Interested in the best wines from Sonoma? Looking for recommendations on Guerneville restaurants and fun activities in wine country? My husband and I have been counting down the days to our latest adventures in California’s Russian River. Our good friends Daniel and Alex recently tied the knot at a lovely ceremony right in the heart of wine country.
Excited for our friends Daniel and Alex, spending our time in Russian River and enjoying the best wines from Sonoma.
Like so many couples, COVID ended up delaying their plans. But the wait was well worth it. We got fully vaccinated and took our very first flight since the pandemic hit, traveling on low-cost airline Avelo from Burbank to Santa Rosa. The flight couldn’t have been any easier, and was quite a deal!
Our first flight in over a year. Excited to make the trip with Avelo Airlines.
We headed up a few days before the celebration so we could check out the best of Sonoma. Looking to do more than just drink wine? We have ideas for just about everyone — from ziplining adventures to eating at the best Guerneville restaurants to taking an African safari. What? Are we in wine country? Check out our top picks below for any type of traveler. Soon you’ll have no shortage of ideas of things to do on your next Sonoma wine country vacation.
Shop ‘Til You Drop: Wander Downtown Healdsburg
When my husband Kevin and I lived in San Francisco, one of our favorite spots to visit in Sonoma was the picturesque town of Healdsburg. Healdsburg is about a 90 minute drive north of San Francisco. Though, despite its proximity, we didn’t get up here as often as we wished. On this latest trip, we decided to go back and see if it was as pretty as we remembered. And you know what? I think it’s gotten even nicer — with high end wine bars and boutique coffee shops around its walkable square.
Marine Layer Wines, one of the gorgeous tasting room in downtown Healdsburg.
Coffee shop time! Checking out Black Oak Coffee Roasters.
Healdsburg is a wonderful place just to go and relax. If you’re flying in and out of Santa Rosa, you can always explore right after your landing or before need to head out. The town is just 20 minutes north of the airport. We ended up arriving a little early for our return flight so made a quick stop in Healdsburg and grabbed some coffee. Be warned though, if you’re a shopper, it might might be hard to leave since their are so many cute stores downtown. Luckily, my husband helped pull me away so we could make our flight!
Take a Safari Tour in Santa Rosa at Safari West
Think there is only wine tasting in Sonoma? Think again! One of the very first things I booked when planning our latest wine country adventure was an authentic African safari, without ever having to leave California. We’ve gone on safari in Tanzania as well as Kruger National Park in South Africa. And this is the closest thing you’ll get to the real deal.
Nearly 900 animals, spanning 90 species, roam through the 400-acre preserve right in the heart of Sonoma wine country. We signed up for their 3 hour African safari tour with our guide who spends part of his time doing tours in Sonoma and the other part in Africa. You have the choice to either sit inside the safari truck or on top of the roof for a birds-eye view. We opted to go inside, right behind our safari guide, so we could ask all our burning questions. Or should I say, my husband could ask his MANY questions. Oh he had no shortage!
At the end of the safari ride, there is an optional tour through their aviary (included in the cost of the tour). If you’re a lover of animals, and looking to mix up your time between wine tasting, this is the perfect experience. Sonoma is known for its gorgeous sunny weather, so what better way to spend you day than outside in the fresh air and learning about these incredible African animals?
Loving our Safari West adventure.
Reservations are required for tours that leave daily. Their signature 3-hour safari ride costs $93 per adult plus taxes with discounts for seniors and children. Tours can be booked directly from the Safari West website.
Zipline High Above the Redwoods with Sonoma Canopy Tours
We based ourselves for the wedding in Guerneville and were excited to see this high-flying adventure option just minutes away from our hotel. Sonoma Canopy Tours is located in Occidental, California, in the thick of the redwoods. We joined their tree tops tour — featuring their highest and longest ziplining courses above the trees.
The entire adventure takes about 2.5 hours to complete — where you’ll zip across lines reaching up to 40 miles per hour. It’s breathtaking and a little frightening all at once. But in a good way!
Tours run throughout the day, but we jumped in on one of their first tours beginning at 8:45 AM. Who needs coffee? There is nothing like fresh Sonoma air and high-flying adventures to wake you up in the morning. We personally loved the other elements along the way including a rope bridge and a controlled drop at the end where we jumped off the platform high in the trees. Clearly, we had good faith in our guides who cheered us on along the way.
