Sonoma Cheap Hotels in Sonoma

When to visit based on price

The best time to visit Sonoma for prices and les crowds is between November and May.

Key attractions

The key attractions hands down in Sonoma are the more than 400 wineries. All around town you will find the map of area wineries, and it’s up to you to choose your voyage carefully. The big name wineries are always worth a visit, but the smaller boutique wineries can sometimes be even more rewarding, and less crowded.
Let’s take a look at some of the Sonoma wineries that offer Food & Wine Pairing adventures.
The Mayo Family Winery and Reserve Room is one of these, offering a multi course pairing that will take between 1-2 hours, but well worth it. The on-board chef does an excellent job not only preparing the dishes, but also pairing with Mayo Family wines. Try calling ahead for a reservation, especially during busy times of day and weekends.
St Francis Winery and Vineyards is another splendid adventure for you, with a beautiful Spanish design Wine Center and tasting room. With a reservation you are escorted to a private dining room where you are served multiple courses from the chef in the kitchen. These are paired with some of his or her excellent wines, while not only do you get to enjoy, but also each dish and wine is described for you. You will find that upon leaving, you are more than ready to have your own wine and food-pairing event back home.
Although these aren’t the only wineries offering food pairings, they are a great start in your quest for wine knowledge.

Having fun

Especially if traveling with small children, a visit to the Sonoma Train Town is in order. This is a scaled down railroad the passes by waterfalls, Victorian homes, bridges and more for an exciting ride. The kids, both big and small get to stop at different kid size villages, feed animals (bring change), and maybe buy the little ones a t-shirt or engineers hat at the store.
Along with the train theme, there’s also a place for the big kids. The Depot Park Museum is the Old Sonoma Train Depot that was built back in 1880 and used quire heavily. Today it serves as the museum and reminder of how trains brought progress to the old west.

Shopping

There are no gigantic shopping malls here in Sonoma, as most everything has something to do with the wine industry. You will come across some really exceptional antique stores along the main route through Sonoma for your browsing pleasure.
Of note for smaller shops is Bear Moon Clothing Company, with designer western wear for women. Cornerstone Sonoma is another great place to shop around in.
Most of your wineries have interesting stores in them, mostly related to the industry, but some with fine art.

Nearby

It’s almost a given that you would want to venture out from Sonoma into Napa and explore some of their wineries also. Another excellent wine area is the Dry Creek area, especially if you have a love of Zinfandel, as this is the home of “The Old Vine”.
You are so close to the California Coast that a relaxing drives from Sonoma out to Bodega Bay where you can sun and swim on the Sonoma Coast State Beach. Bodega Bay is a small village, and famous for it’s depiction in Alfred Hitchcock’s thriller, “The Birds”.
The fact that Napa / Sonoma is the playground for greater San Francisco because its so close in proximity, the reverse is also true. You can experience San Francisco in a day if that’s your pleasure. Drive over the San Francisco Bay Bridge, and in town you have many options. Take the “Rice a-Reni” cable car to the top; visit Fisherman’s Warf for shops and lunch on the waterfront. You can also take the trip out to Alcatraz Island, and experience the world famous island prison that once held some of America’s worst criminals.

Near By Destinations

• Rocklin, California
• Gualala, California
• Williams, California
• Elk Grove, California
• Mill Valley, California
• Manteca, California
• Richmond, California
• Aptos, California
• Dublin, California
• San Rafael, California