3 Best Sights in Napa and Sonoma, California

Here's your best opportunity in the western Wine Country to wander amid Sequoia sempervirens, also known as coast redwood trees. The oldest example in this 805-acre state park, the Colonel Armstrong Tree, is thought to be more than 1,400 years old. A half mile from the parking lot, the tree is easily accessible, and you can hike a long way into the forest before things get too hilly. During hot summer days, Armstrong Redwoods's tall trees help the park keep its cool.

Halfway between Guerneville and the Pacific Ocean, this small town named for a sawmill that thrived here in the late 1800s is a popular pit stop for cyclists jonesing for coffee and aficionados of quirky retail. Antiques and gift shops can be found on the highway's north side, along with a general store, a petite bookstore, and a longtime local's casual wine-tasting venue. Guerneville and Jenner have better food options, though Cape Fear Café (north side) and the Gold Coast Bakery and Blue Heron Restaurant (south) have their adherents.

The brothers Korbel (Joseph, Francis, and Anton) planted Pinot Noir grapes in the Russian River Valley in the 1870s, pioneering efforts duly noted during tastings at the well-known brand's Guerneville facility. Korbel makes still wines, but the core business is producing dry to sweet bubblies using the French méthode champenoise, for which the second fermentation takes place in the bottle. If it's open when you visit, stroll through the rose garden, home to more than 250 varieties.