This California City Is the Gateway to Wine Country and Redwood Forests
From the vineyards to the oldest, tallest trees in minutes.
Santa Rosa is a patchwork of hills, valleys, plains, and field after field of grapes. As the seat of Sonoma County, its location means one thing: wineries galore. Or, really, two things if you throw in its convenient access to majestic redwoods. As one of the largest cities in California’s wine country, Santa Rosa is cosmopolitan enough to host boutique hotels, microbreweries, and hip coffee shops, but sleepy enough that it would be easy to sink into the calm, hella easy living of the Northern California forest.
Everything about Santa Rosa just feels chill, especially if you’re coming from a bustling, dense city like San Francisco. Summer is the high season, but fall and winter might be the best time of year—brisk but not too cold to hike, and even quieter and more laid-back than usual. Here’s our list of all the best things to do in Santa Rosa, California.
Travel Time:
1 hour from San Francisco
If you don’t do anything else: Explore the great outdoors, from the forest to the ocean
Just outside of the city proper, you’ll find the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve. Logging in the 19th century wiped out a lot of the region’s primeval redwood forest, but Armstrong preserves at least a portion of what remains of the coast redwood population. Coast redwoods are some of the tallest living things on earth, and they can live more than 1,000 years, grow to a diameter of about 16 feet, and stand up to 250 feet tall. They’re truly magnificent, and even those who don’t consider themselves particularly outdoorsy would be remiss to pass up a visit.
If you’re more into the ocean than the forest, Bodega Head Park and Beach has coves to poke around and trails to explore along the bouldered shore. Located about 10 miles from Santa Rosa, the park’s rocky headland leads into Bodega Harbor, which can be filled with crabbers, people grabbing a nice picnic, and whale watchers on the cliffs looking for the migrating beasts.
Fill the weekend with
Explore the art scene
The Charles M. Schulz Museum is a must-do for fans of Charlie Brown and the Peanuts gang. The museum has a lot of rare stuff for comic strip fans to check out, like a recreation of Schulz’s home studio and a number of pieces of cool, Snoopy-related art, including a wrapped mock-up of the beagle’s house by the legendary Christo and Jeanne-Claude.
If you’re into slightly harder stuff than Peanuts, ramble on over to Jack London State Historic Park, which contains the Call Of The Wild author’s home, as well as beautiful trails for hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
Those looking for a touch more man-made wonder might want to peruse the Pacific Coast Air Museum. While there are cool inside exhibits, guests will get the most bang for their buck outside on the three-acre field, which is filled with authentic military aircraft, mostly from the Korean War on. Most have been restored, and guests are invited to get up close and personal with the crafts. There’s a flight simulator on site, too, for anyone who gets the urge to take one of these things up for themselves.
Wine tasting
After you’ve seen all the art and gallivanted through all those forests—or if you need a little hike break—take advantage of yet another great bounty provided by Santa Rosa’s nature: wine. Santa Rosa is the biggest city in Sonoma County, which means it’s a hub for wineries and wine bars. If you want to stay in town there are urban wineries and tasting rooms to visit, and if you have a car and a designated driver you can use Santa Rosa as a base of operations to explore the incredible wineries of Sonoma County.
If you don’t feel like leaving town, head to Trecini’s tasting room downtown for Old World-inspired wines that tend towards lower ABV and minimal intervention. You can also pop over to Santa Rosa Vintners Square for D’Argenzio, and then follow that up with a visit to the other vendors in the square for pizza, coffee, juice, and beer.
If you’re ready to venture out, there are as many options as stars in the sky. Some local favorites include Joseph Swan, Littorai, Merry Edwards, and Porter-Bass, but you might do well to schedule a wine tour or a consultation with a local expert.
Shop local boutiques
Santa Rosa’s shopping complexes range from retro-cute to fully woo-woo crystal. The first, Montgomery Village, was built in the ‘50s as a sort of proto-outdoor mall. Don’t worry, it’s not just chain stores. You’ll also find indie coffee shops, antique stores, a bookstore, a toy store, and the Made Local Marketplace. It’s well worth a walk around, even if you don’t have anything specific on your shopping list.
In that same vein, a few miles away in Sebastopol, you’ll find The Barlow Market District. In this 12-acre outdoor market district, you’ll find stores from 40 different local artisans, including glassblowers and crystal healers. You’ll also find a whole slate of restaurants, bars, and ice cream shops selling everything from yerba mate to sushi.
Where to eat and drink in Santa Rosa
To start your day on a sweet note: Head to Marla SR first thing in the morning for excellent pastries and coffee drinks, or a stunning English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich, in very stylish digs. Or if waking up early isn’t in the cards, they also have excellent sourdough breads, and a simple selection of well-made sandwiches, soups, and salads for a light lunch.
To sample the icons of the Sonoma restaurant business: The ever-growing collection of Stark Reality Restaurants, run by husband-and-wife Mark and Terri Stark, are consistent highlights throughout Sonoma County. Willi’s Wine Bar is legendary, and you won’t go wrong at Stark’s Steak and Seafood, Grossman’s, or Bird & The Bottle either.
The craft beer is legendary too: They say it takes a lot of beer to make good wine, and no place takes that to heart more than Santa Rosa. Breweries abound in the city, headlined by the truly legendary Russian River Brewing, home of Pliny the Elder and—occasionally—Pliny the Younger, as well as a truly outstanding collection of barrel-aged sour ales. HenHouse Brewing is another highlight with a fun tasting room, and Moonlight Brewing is an old-school Bay Area icon that’s been around since 1992, justifiably celebrated for their classic San Francisco Schwarzbier Death & Taxes.
Where to stay in Santa Rosa
For a classic wellness-forward resort: The Flamingo Resort is a Santa Rosa staple set on a 10-acre campus. The resort boasts 170 guest rooms, plus 14 suites. The hotel’s got a big-time wellness feel going on, which vibes with its copious natural materials and beautiful settings. Check out their robust calendar of events, including daily meditation and yoga classes, as well as drum circles, “sound journeys,” and “conscious coloring.”
For an affordable, stylish motel: Jump into the modernized motel craze at The Sandman. This hotel offers morning yoga classes, cornhole, and bocce, all with a view of their lovely pool house and bar. They also have specific pet-friendly rooms and a big outdoor space where your pets can join you for the aforementioned bocce, cornhole, and drinks.
To drink in the swanky wine country vibes: Vintners Resort is a little bit out of Santa Rosa proper, but you’re rewarded for the extra trip with a lovely view overlooking a vineyard. One of the area’s ritziest restaurants, John Ash & Co, is on-site as well, with serious farm-to-table fine dining.