When people hear “Sonoma” they immediately think “wine”. There are, indeed, a lot of great family friendly wineries in Sonoma but there is so much more to do there beyond wine tasting that many people, unfortunately, overlook. That’s why I decided to create a couple of Sonoma family trip itineraries that focus on everything but wine. This itinerary has the town of Petaluma as its “base camp” for exploration. I also have itinerary published that covers the Northern Sonoma, aka the “Russian territory”.
Day 1. Besides wine, Sonoma is famous for its cheese industry. There are nearly 30 farms and creameries in the County and if you are a cheese lover it is a blast to visit them, have a tour and do some tasting. Not all of them open to public, but among those that are, here are our favorites:
Achadinha Cheese Company – this farm produces both cow and goat milk cheese and kefir and their farm tour, that costs only $25 pp, is the best cheese farm tour I have been to. It is almost 2 hours in length and covers the ranch, the cheese plant, cheese tasting and animal TLC. I was afraid that my kids will be bored during these 2 hours – not at all! Since the “scenery” changes relatively quickly on the tour, there is no time for boredom. And they loved the cheeses too!
If you continue your trip on Chilleno Valley Rd. for another 9 miles or so you will cross into Marin County and get to Marin French Cheese Company (Brie and Camembert are their strength). There is no farm tour offered here but cheese tasting is FREE and it is a great place for a lunch picnic overlooking a beautiful pond.
Back in Petaluma it is time for dessert and there is no better place than Petaluma Creamery. They specialize in Jack and Cheddar cheeses, which you can taste FREE of charge, but what we love this place for most of all is their homemade ice-cream. Try lavender – yum-my!
Once you are done with your cheese country tour it is time for some relaxation. Since we are not talking about wine in this post, how about beer? Sonoma County has more than 24 operating breweries! Lagunitas is the most famous of them all but it is, thus, very crowded. HenHouse Brewing Company, on the other hand, is more low key (which does not mean a lower quality of product) and cozy and they position themselves as family, kids and dog friendly.
You can try over a dozen beers there while kids can play a couple of card/tables games. They used to have darts as well but I am not sure if it is still the case.
Day 2. On this day we will “leap-frog” to the neighboring Marin county to visit its 2 landmark destinations: Tomales Bay Oyster Company and Point Reyes National Seashore.
Tomales Bay Oyster Company has the freshest oysters out there, period. They get them right out of the bay and give them to you. You have not tried a good oyster in your life if you haven’t visited this place. Their website says that no picnics are allowed on premises so you will need to take your oysters with you, which you can eat at any of the beaches on Tomales Bay (you just need to bring an opening knife, a garden glove or kitchen towel to hold the oyster and whatever condiments you like). If time allows, you can visit Tomales Bay Oyster Company on Day 1 too, it is only about 15 miles drive from Marine French Cheese Company
Point Reyes National Seashore is a great destination any time of the year but especially in winter when you can observe visiting whales and elephant seals. Point Reyes offers phenomenal scenic views, great hiking opportunities and fantastic wildlife watching.
There are two Visitors Centers in Point Reyes: one near the town of Olema and one next to Drakes Beach. If you go to the one near Olema called “Bear Valley” you will find a lot of useful information about the area and tons of hiking trails in the wooded area of Point Reyes.
If you go to the Drakes Beach Visitors Center, you will be next to the ocean. Elephant seals come out right there on the beach in winter and that’s where the Point Reyes Lighthouse shuttle departs from. Also in winter, when it is season for grey whales migration, the area around lighthouse is the prime lookout for them. Since so many tourists desire to see the whales and the area becomes congested, the road to the lighthouse is closed and you can only get there by the aforesaid shuttle. The shuttle makes several stops en-rout to the lighthouse, which gives you an opportunity to explore various parts of Point Reyes before getting back on the shuttle and driving on.
You can easily spend the whole day in Point Reyes and not to see everything. We love to come back there again and again. It is 2 hours drive from SF Bay Area through traffic but if you stay in Petaluma overnight, as this itinerary suggests, it is only 30 min drive, without traffic.
ADDITIONAL TIPS:
- For more information on cheese farms in Sonoma county and beyond, please, see California Cheese Trail Map.
- Lodging suggestions: there are a lot of good hotels in Petaluma, our favorite is Hampton Inn by Hilton, of course, because of FREE hot breakfast, very nice rooms, comfy beds and always reasonable prices – you can save up to 20% , when you book in advance.
- Dining: we had a picnic both days (with all that delicious cheese!) and for dinner with chose Cucina Paradiso (one cannot go wrong with a good Italian restaurant)
RESOURCES YOU MAY FIND USEFUL ON THIS TRIP
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