Do you have a family travel tradition? Do you have a destination on the map that you love going back to again and again? For our family it is Sonoma County and nearby areas of Marin County of Northern California. I already posted several Sonoma weekend getaway itineraries for different tastes and interests:
Family friendly wineries in Sonoma
Cheese, beer, oysters and the giants of the sea
Exploring the Russian territory
Sonoma County is great because it is so big that each time we go we have an opportunity to do things we know and love but also try something new, and so could you. This Sonoma weekend getaway itinerary has Petaluma as a base. We stayed in Petaluma before but never really had a chance to explore attractions in this small town. This time we were determined to change that and I am glad we did.
Petaluma is a charming town with lots of old Victorian houses and a pretty downtown. Within the four main blocks on Petaluma Boulevard (between C Street and Washington Street) there are plenty of great food establishments. Four excellent Italian restaurants (all highly rated) exist among other good dining options. Two fantastic places for desert are in there too: one is Lala’s Creamery and the one is the Sweet Zone, which offers, in addition to ice-cream, truffles, fudge and all sort of other sweets imaginable (seriously, the selection is humongous).
Petaluma downtown also has a charming pedestrians only area with a beautiful fountain, outdoor sitting and cute flower arrangements. It is right in front of the Sweet Zone so you can grab your dessert and enjoy it outside.
Right across the street from downtown you will find Walnut Park with a good playground for kids and some picnic tables.
Across the river from the downtown (if you walk on D Street) there is Petaluma Arts Center. We stumbled upon it when we walked from downtown to our hotel and, boy, we were happy we did! We decided to drop by on the day of the gala opening of the new exhibition: The National Parks Plein Air Project. It presents 60 landscape paintings of each of the U.S. National Parks by Sonoma County artist Mary Fassbinder. In addition to that you will be able to see landscape paintings by Davis Perkins. I guarantee you and your kids will love these beautiful images of the U.S. natural treasures. You still have time to view this exhibition till March 23, 2019 and after that date there will be other exciting exhibits. The entrance to the gallery is FREE of charge. Also check out their outdoor sculptures and weekly classes (Mud Buddies for kids sounds like a ton of fun).
Even our hotel in Petaluma was a local attraction in itself. It is noteworthy from the point of view of history and architecture . It is a Hampton Inn built on the site of an old silk mill and hotel management decided to preserve the old building with its brick walls, high ceilings and industrial feel. It felt like sleeping in a museum of modern art of sorts and we loved it.
After spending Saturday in Petaluma we decided to devote the next day of our Sonoma weekend getaway to exploring outdoors. In order to spend less time in the car and more actually exploring we focused our attention on one area – Tomales Bay. Tomales Bay is technically in Marine County but it is located very close to Petaluma geographically.
We started the morning hiking in Point Reyes National Seashore. Point Reyes covers a big area with various habitats from marine to woodland. In my previous Sonoma weekend getaway itinerary, Cheese, beer, oysters and the giants of the sea , I gave details about hiking and attractions in the area of the National Seashore adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. This time we were hiking the woods near Bear Valley Visitors Center. The Center itself is definitely worth stopping by to get in-depth information about plant life and wild life in the area.
One of the easiest trails for hiking with kids is Bear Valley Trail. It is wide, level, not rugged, with a minimal elevation gain. You can even navigate a stroller or a bike there. It turns out this trail is one of the most picturesque. If you visit in the rainy season there are bubbling creeks running on each side of it among beautiful trees and ferns.
Winter season also seems to be high season for butterflies, which we encountered plenty on Bear Valley trail.
About 1,5 mile after the start you will reach Divide Meadow – a wonderful open meadow with tall pine trees. You can take a rest here and either press on or turn around and go back. There are also bathrooms next to the meadow, just in case. We turned around and went back to the Visitor’s Center. The round trip was about 3 miles. We had a picnic lunch at picnic tables next to the parking and moved on.
Our second stop for the day was at Tomales Bay Oyster Company. This has become our family tradition. The oysters are the freshest right from the bay, they are half the price than at local restaurants and even the “small” ones are huge! Unfortunately, you cannot eat them right there. Picnics used to be allowed on site but not anymore. You have to purchase your oysters and eat them elsewhere (there is free ice provided on site). There are a couple places nearby where you can enjoy the oysters: picnic area back at the Bear Valley Visitor’s Center (which is just 8 miles drive and they have grills there too if you don’t want to eat raw seafood) or beaches along the Tomales Bay.
Chicken Ranch Beach does not have grills or tables but it is the nearest one. When we know that we are going to have a picnic where there are no tables we just bring a couple of simple plastic trays with us to lay out and serve food. They work perfectly well for oysters. To enjoy oysters you will need to take an opening knife, lemon, cocktail sauce and a protection for your hand that will hold the oyster, such as a garden glove.
Children love to spend time on Tomales Bay beaches because the water is calm and shallow at the entry point. They don’t care if there are picnic tables there or not, they just love to play in the water and sand, search for shells and pretty stones and discover various ocean creature like clams, jelly fish, etc. Next to Chicken Ranch Beach there is Tomales Bay State Park with more beaches and hiking trails. It was our last stop for the day. Please, note that while Chicken Ranch Beach is FREE of charge (the same as Point Reyes parking at Bear Valley), you have to pay for entry at Tomales Bay State Park. All attractions in this itinerary are FREE of charge, except for oysters (however, just the visit to the oyster farm is FREE as well).
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RESOURCES THAT YOU WILL FIND HELPFUL ON THIS TRIP (all images are clickable links):
