Bodega Bay
The backdrop to Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller The Birds, Bodega Bay contains an active commercial fishing port. Boats unload their catch at the popular Tides Wharf, which offers fish markets, shops, and eateries. Beach visitors enjoy beachcombing and whale watching, while hardy surfers ply the chilly waves. To the north is Fort Ross, a former Russian fur trading center established in 1812.
Cloverdale
Cloverdale lies within easy reach of world-famous wineries in Napa, Sonoma, and Mendocino counties. But local attractions tempt visitors as well, including quaint bed and breakfasts, a museum, and a small airport popular with skydivers. Canoeists and kayakers access the Russian River at Cloverdale River Park. To the southwest, hikers enjoy redwood groves at Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve.
Healdsburg
Conveniently close to more than 100 wineries and tasting rooms, Healdsburg is a wine-lover’s paradise. Its quaint downtown is its own attraction, with antique shops, boutiques, coffee houses, tasting rooms, and restaurants. Healdsburg’s location on the Russian River, surrounded by rolling hills covered in vineyards and pastures, also make it popular for cycling, golfing, and kayaking.
Petaluma
The Petaluma River, vital to the region’s economy in the 1900s, is still active with ships and pleasure craft. The harbor fronts the Victorian downtown district, whose structures survived San Francisco’s 1906 earthquake. These sturdy buildings now house antique stores and specialty shops. Visitors to other sections of town might recognize the high school from American Graffiti, filmed here in 1973.
Rohnert Park
Just south of Santa Rosa, the planned community of Rohnert Park weaves parks and biking trails throughout its neighborhoods. The city is home to Sonoma State University, which began in 1960 as a teacher-education college. The university now covers 269 landscaped acres and serves 8,100 students. The adjacent city of Cotati hums with year-round nightspots and summertime jazz and accordion festivals.
Santa Rosa
Santa Rosa, Sonoma County’s largest city, is home to The Charles M. Schulz Museum, which showcases a replica of Schulz’s Santa Rosa studio and “Peanuts” comics. Downtown, a bronze statue of Charlie Brown and Snoopy greets visitors to Historic Railroad Square, which offers a museum, shops, and restaurants. Nearby, the former home and gardens of horticulturist Luther Burbank are open for tours.
Sonoma
In California’s wine country, Sonoma revives the senses with spas, wine tasting, top-rated restaurants, and scenic countryside. Vineyards on rolling hills literally sparkle with silver streamers designed to deter birds. Historic sites from the 1800s include Lachryma Montis, the 20-acre estate of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, and the Sonoma Mission, on downtown’s charming eight-acre plaza.
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