USA Today has announced its annual 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards, highlighting “the best of the best” in the U.S. in categories such as food and drink, lodging and things to do. This year, 14 Sonoma County businesses were among the winners, which were chosen by a panel of experts and then voted on by USA Today readers. Click through the above gallery to see the local winners.
Sofia Englund and Charlie Swanson contributed to this article.
USA Today has announced its annual 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards, highlighting “the best of the best” in categories such as food and drink, lodging and things to do. Among the winners this year are two Sonoma County tasting rooms.
Sonoma’s Corner 103 and Glen Ellen’s Benziger Family Winery were named among the 10 Best Wine Tasting Rooms of 2023 — Benziger came in at No. 9 and Corner 103 at No. 2.
Nominees within this category, like other 10Best categories, were chosen by a panel of USA Today experts. Readers were then allowed to vote once per category, per day, for four weeks before the contest closed and the top 10 were announced. DAOU Vineyards in Paso Robles took the No. 1 spot this year. Napa Valley’s Turnbull Wine Cellars also made the list, at No. 7.
This is the fourth time Corner 103 makes USA Today’s Best Wine Tasting Room list. Last year, the tasting room on the Sonoma Plaza also took the No. 2 spot. It was named the best tasting room in the U.S. in both 2020 and 2021, topping the USA Today list.
“The staff provides an educational and comfortable tasting experience,” wrote USA Today about Corner 103, founded by Lloyd Davis in 2015. The downtown Sonoma tasting room remains outstanding for its tastings of limited-production wines, such as sparkling rosé, chardonnay, pinot noir, zinfandel and malbec.
Benziger Winery, a popular destination for its eco-friendly estate and its sustainable approach to winemaking, was named among the Best Winery Tours in 2022 by USA Today (it came in at No. 4 on that list).
This year, USA Today wrote that Benziger offers “a tasting experience that goes beyond sipping wine.” Wine expert Ziggy Eschliman described it as “nirvana” and said the tasting room is particularly enjoyable “thanks to a friendly and wine-savvy staff.” Eschliman also mentioned the tasting room’s gift selection that includes “fun cheese and food treats.”
Click through the above gallery for a peek at each tasting room and stay tuned for updates on more local winners of USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Travel Awards 2023.
There’s something extra delicious about dining with sweeping vineyard views and coastal expanses, especially when the ingredients are hyperlocal. We’ve found more than a dozen restaurants in Sonoma County where you can drink in the view and fill your belly and soul — plus two worth the drive to Marin. Click through the above gallery for details.
Sofia Englund, Dana Rebmann and Carey Sweet contributed to this article.
Summer is in full swing in Sonoma County and local hotels are making the season even better with new updates and offerings — from freshly renovated rooms and restaurants to decadent brunches and Moroccan dinners. Click through the above gallery for details and a peek at the properties.
We humans have a lot to learn from the laid-back sloth. With their sweet, friendly faces and their relaxed approach to life, these adorable tree-dwellers have truly mastered the art of taking it easy.
On August 19, fans of these fascinating creatures are invited to gather at Beaumont Farms in Petaluma for Hanging Out for Sloths, a fundraiser for the Sloth Conservation Foundation (SloCo).
Along with a sloth presentation and silent auction, the event will include locally produced beer, wine and bites, plus live performances by folk music artist Hannah Jern Miller, opera singer Lisa Tenorio, and piano and violin duo Leslie Garman and David Ewart. (Because sloths prefer to spend most of their time hanging motionless from tree branches in Central America and northern South America, the animals themselves will not be in attendance.)
The co-hosts behind this ultra-chill event are leading sloth expert Dr. Becky Cliffe, founder and director of SloCo, and Suzi Eszterhas, an award-winning wildlife photographer based in Petaluma.
Eszterhas became interested in the furry creatures 10 years ago, while shooting a story for BBC Wildlife magazine about a Costa Rican sloth orphanage. When a wild sloth happened to show up at the rescue property, she decided to switch gears and follow the newcomer instead. The organization paired her up with Cliffe, who was doing research on the property, and the duo spent three weeks together observing the female sloth and her baby in the jungle canopy.
“A lot of the time that you’re with sloths is sort of just hanging out, because they spend a lot of time sleeping,” Eszterhas says. While the sloths napped, “Becky regaled me with all these amazing, quirky things about sloths and got me to completely fall in love with them.”
