je

Big 3 Diner at the Sonoma Mission Inn might be a good choice for brunch. Never been there but there's always a lot of people in it.

ElendilPickle

Kim, you must live near where I grew up in the central Sierras!

Have fun with your Syrah. I gotta say that "KC Cellars" makes me think of Kansas City - do they make wine there? Maybe another name would work better. ;-)

Lee Ann

kimamom

LOL those are my initials, but that's funny, when we went to the Kings Canyon National Park, I got a BB cap that I wear to the gym with my initials (KC) on it and everyone thought I was a Kansas City fan!

Maybe KB Cellars and include my hubby's first name! Still working on it! ***kim***

FLheart

I know this is late in the game and possibly mentioned above, but you may want to consider getting a driver for the winery/tastings. Two friends and I just came back from Napa and we had the greatest experience with David from Eclectic Tours. He made our trip! The perfect way to spend the day and no worries of driving. The traffic in Napa was very light even though all hotels were sold out so don't let that scare you off. The Greystone for lunch was heavenly...2 hours of pure bliss! You'll have a great time no matter what the schedule!

wanderer

Thanks everyone. Sorry Razzledazzle - I know I'm like a dog with a bone... Air though, not Fire.

Is Jack London State Park worth seeing, or should we move this to our "another time" list. Personally, I think I'd rather spend more time in Petaluma and eliminate.

We elimiate Armstrong, and won't consider this trip or Anderson Valley, as we will include with Mendocino for another time. So much to see in CA!

On to rejuggle again... I drive my husband crazy, who just likes to get up and do whatever he feels like doing that day. But this is helpful for groupings so we're not wasting alot of time driving around.

Greystone sounds great - it's one place on my list.

Kal

:-?
Wadda 'bout: "K Syrah Syrah Cellars"?

kimamom

With a picture of Doris Day on the label? ***kim***

wanderer

Still juggling....

There's a great interactive map at napavalley.com, and also a really helpful chart of mileage between towns.

I checked sonomavalley.com hoping to find something similar, and cannot.

Does anyone know where there is a similar map and mileage chart?

razzledazzle

Here's a fun one, wanderer:
http://www.sonoma-county.org/film/travel.htm
R5

razzledazzle

and here's another one...
R5

wanderer

OK - Here it is.... the NEW itinerary.

Open to comments about towns, schedule, wineries we have chosen, etc.
We wanted a mix of large and small, still wines and sparkling, views, architecture, gardens, good tours. Additionally, if a town I have on one day fits better somewhere else due to drive times, logistics, etc., please let me know. Even with maps and driving distance charts, I am geographically challenged....

Santa Rosa, Petaluma, Napa town, Windsor, Cloverdale are important to us, as we are thinking of moving (retiring to) CA at some point in the distant future, and want a feel for these areas. These seem to be less expensive in very expensive Northern CA as it is where we are from near Boston.

Mon - Oct 4 -

Fly in BOS - SFO - Arrive 1:55pm
We have carry ons only
Pick up rental car
Pick up keys for the house
Drive to the house (Aqua Caliente) and drop bags off
Shop for the week - Albertsons or Ralphs
Quick dinner near house - ?Breakaway Cafe in Ralph's Plaza

Mon - Oct 5th

Kenwood - Chateau St. Jean
Glen Ellen - Benzinger and Jack London State Park
then head to Petaluma for remainder of day - shops/riverwalk/lunch at Dempseys
Back to Sonoma for Farmer's Market at dusk - I've seen different books say this IS on in Oct and others that say it ends in Sept. Anyone know???

Wed - 10/6

Cloverdale - See town
Geyerserville - Chateau Souverain
Healdsburg - Ferrari Carano
Healdsburg shops - lunch in Healdsburg
Windsor - see town
QUESTION - Is Chateau Souverain too much like Ferrari Carano, and should we omit one? If so, which?

