Sonoma County is bigger than you might think and has a lot more to offer than just wine. My family and I decided to split our stay in half to spend half of it in Healdsburg and half in the city of Sonoma. I’m convinced harvest season is the best time of the year to visit Sonoma County; the vines are full, the weather can’t be beat, and the wine just tastes better. Here are some recommendations of things to do if you’re spending a week in the county of Sonoma.

Hike along the coast

Bodega Head in Bodega Bay was our first activity after getting off the plane. This was something we debated, since it was a bit out of our way and we had a wine tasting reservation to get to. We were so happy we did because it offered some of the best views we had on the trip! Even if you’re short on time, this is a must do. Also, check out Sonoma Coast Vineyards if you’re in the area!

Sip Champagne

Korbel Champagne Cellars. This was one of my favorite wineries of our trip because I love champagne...so I may be slightly biased. This winery definitely offers the best value for tastings and wine club options. Naturally, I signed up for their wine club membership (and it just so happened to be the very first winery of the trip). Also, stop into their deli for an artisan sandwich!

Taste your way through downtown Healdsburg on foot

This was the first food and wine tour we had ever done and it will not be our last! The town of Healdsburg is so cute and quaint and perfectly walkable for a food and wine walking tour. We visited 3 tasting rooms, all of which paired our wine tasting with perfectly selected small bites, and finished off our tour with ice cream! Desiree was fun, personable, knowledgeable, and passionate about what she does. We couldn’t have asked for a better host.

Satisfy your sweet tooth with homemade ice cream

We always find a local ice cream shop on our vacations, so Sonoma County ice cream did not disappoint! We enjoyed delicious homemade ice cream from Sweet Scoops in downtown Sonoma. We never made it to Noble Folk Ice Cream & Pie Bar in Healdsburg, but it is also highly recommended.

Picnic amongst redwoods

Before we left Healdsburg, we were sure to stop into Oakville Grocery to grab our picnic lunch. We brought our amazing artisan sandwiches over to Riverfront Regional Park in Healdsburg. The $7 to park is well worth it once you see the amazing redwoods, lake views, and river views. The sandwiches just seemed to taste better with a beautiful redwood forest as your backdrop.

Drink something other than wine

With Sonoma County being known for its wine production, it can be easy to miss all the other drinks this county has to offer. There are also many breweries, cideries, and distilleries in the area; Russian River Brewing Company, Sonoma Springs Brewing Company and Golden State Cider, just to name a few. And don’t underestimate the quaint downtown coffee shops either! Whether you need a break from wine, or aren’t a wine drinker to begin with, you will not go thirsty here.

Tour wine caves

Wine caves aren’t exactly a thing in Minnesota, so this is a must anytime we visit historic California wineries. We visited both Buena Vista Winery (the first premium winery in California) and Deerfield Ranch Winery. At Buena Vista we learned so much history while tasting wines as we toured the grounds and caves. Deerfield Ranch Winery gave us a seated wine tasting experience in their wine caves (the tunnels of their wine cave actually formed a wine goblet). Be sure to wear layers, because the caves tend to be cooler in temperature.

Pedal your way through a vineyard

Our whole group agreed that this was the most fun wine tasting experience we had! Tour de St. Francis was a fully sustainable, pedal-powered, wine tasting trolley through the vineyards. We climbed on, buckled our seatbelts, got our first wine pour, and we were off! The experience came to a conclusion inside the winery, where we got our last pour.

Perfectly pair wine and cheese

Williamson Wines had the best wine and cheese pairing experience! Not only did they select the ideal cheeses to go with each of their wines, they also had their own dips and spreads to accompany the cheeses. The pairings exceeded expectations you didn’t know you had.

Savor the sonoma food scene

Sonoma County is known for it’s critically acclaimed restaurants that shouldn’t go unnoticed. Honestly, you can’t go wrong while in Healsburg or Sonoma, but here are a few we visited that I would highly recommend: The Girl and the Fig, Campo Fina, Tasca Tasca - Portuguese Tapas and Wine Bar, and El Dorado Kitchen. There are countless others too!

5 Days in Sonoma County