In total, we rode across 7 ziplines and walked across 2 sky bridges, giving us a whole new perspective on the redwoods and their grand size. Advanced reservations are necessary and can be booked directly on the Sonoma Canopy Tours website. We suggest the Tree Top Zipline Tour, where you get the best and highest ziplines in the park.
Sample the Best Wines From Sonoma at Guerneville Restaurants
Boon, a tasty spot to check out in downtown Guerneville.
In the past several years, downtown Guerneville has become a culinary destination with such popular spots as Boon eat + drink (a farm-to-table California bistro) and the German-influenced spot called Brot (pronounced “broat”). We visited Boon on a previous trip and it was as good as we remembered.
In particular, the restaurant is known to serve the best wines from Sonoma — focused on the local producers all within a short drive. In particular, you’ll need to sample the Russian River Pinot Noirs. The climate in this area — with its cool, coastal temperatures — makes it some of the best you’ll ever taste.
Looking for other dining spots? We also enjoyed our time at Main Street Bistro. This local hot spot has nightly entertainment. On our previous trip to Guerneville, we saw a band called “Bad Ass Boots,” which was made up with a group of spirited grandma’s bang out heavy rock. Oh, only in Guerneville!
Take a Road Trip to Goat Rock Beach, The Final Scene of Goonies
A few weeks earlier, Kevin and I did a road trip to Oregon where we visited Astoria — the shooting location of the 1980s classic movie The Goonies. Check out our Goonies road trip adventure through Oregon here. However, we were a little bummed to learn that the film’s most iconic scene — featuring One-Eyed Willie sailing off on a pirate ship — wasn’t actually filmed in Astoria. While I was initially bummed, I saw that it was filmed at Goat Rock Beach, located just a 15 minute drive from downtown Guerneville. Know what that means? Road trip!
We hopped in our car and stopped first at Gold Coast Coffee and Bakery, located in Duncans Mill. This is just a 15 minute drive from downtown Guerneville. I didn’t really expect there to be a lot in Duncans Mill but was pleasantly surprised. There are cute little shops including gourmet food markets, toy shops and antiques. Before we jumped into the shopping, we had to grab some coffee and enjoy the cinnamon buns. Take note, they sell out fast!
We spent about an hour wandering around the stores in this tiny little town. Kevin of course couldn’t help but check out the Poet’s Corner Book Shop. This is probably one of the tiniest book stores we’ve ever been to. But they certainly packed a lot inside.
From here, we made our way to the crown jewel of our Goonies tour — to check out Goat Rock Beach. It’s about a 12 minute drive, but could take longer as you hug the coast and take in the incredible views.
Just be sure to keep your eyes on the road. At one point, the 2 lane road turns into just one lane. It’s quite an adventure but it’s all worth it to see the famous backdrop for that final Goonies scene.
There are hiking trails and opportunities to walk along the beach. But truth be told, we pretty much snapped the photo and headed out. It was FREEZING and wet the day we visited. It certainly felt like we were in the movie with the fog rolling in. But that allowed us more time to squeeze in one more stop along the way back to Guerneville — and sample some cheese and Sonoma wine!
Before making our way back to Guerneville, we had a wonderful stop at Sophie’s Cellars back in Duncan Mills. We grabbed an indoor table where we sampled the best wines from Sonoma (obviously some Pinot Noir and a Rose) and noshed on a cheese plate. They offer seating outside, but it was a chilly day so Kevin and I were more than happy to cozy up. They even had blankets for us. I looked at my watch and soon realized it was almost time to get back for the wedding. We definitely didn’t want to be THOSE people and show up late. Plus, one of the grooms even called me while I was drinking the wine to help corral the guests onto the shuttle. We closed out our bill and made the quick drive back to Guerneville. And in case you’re wondering, we made it back in time. And I did the very important job of getting everyone on the shuttle. Phew, no pressure!
Looking for other ideas of things to do in California wine country? Check out all our wine country adventures here, including our previous travels through Sonoma and Northern California. Have a few more days to explore? We highly recommend a trip to Napa and reading our guide on how to spoil yourself silly. Going to San Francisco? And on the hunt for something a little romantic? In that case, be sure to check out the top 5 unique and cheap things to do on a date in San Francisco.
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