Trivia, Fun Facts...
&
Things To Do & See

2.The dramatic coastline, the legendary
Wine country and progressive cities of
Sonoma and Napa Counties

...of the REDWOOD EMPIRE


TRIVIAL FUN FACTS

TRIVIAL FUN FACTS - THE NAPA VALLEY AREAS
The dramatic coastline, the legendary Wine country and progressive cities of Sonoma and Napa Counties...


TRIVIAL FUN FACTS - THE SONOMA COUNTY AREAS
The dramatic coastline, the legendary Wine country and progressive cities of Sonoma and Napa Counties...
  • Originally, the town of Sonoma was a pueblo founded around the Plaza and Mission San Francisco Solano in 1823. It was the site of the California Bear Flag Rebellion (1846) against Mexico.

  • Follow Highway 12 through the Valley of the Moon to discover the Jack London State Historic Park west of Glen Ellen.

  • If touring the winery village of Kenwood, you may want to visit nearby Sugarloaf Ridge State Park or Hood Mountain Regional Park.

  • Along the Redwood Highway, U.S. 101, tour through Petaluma, the restaurant capital, 32 miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Walking tour brochures of iron-front buildings and Victorian homes are at the Petaluma Visitors Program, 799 Baywood Dr., Suite 1. Visit the Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park.

  • After a visit to nearby Cotati, be sure to stop in Rohnert Park at the Sonoma County Wine and Visitors Center for information on growing methods, wine-making, and touring the wine country: 707-685-3785.

  • Sebastopol is an apple-growing farm center with an old-fashioned downtown and an ornate Buddhist Temple on the Gravenstein Highway. The Apple Blossom Festival in April and the Gravenstein Apple Fair in August are both in Ragle Park.

  • The Sonoma County seat is Santa Rosa, "the city designed for living." In addition to three municipal parks, you'll find Annadel State Park.

  • Along Highway 101 are wineries to tour in Windsor.

  • Cloverdale is also a wine and grape and ranching center. Once the northernmost citrus-growing area in California (there's still a Citrus Fair each February), Cloverdale offers outdoor recreation on the Russian River and Lake Sonoma, where the Historical Society Museum is in the vintage Shaw House.

  • Along the Russian River, visit Forestville, Occidental and Guerneville - a major resort community and recreation center with a sandy beach.

  • Just north of Guerneville is the Armstrong Redwoods State Reserve, a 752-acre stand of old-growth redwoods with easy trails to major groves.

  • The first public beach in the Russian River Valley is in Monte Rio, near Cazadero, an early logging community where Austin Creek winds through town.

  • Duncans Mills is a historic resort community with a vintage railroad depot and shops.

  • On the Shoreline Highway (Highway 1), make a stop in Bodega. Settled in 1809 by Russian fur hunters, this quaint 19th-century town on Bodega Hwy. once boasted of 7 sawmills. It is now a quiet village of shops and Victorians, highlighted by the schoolhouse featured in Hitchcock's "The Birds." Nearby Bodega Bay was discovered in 1775 by Spanish explorers.

  • After a visit to the Sonoma Coast State Beaches, watch for Jenner, a picturesque village at the mouth of the Russian River on Hwy. One, with lodging, restaurants and a community theatre.

  • Hiking trails lead from Willow Creek to the ocean through the uplands. One of the great scenic dramas of the California Coast is the Jenner Grade, winding along the cliff tops.

  • North of Jenner on Hwy. One is the Fort Ross State Historic Park. In the early 1800s Ross - a Russian word for "Russia" - was established as a base to hunt otter and seal and to grow food for the Russian colonies in Alaska.

  • Nearby are Stillwater Cove Regional Park and Salt Point State Park, a heavily forested park of pines and redwoods reaching to the edge of the rugged cliffs above the Pacific Ocean.

  • Ten miles north of Fort Ross is the Kruse Rhododendron State Reserve, a spectacular sight in April and early May.

  • Not far is Sea Ranch, a planned community, winner of numerous architectural and environmental awards, and beyond that, Gualala Point Regional Park along the Gualala River.


CLICK TO FIND:

LODGING ATTRACTIONS, PARKS, PLACES TO GO & THINGS TO DO
CITIES, TOWNS, VILLAGES & AREAS TRIVIA & FUN FACTS
VISITOR INFORMATION & SERVICES WINERIES & BREWERIES
DINING CAMPING & RV PARKS
OTHER BUSINESSES SONOMA COUNTY MAP
NAPA COUNTY MAP

For other areas of THE REDWOOD EMPIRE, click below:
6.The wild and scenic Rogue River, the Oregon Caves... one of Oregon's "best kept secrets" - Josephine County

5.Redwoods, Rivers, Seaports and Coastline of California's Humboldt and Del Norte Counties

4.The dramatic & beautiful Coast, the dynamic inland areas & Wine country of Mendocino County

3.The Lakes and Playgrounds of Clearlake & Lake County

2.The dramatic coastline, the legendary Wine country and progressive cities of Sonoma and Napa Counties

1.Baghdad by the Bay... the beautiful and compelling City of San Francisco and, across the Golden Gate, the magnetic towns and villages and the coastal playgrounds of Marin County

Use your browser Back button to return to your previous page
Back To Redwood Empire Home
Comments to Webmaster.

Copyright 2000
Redwood Empire Association
Pier 39, Suite Q5, 2nd Level
San Francisco CA 94133
415-956-3491 - Fax 415-956-0209
Email: reavisit@aol.com