Experience
Wine COuntry
Plan
Your Visit
Stock up from the abundance of markets throughout the wine country offering quality fresh foods to grace your table. Those within a few minutes of Summers House and Haywood Vineyards Manor House include Sonoma Market, Whole Foods, and Safeway. Attend the seasonal Farmers in Sonoma Plaza on Tuesday evenings and our year-round Farmers Market that springs up every Friday morning at Depot Park. Park in the lot near the market or enjoy a jaunt and take the walking path from Sebastiani Winery.
- Food -
Restaurants
Choose from country casual to Michelin Star. A myriad of restaurants provide exceptional dining throughout the wine country. For summer and fall visits be sure to make reservations well in advance.
Private Chefs
Indulge in an elegant meal at your home away from home created and presented by one of the area’s accomplished private chefs. Dine alfresco or at a lovely antique table indoors.
When You are the Chef
Explore artisanal food producers, farm-to-table food growers, farmers markets, and farm stands. Choose fresh locally grown products to prepare during your stay. Create your own “farm to table” experience. Visit Sonoma County Farm Trails website to help plan your excursion.
- Wine -
Wine Tasting
Select from more than 900 wineries to visit in the Napa and Sonoma viticultural areas. More than forty winery tasting rooms and tasting rooms around Sonoma Plaza are within a 10 to 15-minute drive from Summers House and Haywood Vineyards Manor House.
Wine Tours
Reserve a limousine, SUV, or luxury vehicle and driver for a day of wine tasting. Your guide can offer private tours such as out of the way boutique wineries not generally accessible to the public, wineries with organic and biodynamic vineyards, wineries with views, and wineries featuring art, as well as wineries producing your favorite brands and varietals.
Breweries & Distilleries
For a change of pace visit the wine country’s breweries, brew pubs, and distilleries. Sonoma County boasts a thriving craft brew industry. Visit more than a dozen breweries, several cider works, and more than a dozen distilleries across Sonoma and Napa Counties. These establishments welcome guests as an alternative or addition to the traditional wine country experience.
- Browsing & Buying -
Art
View local art as well art from around the world at numerous galleries in most wine country communities. Art museums include Sonoma Valley Museum, just off Sonoma Plaza, Napa Valley Museum in Yountville, and di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art in The Carneros region between Sonoma and Napa. Numerous wineries in the Sonoma and Napa Valleys feature art galleries and outdoor sculpture in gardens and vineyards. Art events include Sonoma Artwalk, which takes place around Sonoma Plaza, and Sonoma Plein Air Festival, which takes place in September.
Shopping
Shop historic Sonoma Plaza, lined with an abundance of unique art galleries, and shops featuring jewelry, clothing, kitchen wares, home goods, specialties and antiques. Find unusual gifts and wine accessories in the plethora of tasting rooms around The Plaza and in countless wineries. Discover excellent antique and specialty shops off the Plaza on Broadway and Arnold Drive, in nearby Petaluma and Santa Rosa, as well as in communities throughout Napa Valley. Shop for the holidays around the Plaza, a special warm and hospitable treat. Some merchants, such as Sign of the Bear Kitchenware and Readers Books, offer complimentary gift wrapping.
- Indulging -
Events
Attend celebratory food, wine, art and cultural events throughout the Wine Country. Visit sonomavalley.com and napavalley.com for the annual schedules, as well as in depth visitor information to assist with your travel planning.
Culture
Enjoy live performances, concerts and film at theaters and cultural centers including Sebastiani Theater in Sonoma, Uptown Theater in Napa, and Lincoln Theater in Yountville. Events are laced throughout with music and entertainment.
History
Immerse yourself in wine country history. Historical sites cluster around Sonoma Plaza. General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo laid out The Plaza, site of the Bear Flag Revolt, in 1835. The eight-acre plaza and town center is the largest in California. The Bear Flag monument, located in The Plaza, is a stone’s throw from The Sonoma Barracks, Toscano Hotel, and Mission San Francisco Solano, the last of California’s missions, founded by Franciscan Padre, Father José Altimira, in1823. Stroll a few blocks from The Plaza to visit General Vallejo’s Home. Cross the street to glean information from the nearby Sonoma Valley Historical Society headquarters and walk to Depot Park Museum. Take a short drive to Buena Vista Winery, where Count Agoston Haraszthy planted the first European grapevines on American soil in the 1850s, laying the foundation of California’s wine industry.
Delve further into the wine country’s rich, colorful history:
Recreation
Hike, bike, horseback ride, play golf, tennis, pickle ball or pétanque, float above vineyards, valleys, and wineries in a hot air balloon. Endless opportunists to delight in the beauty and nature of the wine county abound. Utilize bike rental and horseback riding companies offering services throughout the wine country. View vineyards and wineries from the Napa Valley Wine Train. Make the most of state and regional parks, bike and hiking paths, hiking trails, tennis and pickle ball courts that wine country communities, counties and the State of California proudly present for local residents and visitors to enjoy. Nearby State Parks include the historic Jack London State Park, Sonoma State Park with six sites scattered about the town, Sugarloaf Ridge State Park, Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, and Sonoma Coast State Park.
Visit the Sonoma County website to learn more.
Spas & Massages
Treat yourself to an in-home message at your home away from home. Indulge in Winter Wellness in Sonoma Valley. Immerse yourself in a luxurious thermal bath, take relaxing yoga classes, and indulge in world-class spa treatments.
Learn more on the Sonoma Valley website.
Within an Hour's Drive
Take a drive to the incredible Sonoma and Marin Coasts. Beautiful beaches and hiking trails. Russian River rafting, beaches and hiking trails. Armstrong Redwoods. Calistoga mud baths. The many wonders of San Francisco. Muir Woods. And so much more!
Sport
Take in a race at Sonoma Raceway, home to NASCAR and NRHA, less than 30 minutes from Summers House and Haywood Vineyards Manor House. Become a spectator or competitor at Sonoma Horse Park, a world class show center located on the banks of the Petaluma River, just 35 minutes away. Run in The Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon in July and wind up in Historic Sonoma Plaza for tastings and treats.
More
Information
For more information, calendars of events, specific services and details, visit the Sonoma Valley website and the Napa Valley website. Inn Wine Country will provide a list of recommendations upon booking.
