet is real, the Dungeness crab in season is exceptional, and the coastal scenery is dramatic. A reliable weekend escape.

"One of the best-preserved Victorian commercial districts in California."

Petaluma's downtown along the river has an extraordinary collection of Victorian commercial architecture — iron-fronted buildings from the 1880s that served a prosperous egg and dairy economy. The city's careful preservation means the scale and character of the 19th-century commercial district remain intact.

"The finest coastal wilderness in the Bay Area. 30 minutes west."

An hour west via Highway 1, Point Reyes has the most dramatic coastal scenery accessible from a major metro area — elephant seal rookeries, tule elk herds, a lighthouse at the foggiest point on the coast, and 150 miles of trail. One of the best hikes in Northern California.

"Hike through vineyards with the Mayacamas Mountains above."

Sugarloaf Ridge State Park in the Mayacamas Mountains above Kenwood has 25 miles of trail through chaparral, oak woodland, and views across the entire Sonoma Valley. The combination of a morning hike and an afternoon at a Sonoma Valley winery is the optimal Sonoma day.

"A tidal river through the California marsh. Great egrets, harbor seals, otters."

The Petaluma River is navigable from downtown to San Pablo Bay, passing through the largest tidal marsh in California outside of San Francisco Bay. Great blue herons, river otters, harbor seals in the lower reaches, and an absolute absence of development below Petaluma. A genuinely wild corridor.

"The mission, the barracks, and the Bear Flag Republic. It started here."

The town of Sonoma, 20 minutes east, has a state historic park encompassing the 1823 mission, Vallejo's barracks, and the Plaza where the Bear Flag Republic was proclaimed in 1846. This is where California's transition from Mexican territory to American state began. A half-day for history enthusiasts.

"The Peanuts creator lived and worked in Santa Rosa. His studio is preserved."

Santa Rosa, 20 minutes north, has the Charles M. Schulz Museum — a world-class museum and creative center documenting the life and work of the Peanuts creator who lived in Sonoma County for 30 years. The recreation of his original studio is exceptional.

"A private African wildlife preserve in the Sonoma hills. Giraffes and rhinos."

A private wildlife preserve north of Santa Rosa with 1,000+ acres and 900+ animals — African plains species (zebra, giraffe, cheetah, rhinos, buffalo) in a Sonoma County setting. Open for safari tours and overnight tented camp experiences. Military discount available.

"Dramatic headlands, tide pools, and beaches. 30 minutes west."

A 17-mile stretch of Sonoma Coast State Beach from Bodega Bay to Jenner — dramatic headlands, secluded pocket beaches, river mouth lagoons, and excellent tide pools. Goat Rock Beach at the Russian River mouth is the highlight. Harbor seals haul out on the rocks year-round.