Discover California Wine Country – Sonoma County
As we all know, California is known for its wine country, the most famous being Napa Valley. But there are many other wine regions in Northern California that are definitely worth checking out. We were able to escape to the coast this weekend and spend some time in Sonoma County.
Sonoma County
This photo was taken traveling through Sonoma County, on our way to the coast. I love looking at the beautiful fall colors of the vineyards. Sonoma County has beautiful countryside to drive through with rolling hills. Right next to Napa Valley, Sonoma County has more than 400 wineries spread out over 13 distinct American Viticultural Areas. And if you want to try something different, the area’s artisan breweries, cider houses, and distilleries offer tours as well.
Savor local Sonoma County foods
Sonoma County is known for many local products in addition to wine, including delicious items grown from the fertile earth or harvested fresh from the sea. When traveling through the county you’ll see ranches with cattle, goats, and sheep. An abundance of fruits, vegetables, and herbs also blanket the countryside. Dungeness crab season opened the week before we arrived, and many were being caught (some by us) last weekend. Sonoma County also offers up delicious artisan cheeses, olive oils, and much more. And of course, we made our regular visit to Bodega Bay and Spud Point Crab Company for clam chowder of course. Don’t miss it next time you visit.
Explore the coast
We did a lot of this – including taking a stunning drive along Highway 1 viewing the rugged cliffs, pristine sand beaches, and stunning vistas. State and regional parks dot the coastline, and we spent some time checking out future camping areas.
Explore the Russian River
We took a beautiful day trip through the ancient redwoods and ran across a couple of cute little towns, and lots of gorgeous scenery. There are a variety of state and regional parks along the way. Even a couple of campgrounds we’d like to go
back and stay in that area.