Cliffe also told Eszterhas about the threats sloths face due to loss of habitat. This inspired the photographer to become a sloth conservationist.
“Costa Rica has this ‘green’ image but it’s really getting developed, particularly in the area around the Caribbean where Becky is working,” Eszterhas says. Once a sloth’s jungle habitat becomes fragmented by development, she explains, the animals are forced to come down from the treetops and crawl across roads—making them vulnerable to dogs and traffic.
SloCo aids the sloths by restoring and reconnecting rainforest habitat in Costa Rica, and installing simple rope bridges that allow sloths to safely travel across tree canopies.
Those who attend Hanging Out for Sloths will have a chance to learn more about sloth conservation efforts and hear stories about Eszterhas’ and Cliffe’s adventures tracking and photographing sloths in the jungles of Costa Rica and other countries in Latin America.
“Becky is one of the most entertaining people I know,” says Eszterhas. “She is incredibly quirky and passionate about sloths and sloth conservation. It’s really difficult to be around her and not get excited about sloths.
One of the event’s silent auction items will give the winning bidder the chance to visit wild sloths with Cliffe in Costa Rica. Attendees can also bid on Eszterhas’ wildlife photographs, local wine tasting packages, and more.
“When we first started talking about doing this event,” she says, “I asked Becky, ‘What if Sonoma County doesn’t love sloths as much as we do?’ And she said, ‘That’s impossible, everyone loves sloths.’ And we’re totally finding that people do.”
Hanging Out for Sloths, 3-6 p.m. August 19. Tickets are $75 and include food and drinks. All funds raised will support the Sloth Conservation Foundation. Beaumont Farms, 5580 Red Hill Road, Petaluma, slothconservation.org
If you did Saturday night right, says Kapu’s general manager and tiki cocktail expert, you won’t be hungry until 2 p.m. on Sunday.
At least that’s the idea behind the Petaluma bar and restaurant’s new Hangover Brunch. The Hawaiian-style brunch menu includes rib-sticking Kalua pork hash, a fried rice omelet, acai bowls, fried banana bread, Spam and egg musubi and poke bowls. Brunch starts at 2 p.m. on Sundays only and runs until the food is gone. You snooze, you lose. 132 Keller St., Petaluma; 707-559-3665 or on Instagram @kapu.bar.
Jalisco’s closes: Readers are mourning the loss of a humble but much-loved neighborhood taqueria, Jalisco’s Mexican Food in Santa Rosa. Located at 1800 Mendocino Ave., it was a family-friendly burrito spot frequented by SRJC-neighborhood residents since the 1980s. The owners could not be reached, and the telephone number to the restaurant has been disconnected.
Acre Pizza has opened a new location, at 8175 Gravenstein Highway in Cotati, after nearly a year of construction.
This is the third store for owner Steve DeCosse, who founded Acre Coffee. DeCosse sold his coffee business in 2020 to Rob Daly, who changed the name to Avid Coffee in 2021.
DeCosse spent several years developing the pizza concept, introducing crispy Detroit-style pizza and hiring pizzaiolo Alastair Hannmann to launch the pizza menu at The Barlow in Sebastopol.
DeCosse said he was inspired by a seminar on pizza making with gluten guru Peter Reinhart (founder of Brother Juniper’s Bread). Decosse went down a rabbit hole of pizza styles before landing on the famous New-York-style thin crust and the trendy Detroit style, a thick-crust pizza baked in a cast-iron square pan with caramelized Wisconsin “brick cheese” (a semisoft cheese sold in a brick shape) as a key component. Acre’s second location, at 1080 Petaluma Blvd. N. in Petaluma, serves the same menu.
Opening in Cotati was a dream for DeCosse, who hopes to continue growing the pizza business.
“I believe this store will become a great destination for our community. It has a large outside seating area with colorful picnic tables, and comfy booths inside. It also features both an interesting selection of on-tap beer and wine,” he said of the new restaurant.
DeCosse said he hopes to add more items soon to the menu of Detroit, New York and Sicilian pizzas, including a focaccia sandwich the baking team is still perfecting. The Cotati location is open 3 – 8 p.m. Monday to Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday. More details at acrepizza.com, 707-596-7802.
As the most biologically diverse state in the country, California has a lot of ground to cover in protecting its natural treasures and resources.
Sonoma County alone has over 60 public parks, and nearly a dozen of those are managed by California State Parks. The parks are sprawled out across redwood reserves, oak woodlands, coastal regions and historic landmarks — all home to thousands of varieties of native plant and animal species and steeped in rich California history.
