Things to Do

These days it is easy enough to find many things to do in any given locality with a simple web search.  Below is a list of a few things we found.

Points of Interest

a.       Golden Gate Bridge Welcome Center – The PCH South tour will take you to the north side of the bridge viewpoints.  If you wish to cross the bridge the visitor center is just on the other side using Exit 439.

b.       Pacific Coast Highway – The road is California 1.  We have three tours (PCH North, Armstrong Redwoods and PCH South) that will provide opportunity to see the coastline from the Golden Gate to the northern town of Albion on one of the great roads you’ll ever drive.  If your vacation allows you can also drive the portion south of the city towards Big Sur.

c.       Stewarts Point Store – A small deli and bakery worth a visit.  It is a stop on the PCH North tour Wednesday through Friday (time allowing), or you may take a drive yourself.  It is about a 90-minute drive from the hotel.

d.       Duncans Mills – Another stop on the PCH North and Armstrong Redwoods tours. A quaint stop with a General Store/Deli and a group of stores.  Make sure to check both sides of the road.  About 45 minutes from the hotel.

e.       Armstrong Redwood State Park – This is a stop on the Armstrong Redwoods / Goat Rock tour.  An excellent example of a smaller forest of giant redwoods.  If you want to see the California redwoods in full scale, you need to venture nearly 200 miles north to The Avenue of the Giants.

f.        The Jack London Historic Park – This park is a sop on the Sonoma tour.  The park was occupied by a winery called Kohler & Frohling.  Jack London purchased the property when it was abandoned in 1905 with hopes of becoming a rancher. He named it Beauty Ranch.

g.       The Petrified Forest, in Calistoga, California holds one of the finest examples in the world of a preserved ancient forest. This unique site at the gateway to the Napa Valley was created following a violent volcanic explosion 3.4 million years ago.

h.       Garden Valley Ranch is a historic landmark in Petaluma that traces its origins back to the late 1800’s. This working rose farm cultivates 8,000 rosebushes over five acres of beautiful fields and gardens.

i.         The Sonoma Overlook Trail is a popular 2.4 to 3-mile round-trip hiking trail in Sonoma, CA, offering panoramic views of the Sonoma Valley and San Francisco Bay.

j.         The gardens at Cornerstone are an ever-changing botanical wonderland, showcasing innovative designs from international and local landscape architects and designers. The gardens were originally inspired by the International Garden Festival at Chaumont-Sur-Loire to create a cultural and creative haven, celebrating the connection between art, architecture, and nature.

k.       The Charles M. Schulz Museum and Research Center is a museum dedicated to the works of Charles M. Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip. The museum opened on August 17, 2002, two years after Schulz died, and is in Santa Rosa, California.

l.         Pacific Coast Air Museum preserves the stories of flight through historic aircraft and living history. Our museum stands as a testament to human courage and innovation

m.     Jelly Belly Factory Tour in Fairfield, CA - Roots stretch all the way back to the 19th century. In the 1960s, the company that would become Jelly Belly hit on a breakthrough — they were the first to infuse jelly bean centers as well as the shell with flavor.

n.     Napa Wine Train - Began operation in 1864. Board a beautifully restored vintage rail car and choose from 14 curated Napa Valley Wine Train experiences — each one pairing chef-driven cuisine, world-class Napa wines, and panoramic views of the valley with the kind of unhurried elegance no winery visit can replicate. From a three-hour gourmet lunch to a six-hour immersive wine tour with tastings at the valley’s most prestigious estates, every detail is handled from the moment you board. No driving. No planning. Just Napa Valley at its finest.

World of Wine:

·         Clos du Val vineyard - small exclusive French style winery with behind the scenes tour (Napa)

·         Domaine Chandon - sparkling wine producer owned by Moët (Yountville)

·         Robert Mondavi Winery - Spanish style; comprehensive tour (Oakville)

·         Castello di Amoroso - Winery and tours in Italian castle (Calistoga)

·         Beringer Vineyards - German style wines, tours (St Helena)

·         Darioush - Persian style winery (Napa)

California Spirits:

·         Gundlach Bundschu - mischievous modern winery (Sonoma)

·         Bear Republic Brewing - high energy, kitschy brewery and restaurant (Healdsburg)

·         St Supery Winery - great into to winemaking tours (Rutherford)

·         Schramsberg - winery with huge storage caves (Calistoga)

·         Mumm Napa winery - redwood barn; Ansel Adams and photography collection (Rutherford)

·         Benzinger Family Winery - wagon vineyard tour (Glen Ellen)

Towns:

• Sonoma – Sonoma is a historic city in northern California at the heart of the renowned Sonoma Valley winemaking region. It's known for its art galleries and the colonial-era Sonoma Plaza. Surrounding this plaza are significant 19th-century adobe buildings including Mission San Francisco Solano and the Sonoma Barracks, once used by the Mexican military. Seasonally, the square hosts a popular weekly farmer's market.

·         Napa – Napa is the seat of Napa County, California, in the heart of the Napa Valley wine region. Its downtown is known for late-1800s and early-1900s architecture, a riverfront promenade with shops and restaurants, and an arts scene anchored by the Napa Valley Opera House. The Oxbow Public Market houses a farmer's market and cheese shop, and the Napa Valley Wine Train visits area wineries via vintage Pullman cars.

·         St. Helena – St. Helena is a city in Napa County, California, United States. Located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the population was 5,430 at the 2020 census. St. Helena is a popular tourist destination, owing to its vineyards and culinary scene.

·         Glen Ellen – Glen Ellen is a charming, historic village in Sonoma County, California, known for its scenic vineyards, boutique wineries, and as the home of Jack London State Historic Park. Located about 15 minutes north of Sonoma, this quiet, rustic destination offers upscale dining, hiking, and botanical gardens.

·         Calistoga – Calistoga is the lunch stop on the tour bearing its name.  It is a small city in California's Napa Valley. It's known for hot springs, mud baths and wineries, including one set in Castello di Amorosa, a medieval-style castle. The Old Faithful Geyser of California erupts at regular intervals. Works by Italian artist Carlo Marchiori are displayed at the Ca'toga Galleria D'Arte, in town. To the southeast, Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park has an 1846 mill.

·         Sausalito – Sausalito is the destination of the PCH South tour for lunch.  It is a city in Marin County, California, across the Golden Gate Strait from San Francisco. It’s known for its Richardson Bay houseboat enclaves, built by artist squatters after WWII. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Bay Model Visitor Center has a functioning 3D hydraulic model of the Bay Area, plus exhibits about the area's waterways. The Marin Headlands offers Golden Gate Bridge views.

…..This is not a complete listing of places in the area. Reach out to a NASSAM 2027 member and they will help you find that one that we missed on the list and many more! Google search “things to do in Sonoma Valley or Napa Valley or along CA highway 1”