Micaela & Nadan

Chateau St. Jean and Beyond - Right in our venue's valley - the Kenwood and Glen Ellen area - are some of the most popular wineries in all of Sonoma County. Along Highway 12, you can visit St. Francis Winery with a beautiful lawn and tasting room, Kenwood Winery where most of the Friedman Family grapes are sold!, the famous Kunde Winery, and many more. 

Russian River Valley - Closer to the Friedman Ranch are a slew of other beautiful wineries worth a visit. Martin Ray is a Matt Friedman favorite, while Emeritus Winery was Mica's for a long time. The big name favorites of the area include Martinelli, Kendall-Jackson, and Balletto.

Alexander Valley - This may be one of the most beautiful valleys in the area. Ferrari-Carano is worth the photo op if nothing else, but its gardens, fountains, and underground wine cellar keep us coming back frequently. Robert Young Estate is a smaller winery with a newly built patio and tasting room overlooking the serene valley from above. Francis Ford Coppola is another site to see for its cinematography museum, expansive pool, and impressive building. A close friend and neighbor of ours runs Rodney Strong, known for their delicious Pinot Noirs and Zinfandels.

Dry Creek Valley - DCV is Nadan's favorite bike riding and winery pit stop. You can literally throw a stone in any direction and hit a different winery along this beautiful road that's just 15 minutes north of Santa Rosa in the Healdsburg area. Comstock Wines was Nadan's first wine club membership. They're known for their incredible Zinfandels, late harvest (sweeter) wines, and their perfect summer Sauvignon Blanc. They also have a pizza oven and bocce ball court overlooking a 110 year old vineyard behind the tasting room. 

Sonoma - Scribe Winery of Sonoma has almost a cult following. It sits on a knoll overlooking vineyards as far as you can see, has food and wine pairings, and lawn benches under beautiful trees perfect for picnics. Cline Cellars has amazing and affordable wines, not to mention extensive garden grounds and ponds on site. Viansa Winery with Italian cypress lining the property overlooks all of Sonoma. 

Napa Valley is surely the more touristed wine region of Northern California as opposed to Sonoma County. It consists of lovely little towns along the famous highway 29 such as Yountville, Rutherford, and St. Helena. Napa is the warmer, more inland valley known for bolder red wines and extravagant winery properties with jaw dropping buildings and tasting rooms. Some of our favorite spots include Beringer Winery (a sister estate to Chateau St. Jean), Peju Winery which is filled with gardens and has an adorable pink asymmetrical tower tasting room. We'd suggest you steer clear of V. Sattui Winery - while beautiful, it's the most touristed winery in all of Napa and can be more stressful than anything else. Castello Di Amorosa is a fun visit for a tour, though we wouldn't necessarily recommend their wines. This literal castle was built in the 80s by an architect trying to replicate a 13th century tuscan castle. It's complete with underground dungeons and emus, sheep, and other animals on property. Lastly, Domaine Carneros may have one of the most impressive estates in the valley. 

Lococo's - This is our favorite Italian spot by far! Located in Old Town Santa Rosa, they have huge portions, a classic Italian vibe, and the best veal parmigiana maybe ever. 

Bird & The Bottle - Brunch! And lunch and dinner too, but this spot is very trendy with awesome cocktails and interesting food options. Bacon & Egg Ramen, Pastrami Lamb Poutine, and Crème Brulee French Toast are just a few.

Santa Rosa Seafood Raw Bar & Grill - Here's the spot for fish tacos! And lots more local seafood options. Super affordable and great drinks too!

Perch + Plow - If it was possible to try every cocktail on the menu we would... On trend Perch + Plow in adorable downtown Santa Rosa creates food that looks more like art but still tastes incredible. 

Russian River Brewing Company - Fun atmosphere and great beer in charming downtown Santa Rosa.

Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria - A little further north by about 15 minutes, Diavola is to die for! Burrata and pizza and all the incredible sides with truffle everything. Definitely worth a drive up to the quaint little town of Geyserville for this spot. 

Gerard's Paella - A Sonoma County staple. If you're into Paella, look no further! This spot is affordable and so tasty. 

John Ash & Co. - This is a slightly more upscale Californian cuisine restaurant with local wine country fare and a cool bar on property.

Tomales Bay Oyster Company - If you're coming for an extended stay, we highly recommend heading out west to California's coast and oldest shellfish farm. If you're brave enough to shuck your own, Tomales allows guests to buy a bag as well as some sauces and lemon for additional flavor. It has a fun atmosphere with picnic benches right on the beach. Can't get any better than straight from the source. Bring some wine too!

Though most are on the extremely pricey end, if you're looking to splurge on a culinary experience, we have Michelin Star restaurants in the area such as French Laundry, Madrona Manor, and SingleThread. 