Check out our list of all the state parks in the county, along with a favorite trail or feature in each, and get ready to explore the depths of Sonoma nature and culture. Click through the above gallery for a peek at the scenery.
Remember to check online or call ahead for park rules and restrictions, as some parks do not allow dogs on trails or collection of plants and critters. Also, practice caution at coastal parks, where bluffs can erode and tides can be treacherous.
Over a dozen beaches and waterfront campgrounds dot the 17 miles of pristine coastline at Sonoma Coast State Park, extending from Jenner to Bodega Bay along Highway 1. Trails along the coast’s shoreline meander across picturesque headlands, rocky crags, sandy beaches and secluded coves — all with breathtaking Pacific views.
Best trail: The Pomo Canyon Trail, which follows an ancient Pomo trading route, is full of panoramic vistas scattered throughout lush grasslands, redwoods and oak woodlands. Start the 7-mile, out-and-back trail near Pomo Canyon Campground off Willow Creek Road and hike through the dense forests and verdant valleys to Shell Beach for some prime tidepooling and beachcombing. Take the Pomo Canyon Trail all the way back to the start, or turn right at a fork half-way back, down Red Hill Trail, for a change in scenery. For a shorter hike (about 3.5 miles), park a car at the Shell Beach parking lot before the trek to shuttle the group back to the campground parking lot and trailhead entrance.
Along Sonoma Coast, between Jenner and Bodega Bay, on Highway 1, 707-875-3483, parks.ca.gov
Salt Point is full of coastal wonders that will leave a visitor awestruck — from the quarried and tafoni-sculpted sandstone crags to one of the state’s first underwater parks, Gerstle Cove State Marine Reserve, teeming with protected marine life that can be seen via tidepooling or recreational diving (collecting is not permitted). Further inland from the rugged coast and kelp-laden coves, you’ll find a pygmy forest and peaceful prairies mingling among thousands of acres of mixed evergreens and grasslands.
Best trail: Don your windbreakers and set out on Salt Point Trail, which hugs the rocky coastal bluffs, offering stunning ocean views and a chance to spot sea lions sunning on rocks. Start at the visitor center parking lot near Gerstle Cove, where the first tenth of a mile is ADA accessible, and hike over a mile north to Stump Beach Cove, one of few sandy beaches north of Jenner. The 2.5-mile, out-and-back trail crosses Warren Creek and the picnic tables at the Stump Beach parking lot are ideal for a scenic lunch.
25050 Highway 1, Jenner, 707-847-3221, parks.ca.gov
This glorious nature reserve, nestled in Salt Point State Park off Highway 1 between Fisk Mill and Stump Beach coves, is brimming with vibrant rhododendrons among a quiet forest of oaks and conifers. The reserve was once part of a large sheep ranch established in 1880 until Edward P. Kruse donated the property to the state in 1933.
Best Trail: From the short Rhododendron Loop Trail, take the Chinese Gulch Trail (near the parking lot) and walk a mile among rhododendron shrubs under majestic redwoods.The trail connects with Phillips Gulch Trail at Kruse Ranch Road and meanders another mile back to the start. Beautiful blooms and shady trees fill each trail, which also include seasonal streams and small waterfalls – a perfect peaceful stroll.
Adjacent to Salt Point State Park along Kruse Ranch Road, 707-847-3221, parks.ca.gov
Ocean and coniferous forests surround this historic landmark, a state park that preserves and teaches about the early 19th century Fort Ross Colony, which included Russians and Native Alaskans who settled on ancestral Kashia Pomo lands on the Sonoma Coast for exploration and trading. Fort Ross includes a campground, an underwater park (featuring the Pomona shipwreck), a Russian windmill replica, several reconstructed Russian-era buildings, the Russian-American Company Cemetery, memorial groves and a historic orchard.
Best feature: There’s plenty of history to take in while exploring the grounds of Fort Ross. The best place to start is the Historic Compound, which houses Russian-era buildings and is bordered by stockade walls. The enclosure includes the Officials’ Quarters, Fort Ross Chapel, the Old Magasin (a two-story Russian-American Company warehouse), the Kuskov House (residence of Ivan Kuskov, who founded Ross), the Rotchev House (a National Historic Landmark) and two blockhouses that served as watchtowers.
