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Bearclaws and other good things in Duncans Mills

It doesn't get much better than this - cool, foggy morning with a cup of great coffee and a fat, flaky bear claw from Gold Coast Cafe and Bakery in Duncans Mills, west of Guerneville towards Jenner. I think they have the best coffee around. Their pastries are made in a wood-fired oven - they have pizzas too. Yum! Take a peaceful, scenic drive out to Duncans Mills and indulge yourself.

Submitted by secret local: Beth, Guerneville, CA

Lake Sonoma Scenery

One of my favorite local day trips is at the end of dry Creek Road. Lake Sonoma State Park is a wonderful place to spread out with different elevations it is reminiscent of drives through the foothills in Colorado. Be sure not to miss the two-tiered observation deck perched above the lake. It is a great spot for that bottle of wine you bought along the way with some cheese & crackers to enjoy a vista like no other in Sonoma County.

  • Lake Sonoma Recreational Area
  • Geyserville, CA
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Lowell, Santa Rosa, CA

Finally, Great Local Dim Sum

You no longer have to make the long trek to the city for tasty, mouthwatering and authentic dim sum. Simply take a drive up College Avenue in Santa Rosa to Hang Ah Dim Sum, 2130 Armory Drive. You know it’s genuine when you enter the restaurant and English is not the primary language! Be sure to try their extraordinary steamed BBQ pork buns and crispy shrimp balls. Great for eating in the restaurant or for taking home for your own intimate dinner.

  • Hang Ah Dim Sum
  • 2130 Armory Drive
  • Santa Rosa, CA 94923
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Elizabeth, Guerneville, CA

Favorite walk

The Santa Rosa Rural Cemetery, located west of downton Santa Rosa is a wonderful place for a weekend walk. The self-guided tour offers insights into the characters buried throughout the cemetery. While you may never know the stories behind all those who died in the early days of Santa Rosa, the dates and inscriptions weave a wonderful tale.

Submitted by secret local: Natasha, Santa Rosa, CA

Golf on the ocean AND hot dogs to die for!

I just played the Links at Bodega Harbour for the second time and once again loved it! The course was fabulous! Despite my visiting far more sand traps than I wanted (not the course's fault), the bent greens were awesome and the views from nearly every hole were breathtaking! I am not sure if I loved the course or the hot dogs at the turn more....seriously you must try one of the grilled, jumbo hot dogs on a soft hoagie roll. Definitely a fun day!

Submitted by secret local: Tim D, Sacramento, CA

Holy fresh Sushi

You might not think to head over to the Sky Lounge at the Charles M. Schulz airport for awesome sushi, but you should try it! Not only is the the sushi fresh and delicious, but they had some tasting looking appetizers and sandwiches too! All this and it comes with a cool view and they even have outdoor seating. This was a great place! I work nearby and hadn't thought to check it out. I am glad I did. It's close to my office and I discovered they do a great happy hour! Shhhh....don't tell the boss!

Submitted by secret local: Jill, Santa Rosa, CA

The Gravity Hill

Instructions
When you cross the cattleguard, look down a sloping grade that clearly appears to run downhill. Go about 10-15 yards, stop, throw it in neutral and say your prayers as the car rolls uphill toward the cattle guard.

Submitted by secret local: Craig, Santa Rosa, CA

Pumpkin Madness!!

There is a great pumpkin patch in Petaluma called Spring Hill Farm (the other 11 months of the year it's a dairy and their cheese pops up in local farmers markets.) In October, you get to dig your own potatoes, pick pumpkins, and, of course, milk a cow. Last year we left with more pumpkins than we meant to, and lots of potatoes we dug ourselves. Fun times!

Submitted by secret local: Barbara F, San Jose, CA

Fantastic Eggs Benedict

Rocker Oysterfeller's at the Valley Ford Hotel has the best Eggs Benedict ever- farm fresh eggs that arrive daily, an awesome Hollandaise sauce and a third generation family recipe for biscuits that are soft and moist inside and crunchy and delicious outside! Also try the Cheese Grits and you will be in brunch heaven.

  • 14415 Highway 1
  • Valley Ford, CA 94972
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Dennis H, Windsor, CA

Motel Thai

A very understated, yet extraordinary Thai Restaurant is on Santa Rosa Avenue. Called "Motel Thai" by locals because it sits smack dab in the middle of a motel parking lot, this hole in the wall has great lunch specials.

The real name of this place? Jhanthong Banbua

  • 2400 Mendocino Ave.
  • Santa Rosa, CA 95403
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Larry L, Santa Rosa, CA

Hike in the Hills

Foothill Regional Park in Windsor, just south of Healdsburg, is a good place to wander among oak trees, small lakes, and grassy valleys. Take the trail to the top of the hill for a jaw-dropping view of the Santa Rosa plain and the Russian River Valley. Horses and bicycles are also welcome.
(The other side of the hills is the exclusive Mayacama Country Club. Foothill Park's entry fee of $5 is $249,995 cheaper, and you're walking on the same hill!)

