Sonoma County’s Best Kept Secrets

Relaxing Late Summer Activities in Sonoma County

I was thinking of all the wonderful late summer activities only Sonoma County has to offer and remembered that there is a tour in Pennsylvania named the Best Kept Secrets Tour. Their tour highlights the best stores, restaurants, and activities in Lancaster and Cumberland counties. So many tourists come to Sonoma County because of the beauty and all that our county has to offer that I think as locals we sometimes forget to take advantage of all the beauty and fun our county offers until family or out-of-town guests come to visit.

We did some collective brainstorming and came up with a short list that hopefully inspires you to get out and try some new activities in Sonoma County at the end of the summer. The days are still long, the weather is amazing, the grapes are ripening on the vine, and the leaves are starting to turn a myriad of colors–what better time than now to enjoy some of what we think are Sonoma County’s Best Kept Secrets.

Bees, Lavender & Sound Healing

I know you are probably saying, this could only be in Sonoma County, but this little-known destination on Petaluma Hill Road in Santa Rosa is fun to visit on multiple levels. It has amazing lavender that can be purchased, but it’s walking the lavender labyrinth that is such a calming and wonderful experience. Tickets are required during the blooming season and experiencing the labyrinth in the early morning or early evening before the sun goes down are our favorite times.

One of the activities that only is known by most people by word of mouth is the Sound Bath Experience, which is offered on Monday nights through the summer. Reservations are required, bring a comfy yoga mat, pillow, and bug spray if needed. The instruments produce not just an auditory experience but it’s like receiving a full body massage. The sound bath starts at 7 pm, but you can arrive as early as 6:15 pm and walk the lavender labyrinth and visit the farm stand to buy anything lavender.

Press Your Own Apple Juice

There are a number of apple farms that have old-fashioned hand-crank apple presses where you can press your own apple juice. A number of them are located in Sebastopol and probably the best known is Hales Farm on Gravenstein Highway North. They sell apples in the summer and pumpkins and gourds in the fall. Call ahead to make sure they have the press this year. You can also reserve for free an apple press through Slow Food Russian River, just to their website and click on Reserve the Apple Press

You can bring your own apples or pears to press and they suggest that you have them pre-washed and bring a friend to help with the process. This is a great family activity and many times they have apples on hand from local farms, but I would bring your own. They prefer plastic containers with lids instead of glass because of breakage. The apple press is stored at the Luther Burbank Gold Ridge Experimental Farm, 777 Bodega Avenue, Sebastopol. You can book your time right on their website. There is nothing better than Gravenstein apple juice and pies!

Pick Your Own Flowers

Poppies and Petals Farm near Laguna de Santa Rosa Foundation Farm is an amazing place to pick your own flowers and while away time. They provide the pitcher and you can pick your own flowers. They are only open from 9-12:30 pm Tuesday, Thursday and weekends. Another great find is Dragonfly Farm and Floral in Healdsburg, where you can roam their gardens and pick your own flowers. Dragonfly has some of the most beautiful rose bushes I have ever seen and a really wonderful selection of flowers you can cut and take home.

Pick Your Own Vegetables

Yes, you can grow your own vegetables and you can also go to the farmer’s market, but there are a few farms in Sonoma county where you can pick a wide variety of vegetables. One of the best known is Love Farm Organic Produce in Healdsburg, they have everything from beans to blackberries, grapes to corn, blueberries to cucumbers, and so much more. Bloomfield Organics in Petaluma is another family-owned organic farm that has a great selection of vegetables to choose from that are sustainably grown. If you want to buy already picked fruit and vegetables along with some great art and crafts, the top farmer’s markets in Sonoma County that we have found are Healdsburg, Sebastopol, and Santa Rosa.

Buy Meat From Local Ranchers

There are a number of us who either grew up on farms locally or had ranches locally so we know quite a bit about the local meat scene. If you eat meat there is nothing better in my humble opinion than buying local and knowing what your steer, lamb, chicken, turkey, or pig was fed and how the meat was processed. Willowside Meats on Guerneville Road in Santa Rosa is probably one of the oldest family-owned butchering and processing businesses in Sonoma County. They were the first to offer no-nitrate processing of pork. They offer a wide variety of meats, poultry, rabbit, sausage, and jerky. They are known as the last old-school, a family-run butcher shop in Sonoma County.

Another family-run meat company is based in Occidental and was founded in 1914. Panizzera Meat Company sells local meat and sausage on site or you can subscribe to a monthly meat box of different varieties of meat and different price ranges that will be delivered to your home monthly. Both Willowside and Panizzera sell only locally produced meat from local ranchers.

Traverse the Redwood Canopy

One of the things that west Sonoma county is known for is her beautiful redwoods. We usually only see them from the ground at places like Armstrong Redwoods, but there is a wonderful alternative in Occidental called the Zipline Canopy Tours. Zipline Canopy Tours is located on Bohemian Highway in Occidental at Alliance Redwoods Conference Center. They have three different zipline tours; the Tree Tops Tour, the Forest Flight Tour, and the Night Flight Tour. If you are a bit of an adventure seeker this is a must-do in Sonoma County. Zipline Canopy Tours also has wonderful overnight treehouse stays that let you fully experience the redwood treetop experience. High up in the redwoods, nestled in a yurt with your own guided hike through the redwoods–such an amazing experience.

Sometimes we forget what is so amazing and beautiful about our own county. This was just a loving reminder and a small sampling of what we are so fortunate to have access to that is local. We make no recommendations for any of these businesses, some are our favorites, but we gain nothing monetarily from mentioning them. They are local, family-owned businesses like ours that we like knowing are our neighbors.

Be sure to book your summer cleaning so we can take that chore off your to-do list and give you more time to create a life that you love! Just give us a call at 707-399-1820 or fill out our contact form and one of our cleaning professionals will give you a call promptly to answer your questions and give you a free estimate.