19005 Highway 1, Jenner, 707-847-3286, fortross.org
The ancient redwoods in Guerneville’s Armstrong Grove tower like skyscrapers and provide cooling shade and quiet serenity to those seeking respite from the summer heat and life’s regular stresses. The park’s historic features — such as the 1940s-era Pond Farm and the Redwood Forest Theater, built in 1934 — lend to its old world charm. The adjoining Austin Creek State Recreation Area, just northwest of Armstrong Woods, has been closed since 2020 due to significant hazards resulting from the Walbridge Fire.
Best trail: The easy and wheelchair accessible Pioneer Nature Trail, which starts near the parking lot and ranger station, leads to some of the park’s most notable trees. The first is the Parson Jones Tree, the tallest tree in the grove at 310 feet. A half-mile further along the trail is the Icicle Tree, which displays mysterious burl formations. Turn here down the Armstrong Nature Trail and walk about a quarter-mile to the Colonel Armstrong Tree, which is over 1,400 years old and is the oldest tree in the grove.
17000 Armstrong Woods Road, Guerneville, 707-869-2015, parks.ca.gov
Tucked behind local favorites Spring Lake and Howarth Park, Trione-Annadel opens up to over 5,500 acres of sunny meadows and cool forests, all surrounding the fishable (with a state fishing license) Lake Ilsanjo. The park is home to a number of fascinating critters — such as pygmy owls or the threatened California red-legged frogs at Ledson Marsh — and the lake is an ideal spot for a mid-hike lunch and quiet nature observation.
Best trail: The Spring Creek Trail is best on a hot summer’s day, as it traverses along its namesake creek under shady redwoods, alder birches and bay trees, leading to the placid, 26-acre lake. Access via the Vietnam Veterans Trail or the service road starting at the horse-trailer parking area in Spring Lake Regional Park. For a bit of challenge, take the steep Rough-Go Trail from the lake back to the service road.
6201 Channel Drive, Santa Rosa, 707-539-3911, parks.ca.gov
With a creekside campground, 25 miles of hiking trails and celestial experiences at the on-site Robert Ferguson Observatory, Sugarloaf Ridge provides around-the-clock recreation. The park organizes free, guided nature hikes and weekly native plant sales, and the observatory hosts a number of informative classes and events (like the ever popular monthly Star Parties).
Best trail: For beginners, families and waterfall-gazers, the Canyon-Pony Gate Loop is the best bet. Towering redwoods shade most of the moderate, 2-mile hike, which sees about a 400-foot elevation change while meandering through a wooded canyon, leading to a seasonal 25-foot waterfall. Start on the Pony Gate Trail near the parking lot, which eventually crosses Sonoma Creek and ends at Adobe Canyon Road. The Canyon Trail entrance will be across the road, about 30 yards downhill from Pony Gate. The waterfall will be about halfway down Canyon Trail; continue on the trail to return to the parking lot.
2605 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood, 707-833-5712, sugarloafpark.org
Dedicated to one of Sonoma County’s most famous authors, Jack London State Historic Park sits on a gorgeous plot of land in the Valley of the Moon that houses historic buildings and a variety of trails through grassy meadows and evergreen woodlands. Escaping the trappings of city life, Jack London moved to the bucolic Sonoma Valley in the early 1900s, establishing a ranch and home in Glen Ellen that he would enjoy with his wife, Charmian London.
Best feature: While there are a number of hiking, biking and equestrian trails deep in the 1,400-acre park, the most informative and intriguing aspects of the estate are the buildings located right near the park entrance. The House of Happy Walls Museum contains exhibits on London’s life and writings; Londons’ Cottage displays the couple’s bohemian lifestyle; and the Beauty Ranch includes barns, silos, a smokehouse, distillery, winery ruins and the Pig Palace. About a half-mile to the left of the entrance is Jack and Charmian London’s grave site, and just south of there is the Wolf House, Jack’s and Charmian’s unfinished dream home that was destroyed in a fire.
2400 London Ranch Road, Glen Ellen, 707-938-5216, jacklondonpark.com
Several sites scattered nearby the Sonoma Plaza comprise the city’s historic state park, which includes informative art and history exhibits located within the Chalet Museum and some of its other six notable locations. Park attractions include Gen. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo’s home, Blue Wing Inn, Mission San Francisco Solano chapel, Toscano Hotel & Kitchen, Sonoma Barracks (which houses an indoor theater showing a video of the area’s history) and the Servants’ Quarters (the sole remains of La Casa Grande, Vallejo’s first home he built in the area).