Submitted by secret local: Christy E, Windsor, CA

Best Soy Latte On Earth

Howards Restaurant in Occidental has the best soy latte on earth. It is served in a big, handleless bowl and goes great with their local foods including the Smoked Salmon Benedict.

  • 3611 Bohemian Hwy
  • Occidental, CA 95465
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Ken F, Windsor, CA

Bay Hill Road

The most pristine stretch of pavement I have ever seen! Heading north on Hwy 1 from the town of Bodega, turn right on Bay Hill Road (at the bottom of the hill, just past the trout farm, another great place to while away an afternoon). The next few miles will take you from eucalyptus groves to Sonoma Coast ridgetops to a spectacular Pacific Ocean view. Park your car and climb an adjacent hill for the full experience. Bring someone to share it with.

  • Bay Hill Road
  • Bodega Bay, CA
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Julien, Healdsburg, CA

Ernie's Tin Bar

To cleanse the palate between wines, tasting rooms often offer taste-bud-neutralizing wafers and tap water. Here's a better idea: a cold one pulled at Ernie's Tin Bar, the best kept secret in Sonoma County. Located in the no-man's land where Lakeville Highway and Stage Gulch Road connect like a wishbone (linking Petaluma and Sonoma with a hairpin turn worthy of a rally race), the unassuming tavern's credo is rather brusquely summed up by its signage: "Beer, Soda, Etc."

Submitted by secret local: Daedalus, Sonoma CA

Trekkies' Secret Hangout

Robert Ferguson Observatory is a community observatory located in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, near Kenwood in Sonoma Valley. Public solar day viewing, lunar night viewing, night classes and camping are all available for nominal fees. Public evening events make a fun-filled night, with docent led presentations on astronomy, reviews on what you'll see in the evening sky, and amateur's trying out their own telescopes. The observatory's telescope takes beautiful photos of galaxies, and it's easy to see amazing star alignments because there's no street lights. Suggest arriving early for the docent presentation, and staying until 2am or 3am for best viewing. Bring a jacket and warm clothes, flashlight, & camp out for family fun.

  • Sugarloaf State Park
  • 2605 Adobe Canyon Road
  • Kenwood, CA 95452
  • www.rfo.org
  • MAP

Submitted by secret locals: P & B Trekkies

Grilled Cheese Sandwich

The best place to get a grilled cheese sandwich is the Girl and the Fig Restaurant in Sonoma. It comes with tomato confit & matchstick frites. Nothing to me says comfort food as a grilled cheese sandwich and it evokes memories of School days and Saturday lunch treats out at a restaurant. This is not the simple sandwich your mom made you. "Its a real feel good".

Submitted by secret local: Linda M

A Breakfast Treat

The lemon cottage cheese pancakes and a side of chicken apple sausage at Big 3 Diner is a fine way to fuel up for a day of wine tasting and exploring Sonoma Country. I drive from Windsor to Sonoma Valley just for a taste of this delicious fare.

  • Big 3 Diner
  • 18140 Highway 12
  • Sonoma, CA 95476
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Ken F, Windsor, CA

Dierk's Parkside: Foodie Nirvana

Okay you're driving north on Santa Rosa Ave and you pass Hwy 12 and see the Greyhound station on the left and the tattoo parlor on the right and you see the sign for "Parkside Cafe" and think should I stop? If you are a foodie you must, and if you aren't a foodie you should.

Breakfast, lunch and brunch, Dierk's is a must stop. Breakfast "pull aparts"-bread dough, sugar and cinnamon with all a grandma's love...omlettes with fresh Sonoma goat cheese, potato with duck confit...lunch salads that are highlighted by a fresh roasted turkey salad, Asian chicken with a remarkable ginger soy dressing... great local wine list and a white board that can't be missed with daily specials...

Don't miss the chance to discover a real Sonoma secret

Submitted by secret locals: “The Geek and She” from Santa Rosa

Italian food like my grandma used to make

The food at Roberto's brings me back to my childhood and the Sunday dinner at my grandma's house. They specialize in seafood and veal. The menu consists of pastas, homemade soups, steak, chicken and veal along with a seafood special nightly. Plus their homemade focaccia is some of the best I have ever tasted.

  • 4766 Sonoma Highway
  • Santa Rosa CA 95409
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Greg, Santa Rosa, CA

Favorite motorcycle ride

My favorite motorcycle ride in Sonoma County is Chalk Hill Road to Highway 128 through the Alexander Valley wine region. Stop at the Jimtown Store for lunch and the best chocolate pudding on the planet. Take Highway 101 to Shiloh Road. Turn right and follow Shiloh for about one mile. Turn left onto Chalk Hill Road and let the good times roll.

