Green Gulch Farm – Muir Beach

Green Gulch Farm – Muir Beach

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If you’re looking for a peaceful day full of natural beauty and calm, Green Gulch Farm provides a relaxing escape just 10 miles north of San Francisco. This cozy outpost of the San Francisco Zen Center is nestled between the hills surrounding Muir Beach. It is home to the Green Dragon Temple, or Soryu-ji, a Buddhist practice center offering training in Zen meditation and philosophy. Surrounded by fields, hills, and trees, Green Gulch provides a vast space for reflection and…

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Some useful lists from Sonoma Magazine to check out when you visit

Some useful lists from Sonoma Magazine to check out when you visit

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If you’re planning a visit to Sonoma County in 2020, here are a few guides that will help you plan your trip: Best Sonoma Wineries for First-Time Visitors Best Sonoma Restaurants for First-Time Visitors 20 Favorite Hikes in Sonoma County 20 Things to Do by The Russian River The Best Hidden Gem Restaurants in Every Sonoma County Town

Pick’s Drive In – Cloverdale

Pick’s Drive In – Cloverdale

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After a full day of wine tasting, swimming in Lake Sonoma, or hiking the hills around Cloverdale you might be in the mood for a great burger. Sometimes dining at the fancy restaurants around these parts are not what you need…..but a quick and and easy lunch is just the ticket. Well Pick’s Drive In is the perfect spot to stop. Every item on their menu is tasty, but this BBQ Chicken Sandwich is particularly good. Pair that with a nice cold…

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Willow Wood Market – Graton

Willow Wood Market – Graton

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The little town of Graton is just a dot on the Sonoma County map, but it boasts one of our favorite spots to stop for lunch when we are headed out to the coast: Willow Wood Market. We almost always order off the specials menu when we go, and recently the fish stew was a knockout favorite. If they have it on the menu….definitely order it!Here is what the Michelin Guide had to say about Willow Wood Market: “Good, down-home…

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Bamboo Sourcery – Sebastopol

Bamboo Sourcery – Sebastopol

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I have lived in this area for over 20 years now…but I had never visited Bamboo Sourcery before and turns out it is so worth seeing. Bamboo Sourcery is a unique bamboo-exclusive specialty nursery tucked among the forested hills near Sebastopol, California. They carry literally hundreds of bamboo varieties from all over the world and have beautiful and extensive demonstration gardens. You can wander through a forest of bamboo, picnic by a little pond and learn all about the over 300 varieties…

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Bon Ton Studio

Bon Ton Studio

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Every now and then we like to highlight a local shop and recently we discovered Bon Ton Studio in Healdsburg. While little boutiques have proliferated there recently, many are a little too expensive for our local liking. Not this one! If you are looking to do some shopping in a lovely spot where your purchases won’t break the bank then this is the spot. Just because you are in a tourist town does not men you absolutely have to pay tourist prices…

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The Thatcher Hotel – Hopland

The Thatcher Hotel – Hopland

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I recently had the opportunity to visit and tour this newly renovated and opened hotel in the tiny town of Hopland. Situated amongst the oak-covered rolling foothills of Northern California, Hopland sits on the west bank of the Russian River and serves as a gateway to the Redwoods of Northern California and the Emerald Triangle. Here you’ll find vineyards, ranches, and farmland alongside wineries, antique shops, and a rich local culture. While not yet really on everyones radar, this historic landmark building…

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Need a Local Concierge?

Need a Local Concierge?

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Sometimes you just need a little more help planning your visit to Sonoma County, and especially the Sonoma Coast. We are pleased to recommend Sonoma Concierge, who can provide everything from airport transfers to customized tours focused on Wine and Cheese, Beer and Oysters, and even a Bodega Bay Beach and Hitchcocks’s “The Birds” tour. Let these experts give you the true lay of the land, and tell them the folks at Locals Travel Tips sent you to receive a…

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The Crazy Norwegian Fish and Chips

The Crazy Norwegian Fish and Chips

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If you ever find yourself heading up up the coast on Hwy 101 toward Portland make absolutely sure to stop for lunch in Port Orford, Oregon at The Crazy Norwegian Fish and Chips restaurant. I stumbled on this completely by chance but WOW I am glad I stopped. I am very very picky about my fish and chips. The batter needs to be perfectly light and crisp, and the chips need to be just the right consistency too. Then there…

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Big River Estuary Hike

Big River Estuary Hike

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This past Thanksgiving we needed to walk off some of the great food we ate so we decided to take what turned out to be an amazing walk. I call it more of a walk because the road is mostly level, with gentle hills along the edge of Big River for the first seven miles. You’ll pass an abandoned quarry in the first mile. At 4 ½ miles, there’s a small laguna at Dry Dock Gulch where you’ll find wood…

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