Thurs - 10/7 -

Sonoma Plaza - Hang around and visit shops
Carneros/Sonoma - Buena Vista and Viansa
Napa town - shops, etc. - lunch in Napa at Don Giovanni
Yountville - Domaine Chandon
Shops

Friday - Oct 8 -

Calistoga via Hwy 29
Sterling and Schrambsberg
St. Helena - shops
Beringer
Culinary Institute of America
Lunch in St. Helena
Rutherford - Niebaum Coppola
QUESTION - We have 3 wineries this day, and are goal was to have 1 per day, 2 at the most, to leave time for seeing the countryside, shopping, etc. If we cut one this day, which should we cut??

Saturday - Oct 9

Meet friends in AM. They are driving in from Sacaramento where they live. Is there a parking area or somewhere in downtown Sonoma that we could meet them? I'm not sure how easy our rental house will be to find.

Our friends want to see Opus One and Copia. I am not so sure about either, due to $$$$ at Opus One for tasting, reservation required etc. (we hate being pinned down on vacation), and just being in Napa on the weekend, but guess we'll just go along for the ride.

Anyone have suggestions for lunch place and place for dinner in Sonoma/Glen Ellen/Kenwood? Friends are staying over, but want to stay close to home after dark, so would like dinner place close to Aqua Caliente that's good food but not expensive or dressy.

Sun - Oct 10

Brunch with friends early AM - thinking Cafe La Haye in Sonoma??

Then go our separate ways -
On to Santa Rosa
Luther Burbank Gardens
Sebastapol - Iron Horse
Shops
Sonoma Coast - Jenner/Bodega Bay/Goat Rock Beach

Monday - Oct 11

Flight to BOS leaves SFO at 1:55p
Pack, check out, drive to airport
QUESTION - How much time will we need to leave to get to the airport from Aqua Caliente?

Thanks to all and looking forward to comments.

kimamom

You are going to be very busy wandered, have a great time! I can say that Cafe La Haye is very nice. We were there the middle of March, R5, current enough for you?

Also, really enjoyed Chateau St. Jean. Try their reserve tastings, and enjoy on the gorgeous grounds there. ***kim***

wanderer

Just saw the post on Cindy's Backstreet in Yountville. Had forgotten about that. Think we will do that for lunch our day in Yountville, and Don Giovanni the day in Napa with friends.

Anyone know about Heirloom or Depot restaurant in Sonoma? Still looking for a close to the house dinner spot for Sat night. Possibly also Kenwood Restaurant and Bar?

trishiad

cloverdale or windsor for retirement if you like new tract homes, otherwise I wouldn't bother with the drive. If you are going all the way to souvereign you may want to splurge on lunch there and have a dinner snack in the square in healdsburg.
greystone has a great tapas lunch and is gorgeous. check out the victorians while you're in st. helena.

it looks a little like you're bouncing all over the two valleys and i'm tired just reading your itinerary. i live in sebastopol and love it dearly but there's not that much to see here or in graton. petaluma will serve you just as well for antiques as will napa.
in sonoma, a meal at piatti is always easy and tasty, or just grab a pizza at mary's if you're totally wiped out.
why not reserve one day for just driving around until something catches your eye? our two valleys are easily appreciated in your hubby's style also.

speaking as a real estate agent, i think a view of just a few communities will give you a better idea if this is your retirement home. you can pin down the actual towns later and enjoy your vacation now.

good luck and welcome,
trish

wanderer

trishiad -
Thanks for your comments.

We are back, and had a great time.

Although we knew what towns and wineries we wanted to see, we used that mainly for geographical groupings, we played it by ear.

We still were able to get in alot, but did not see as much of Napa Valley as we would have liked - missed Yountville and Napa city, so are going back in March, staying in Yountville, and just seeing Napa Valley.

Since you are a realtor, wanted to ask you if you know anything about the 55+ communities in Sonoma - Temelec, Belaire, Creekside Village, Chantarelle, Country Meadows and La Mancha (I believe this is stand alone condos and not 55+)

The homes look nice on the web, and reasonably priced compared to other homes in the area, but since we didn't see them, not sure of location, area, or if they would be a consideration.

trishiad

Hi wanderer,
Silly me, I noticed the dates of your trip after I posted! Glad you enjoyed yourselves.
I am not so familiar with the senior developments in Sonoma but will do some research and get back to you. Feel free to email me at [email protected] in the meantime.
trish