  • Chalk Hill Road
  • Santa Rosa CA
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Brian M, Santa Rosa, CA

Mom's Beach

There is a nice, sandy and rocky beach called "Mom's Beach" by locals, just past Windsor in the town of Forestville. Great for a picnic and splashing in the water, and watching as canoes and kayaks head further down towards Guerneville. Get there early and stake out a prime spot. From 101, take the River Road exit west about 10 miles. When you pass Burke's Canoes and Steelhead Beach, you are close. Look to the right for the sign for River Drive! Park in the lot on the corner and walk about 100 yards to the short trail to the beach.

  • Mom's Beach
  • River Drive
  • Forrestville, CA 95436
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Frank E, Sebastopol, CA

By the light of the Silvery Moon

Next time there is a full moon, head out to the portion of Highway 12 east known as the Valley of the Moon. Jack London, the adventurer and novelist, lived nearby in Glen Ellen and wrote beautifully about this area of Sonoma County. There's nothing like viewing the vineyards under the romantic light of a full moon. The wineries, the vines, the majestic oaks are all outlined in stark contrast to the blackness surrounding them. At Warm Springs Rd., turn west and continue on to Bennett Valley Road. These country roads will bring you back to Santa Rosa as you complete a small circle of about 10 miles.

  • Valley of the Moon
  • Glen Ellen, CA 95442
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Alice

Good Airplane Food

At the Sonoma County Airport, the Sky Lounge restaurant has outside tables that front the runway. This is one of the best places to check out the private jets, hot air balloons, helicopters, Horizon Air flights and various vintage aircraft that call the airport home.

Submitted by secret local: Anna Eileen, Fulton, CA

Stargazing

The beach at Goat Rock St. Park near Jenner is the perfect place to stargaze. No pesky city lights. The crash of the surf for background music... what more do you need? Well I'll tell you. Dress warmly (it's usually windy and cold) bring blankets to wrap up in as you sit on the sand dune. AND pack a flashlight - it's dark out there (that would be the point, right?) and if you drop your keys, lose a shoe or your wallet - you'll want the light. Best time for viewing is during the meteorite showers in early August.

Submitted by secret local: Lynette M., Guerneville, CA

Los Taqueros Fabulosos

Wine country dining isn't all pancy-fants and arugula. Sometimes you just want a taco. Fear not! Sonoma County has some great taco trucks serving tacos, tamales, sopes and more. Best bets are to travel the byways and backroads to find trucks. Good routes are Guerneville Road, Highway 12, and Geyserville Road.


  • Geyserville, CA 95441
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Seth T, Santa Rosa, CA

Hear the Call of the Wild

Jack London State Park encompasses 1,400-acres in the foothills above Glen Ellen. An easy 1.5 mile round-trip hike leads to the Wolf House, a massive 15,000 square foot, 4-story mansion built from quarried lava-rock, redwood logs and Spanish tiles. The house burned down in 1913, days before the London's planned to move in. The trail winds through a madrone and oak forest to the historic ruins.

Another easy 0.75-mile hike circles Jack London's Beauty  Ranch, tucked into the foothills of Sonoma Mountain. The loop trail visits the London's cottage, the innovative Pig Palace, silos built in 1914, a rock sherry barn built in 1884, a distillery building and London Lake, a five-acre oasis with a bathhouse, surrounded by redwoods.

From Day Hikes Around Sonoma County by Robert Stone

Mom's Apple Pie

Outside Sebastopol

If you are lost somewhere outside Sebastopol, you're in luck.

Look for the "Mom's Apple Pie" sign on the side of Gravenstein Highway, just north of the intersection with Guerneville Road. Not only will Betty Carr, the friendly owner and "mom", give you directions, but she'll also offer you some of her heavenly apple pie with the flaky crust. The apples, she'll point out, grow right in the back of the shop.

Order it. With ice cream. Get some coffee. Sit.

Stay lost for as long as you can.

Also serves excellent rhubarb, strawberry, pecan, berry and just about any other kind of pie you need. Sandwiches, coffee, espresso sold, directions given for free.

Submitted by secret local: Tim Z, Windsor, CA

Tasting of a Different Kind

Olive oil tasting is the next new thing. Try different varieties, including a bright, lime-infused oil, at Figone's Olive Oil Company in Glen Ellen.

If you're traveling in southern Sonoma Valley, stop in at The Olive Press, located in Jacuzzi Winery.