Best feature: Each component of the park lends historical context to the settling of Sonoma — the birthplace of the California State Bear Flag — but if you have time to peruse only one site, check out the Vallejo Home and museum to learn about Gen. Mariano Vallejo’s local and state influence. Vallejo’s estate (called Lachryma Montis, Latin for “tears of the mountain”) includes a gothic-style Victorian home with the Vallejo family’s furnishings, a stone reservoir, a welcoming garden pavilion, and a Tudor-style warehouse that once was a food and wine storage and now serves as the park’s museum and visitor’s center.
114 E Spain St., Sonoma, 707-938-9560, parks.ca.gov
Step into early 19th century-era ranchero life at Petaluma Adobe, where Gen. Mariano Vallejo established a prosperous agricultural empire known as Rancho de Petaluma. Laborers at the adobe complex harvested crops, raised barn animals, made leather hides and manufactured other goods for sale and trade, all of which helped support Vallejo’s military command. The state acquired the property in 1951, and now the historic state park teaches the stories of those who previously occupied the land through tours, exhibits, school field trips and authentically restored rooms.
Best feature: An optimal way to experience the park is to tour the work areas and living quarters of the brick and redwood adobe, complete with early California rancho equipment and furnishings. The tour leads through rooms where people slept on thin cots in wooden post beds and workshops with old tools where laborers made leather, candles, soap, wool blankets and carpets. Docent-led tours are available from 1-3 p.m. most weekends. The park also has an Environmental Living Program that teaches fourth grade students about the everyday life of 1840’s rancheros through hands-on experiences of making candles, weaving baskets, preparing meals in adobe hornos (ovens) and more.
3325 Adobe Road, Petaluma, 707-762-4871, parks.ca.gov
A three-bedroom, three-bathroom home at 105 G St. in Petaluma’s Waterfront District has hit the market for $1.8 million.
This burgeoning residential area along the Petaluma River, just south of downtown, features historic warehouses and newer residences, with a sprinkling of artisan shops and restaurants in between.
The modern home, designed by the late architect Warren J. Hedgpeth and built in 2004, has an unconventional layout: two three-story towers are connected via a breezeway with an outdoor patio at each level, including a rooftop terrace. There is an additional 132-square-foot studio next to the two-car garage.
The bottom floor has 380 square feet zoned for an office, a boutique or other business. The workspace includes an entry foyer, laundry nook, pantry storage and a full bathroom.
The 2,047 square feet of living space boasts design details like a three-sided glass fireplace, built-in shelves and plenty of tall windows that flood each room with light. Adding to the sense of spaciousness are 10-foot ceilings and a grand 18-foot cathedral ceiling in the breezeway and dining area.
Homeowners can leave the yard work behind and tend to just a few plants—towering bamboo, shrubs and climbing vines— that keep the patio areas lush and green. The home is designed for flexible and effortless living with easy access to Petaluma’s downtown.
Click through the above gallery for a peek inside the home at 105 G St.
For more information on this listing, contact Rob Sullivan, Vanguard Properties, 707-772-9171, RobSullivanHomes.com
The design world may have gone mad for sleek contemporary properties, but there is still a lot of charm to a historic home.
Healdsburg’s Matheson Street is one of several locations in Sonoma County that offer those interested in a historic home some inspiration. The neighborhood also has some newly constructed homes that have been designed in traditional styles to blend seamlessly with the surrounding historic properties.
One such home, located at 576 Matheson St., is now listed for sale with an asking price of $3,200,000. The four-bedroom, four-bathroom home was built in 2009 in craftsman style. It includes an auxiliary dwelling over the two-car garage.
The home, which has two levels, features charming design details typical of craftsman homes built in the early part of the 20th century, including a front porch, tapered columns and a gabled roof. Inside, there is built-in shelving in warm woods.
Amenities include a two-way fireplace shared between the living and dining rooms, three en-suite bathrooms, an outdoor fireplace and different levels of paved yard surrounded by mature gardens. The second unit has a kitchen, bedroom and full bathroom.
Click through the above gallery for a peek inside the home at 576 Matheson St.
For more information on this property, contact listing agents Robin Gordon, 707-291-7952, Cheryl Gordon, 707-484-9009, Caroline Johnson, 707-486-9923, The Agency, theagencyRE.com, 576mathesonstreet.com