Hands down, our first suggestion would be Armstrong Woods, an incredible redwood grove in Santa Rosa. Quintessential to California, the great redwood trees are so magnificent, they're hard to believe. The oldest at Armstrong is nearly 1,400 years old and wider than some cars. There's a paved flat path all the way though with smaller trails off the main walking road. We can't recommend this cheap and accessible site enough!

Safari West - If you've always wanted to go on safari but haven't made it to Africa for the real experience, this place, dubbed "The Sonoma Serengeti," is an unexpected gem. Disclaimer: Safari West is definitely not a zoo! It's a privately owned property where, for the most part, animals run free. You can schedule a tour that takes you around the property in a 12-seater open-air outback wagon. A truly special experience.

Sonoma County gets a lot of its character from the adorable and historic squares that mark the center of each town. With unique boutiques, wine tasting rooms, and local art, you'll find a concentration of wine country culture in these areas. 

Healdsburg Square - Probably Mica's favorite place to bring out-of-towners, Healdsburg Square is teeming with interesting shops and restaurants. If you're a meat-eater, Journeyman Meat Co. has a 5.0 star rating on Yelp and the internet isn't wrong. This shop is a must visit for the best charcuterie and sausage plates. 

Sonoma Square - Much larger than Healdsburg and a little further away toward the town of Sonoma, is the Spanish Mission village of Sonoma Square. This spot has a ton of history and personality!

Downtown Santa Rosa - There are more restaurants than shops in this area, but the downtown area of SR is very close to the wedding venue if you're looking for an outing. Be sure to check out the "old town" section too!

Bodega Bay is a lovely harbor town on the Sonoma coast about a 40 minute drive from Santa Rosa. After a gorgeous but winding drive, you'll reach the quaint town full of seafood restaurants, beautiful scenery, and rocky cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Spud Point Crab Company boasts the best clam chowder in all of Northern California - there may be a line, but it's fantastic! 

Marin County where Mica grew up is known for its bayside views and charming towns. Check out Tiburon for a cross-bay view of the Golden Gate Bridge and unimaginable real estate, Sausalito for even more views of the bay and if you choose, a ferry ride right to San Francisco. Muir Woods is probably the top tourist attraction of the area, but it requires a pre-reserved parking pass and reservation to get in. Marin surrounds our largest mountain in the area, Mt. Tamalpais which has TONS of hiking opportunities and you can even drive to the very top. "The Valley" of Marin also makes for one of the best drives in the area. If you take the backroads along the coast back from Santa Rosa, you're in for a very windy but very beautiful drive. You'll hit the tiny cute town of Olema and should route through the town of Fairfax if you'd like to see the hippiest town in the Bay Area.

The Marin Headlands are so unique and incredible, they definitely need a category of their own. The view of the Golden Gate Bridge from the Headlands is the best there is, bar none. You can drive along the coast out to Rodeo Beach while looking down at the cliffs that line the gateway to the pacific ocean. However, the coolest things about this area are by far the old-time war bunkers, batteries, and secret tunnels that were designed to protect San Francisco from attack from as early as the Civil War period. On the Marin (North) shore there are three forts and several attack positions. 

If you're staying more local to the wedding venue in Santa Rosa / Kenwood, a drive through Glen Ellen out to Sonoma or Napa is a must. Check out the winery travel sections for the best stops along the way!

Lagunitas Brewing Company - The most famous brewery in the area would have to be Lagunitas. Located in Petaluma, their beer garden would be a fun stop to make on the way up from the Bay Area.

Russian River Brewery - Recently recognized as one of the best breweries in the WORLD. 

HopMonk Tavern - With locations in both Sonoma and Sobastopol, this brewery and restaurant does both very well.

HenHouse Brewing - Awesome ratings and a cool hangar style location.

Fogbelt Brewing - Local brewery with a taproom pairing their beers with a short menu of seasonal pub food & panini.

We have 3 recommended airports in the vicinity. 

Oakland Airport - OAK is closer to our wedding location than SFO, but may be tougher to find an economical flight from Toronto. Depending on traffic, it can take anywhere from an hour to two hours to get to Santa Rosa. If you're coming from Canada, likely the most affordable flight to Oakland is from Detroit with Spirit Airlines. 

San Francisco International Airport - If you're flying Air Canada, it's probably best to fly into SFO which is just south of San Francisco proper. Expect it to take anywhere from an hour and a half to two and a half hours to get to Santa Rosa from SFO. The views along the drive will help if there's traffic! 

Sonoma County Airport - If you don't mind an indirect flight (likely through Denver if coming from Toronto), STS Airport is the most convenient to the wedding venue, just about a 10 minute drive to downtown Santa Rosa. It's tiny and incredibly easy to navigate. Sometimes you can find oddly affordable flights, but can depend on the season.

Last thing to note: You may have travel sites suggest you fly into San Jose, California, but unless you're visiting the area, it would be a fairly far drive with lots of traffic to get from SJ to the wine country.