Submitted by secret local: Tina L, Sonoma, CA

Italian Roadside Café

Look no further than Kenwood for that "I've just traveled to Italy" fare. Café Citti, 9049 Sonoma Highway, offers a relaxed atmosphere with amazing food. Try the Chicken alla Toscana - roasted chicken, stuffed with garlic and fresh herbs. The fall-off-the-bone goodness can be paired with penne pesto pasta. You'll have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.

  • Café Citti
  • 9049 Sonoma Hwy
  • Kenwood, CA 95452
  • (707) 833-2690
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Tina L, Sonoma, CA

Nap Time Delight

Bodega Head's parking lot is atop a ragged cliff above the Pacific Ocean. Crack open your windows or sunroof, push your seat back and snuggle in. The fresh air and pounding surf lulls you to sleep for a refreshing nap.

Submitted by secret local: Tina L, Sonoma, CA

A Taste of Old Sonoma

Bite into a juicy burger at Happy Dog, 18962 Sonoma Highway, Sonoma. The yummy burger, with a side of onion rings or fries, is best washed down with an authentic malted milk shake.

  • Happy Dog
  • 18962 Sonoma Hwy
  • Sonoma, CA 95476
  • (707) 935-6211
  • MAP

Submitted by secret local: Tina L, Sonoma, CA

Kozlowski Farms in Forestville

The Kozlowski family still makes everything from hand and offers goodies ranging from BBQ sauce to apple butter and blackberry jam. They also make some of the best Gravenstein Apple Pie I have ever had. If you visit make sure to have a slice.

Submitted by secret local: Keri H, Santa Rosa, CA

Spud Point Crab Company

Spud Point Crab Company makes some of the best clam chowder along the Pacific Coast. Their little shack with picnic tables nestled near the water makes them the perfect location for local seafood. The crab sandwich is amazing and the views don't get any better. Make sure to dress for the weather as they only offer outdoor seating.

Submitted by secret local: Keri H, Santa Rosa, CA

Best Coastal Hike

Salt Point State Park is located on the spectacular Sonoma Coastline. Perched on the rugged cliffs, the 6,000-acre park has 7 miles of coastline with 20 miles of hiking, biking and equestrian trails. The Salt Point Trail follows the sheer oceanfront bluffs with breath-taking panoramas of the chiseled headlands, rocky promontories, secluded coves, natural bridges, dramatic offshore rocks and the crashing surf. The trail passes ancient Indian midden sites and leads to intricate wind and wave-sculpted honeycomb formations in the sandstone, known as tafoni.

From Day Hikes Around Sonoma County by Robert Stone

Best Trail through the Redwoods

Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve is tucked into a stream-fed canyon on the edge of Guerneville. The 805-acre reserve contains the largest remaining first-growth coast redwoods in Sonoma County. It is also the only grove of first generation redwoods open to the public in the county. Scattered among the stately redwoods are tanbark oak, big-leaf maple and California bay laurel. The Pioneer and Discovery Trail meander through the heart of the redwood cathedral on the shady forest floor along Fife Creek. The self-guided nature trail has interpretive panels and a printed guide.

From Day Hikes Around Sonoma Countyby Robert Stone

Best Trail With Your Dog

Hood Mountain Regional Park sits in the Mayacamas Mountains five miles east of Santa Rosa. The diverse 5,800-acre wilderness park contains the headwaters of Santa Rosa Creek, tributaries that feed Sonoma Creek, rolling meadows, deep canyons, wooded slopes and dramatic rock outcroppings. The Hood Mountain Trail, one of my dogs favorite hikes, leads to Gunsight Rock, a jumble of rocks sitting high above Sonoma Valley. From the overlook are spectacular vistas stretching from the Pacific Ocean and the Golden Gate Bridge to the Sierra Nevada Range. En route, the trail weaves through canyons, dense forests, open grasslands, and picnic areas and crosses creeks, streams andridgetops.

From Day Hikes Around Sonoma County by Robert Stone

Best Hike at a Winery

Bartholomew Memorial Park and Winery sits in the foothills above the town of Sonoma at the end of Castle Road. The 375-acre park leases part of its diverse land to the Bartholomew Winery. The Grape Stomp Trail and You-Walk Miwok Trail form a 2.4-mile loop that begins and ends at the winery. The trail winds through oak-covered mountain slopes with Douglas fir and redwood groves, following portions of Arroyo Seco and the South Fork of Arroyo Seco. En route, the hike passes a lake, a pond, caves and two spectacular overlooks with vistas of Sonoma Valley, San Pablo Bay and the Golden Gate Bridge.

  • Bartholomew Memorial Park
  • 1000 Vineyard Lane
  • Sonoma, CA 95476
  • (707) 935-9511
  • www.bartpark.com
  • MAP

From Day Hikes Around Sonoma County by Robert Stone

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