"SONOMA. THE VALLEY OF THE MOON" Top 5 Page for this destination Sonoma by travelgourmet

Sonoma Travel Guide: 268 reviews and 649 photos

WALL MURAL IN TOWN SQUARE - Sonoma
WALL MURAL IN TOWN SQUARE
THE WINE COUNTRY AUTHOR

Sonoma. Native American word meaning The Valley of the Moon, per Jack London, famous novelist, 1876-1916, who wrote a book about the area titled "The Valley of the Moon" in 1913. How appropriate. Jack London wrote over 50 novels and many short stories and is immortalized in the Sonoma Valley.

SMALL TOWN PERFECTION
MISSION SAN FRANCISCO SOLANO DE SONOMA - Sonoma

MISSION SAN FRANCISCO SOLANO DE SONOMA

Many things bring one to Sonoma, but the wineries are the tourists choice for visiting. Once arriving in town, you feel as if this is the place to be to remember what a small town was, should be, and is. The town square is perfection in layout and design. A park in the center, lined with shops, restaurants, a mission, and even historic buildings of the Mexican Army and the start of the future as the Republic of California. Wine country indeed, but much more.

OFF THE BEATEN PATH: HEALDSBURG
SONOMA COUNTY BEAUTY: HEALDSBURG SQUARE - Sonoma

SONOMA COUNTY BEAUTY: HEALDSBURG SQUARE

Sonoma is only the start of the Sonoma County Wine Country and up the Sonoma Hwy are the towns of Glen Ellen and Kenwood known for their wineries. Take the Santa Rosa turnoff on Hwy 101 and the city of Santa Rosa awaits you. Going North on Hwy 101 from Santa Rosa, you can visit many more wineries in Healdsburg and Geyserville.

I am very fond of Healdsburg and the town square is very active with wine tasting rooms, grocery stores, restaurants, and specialty stores. This is where to shop for your picnic lunch that you can take to a winery and enjoy with the wine of the region. Check out my favorite Healdsburg winery in the OFF THE BEATEN PATH tips and picnic grounds TRAVELOGUE.

Pros and Cons
  • Pros:Small town feel, big wine country
  • Cons:I'm not living here
  • In a nutshell:American Beauty
  • Intro Updated Sep 17, 2010
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Reviews (11)

OAKVILLE GROCERY HEALDSBURG, CALIFORNIA - Sonoma EVERYTHING FOR A PICNIC AT THE WINERY Shopping (2)

Oakville Grocery is not in Sonoma but they do have two locations. One is near Napa in Oakville and the other is in the... more travel advice

YOU HAVE ARRIVED - Sonoma LAMBERT BRIDGE WINERY, HEALDSBURG Off The Beaten Path (4)

Healdsburg is about 44 miles north of Sonoma via Hwy 101. It is still Sonoma County and there are many fine wineries to... more travel advice

LET'S DUST 'EM OFF. - Sonoma SONOMA WINERIES Things to Do (2)

There are so many wineries in the region, that I was unable to visit them all, only the wino and I know, apology and... more travel advice

MAKE IT JACK CHEESE - Sonoma HOME OF SONOMA JACK Shopping (2)

This is the place to find that right cheese to go with a loaf of bread and the bottle of wine you purchase at your... more travel advice

Comments (5)

  • Reply
    JLBG's Profile Photo
    Jul 13, 2008 at 12:55 PM

    I did not know that Sonoma meant valley of the moon! I rememeber driving across Sonoma but did not visit any winery! The bread looks delicious!

  • Reply
    janetanne's Profile Photo
    Feb 5, 2006 at 7:01 AM

    Too bad someone doesn't invent a way to feed cacao beans to cows so the milk will come out Chocolate! How Now Brown Cow!

  • Reply
    Dec 21, 2005 at 11:09 AM

    Larry: I truly was sipping on a glass of Californian wine while stumbling on your Sonoma page. Though the wine was from Paicines (near Salinas) and not from Sonoma I still enjoyed your overview. Cheers!

  • Reply
    Docu2001's Profile Photo
    Aug 23, 2005 at 11:47 AM

    What about the wine?

  • Reply
    karenincalifornia's Profile Photo
    Apr 20, 2005 at 1:45 PM

    Great pic of the old homes! Wine, cheese, bread and chocolate - all from Sonoma! What more could a person want?

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