Food & Wine Forays

Petaluma is the gateway to delicious experiences.

From the Field

From the Vine

Relive your childhood as you experience the story of one of the 20th century’s greatest visionaries and creative geniuses. GOLDEN GATE PARK

This 1,000+ acre park hosts an art museum, Japanese tea garden, botanical garden and flower conservatory, multiple playgrounds, natural history and science museum, and more.

Palace Of Fine Arts

Built for the 1915 world’s fair, the Palace of Fine Arts is an iconic complex complete with a Roman-Greco rotunda.

Thanks to its central location and its storied history as an egg epicenter (p. 11), Petaluma is surrounded by still-active agricultural lands and businesses, offering visitors a unique opportunity to explore (and taste) the region’s bounty fresh from the source. Follow the Sonoma County Farm Trail for a NorCal agritourism experience like no other. Ever wanted to feed a goat? Then head to Redwood Hill Farms in neighboring Sebastopol. This family-run, sustainable farm offers tours of the property, featuring its olive grove, flower field, goat feedings, and “kid cuddling” (aka cuddling baby goats—what’s not to love?). If you’ve always wanted to visit the lavender fields of Provence, you’re in luck. A quick trip north to Santa Rosa puts you at Bees N Blooms, a lavender farm that also grows and sells fresh-cut flowers, pollinator-friendly plants, and honey. And if you’re here during the summer, you can’t miss Dry Creek Peach an organic boutique peach farm in Healdsburg located 45 minutes north of downtown Petaluma. Take home one (or several) of the 30 handpicked varieties grown here, along with peach jam, cobbler mix, bellini mix, and more. (Visit the farm stand from Memorial Day to Labor Day.)

To the north and east of Petaluma, world-class wine regions fan out in front of you. Each of them beckons you to savor their distinctive characteristics, from buttery chardonnay to full-bodied cabernet sauvignon. California wine country is calling.

Drive through pastoral rolling hillsides toward Sonoma Valley and in about 20 minutes you’ll arrive at Cornerstone, a delightful collection of tasting rooms, eclectic shops, and art-inspired gardens. From there, it’s just five miles to the heart of Sonoma—a pedestrianfriendly plaza bordered by more than a dozen tasting rooms and home to the last mission built in California. Want a vineyard vista experience? The Visitors Center on the square will be happy to help you narrow down the options from Sonoma Valley’s 100-plus wineries. But your trip to wine country isn’t complete without a visit to Napa Valley, arguably the most famous wine region in North America. Petaluma is an ideal starting point for the scenic 45-minute drive. Explore the valley’s five towns—Calistoga, St. Helena, Yountville, Napa, and American Canyon—to taste award-winning wines and still make it back to Petaluma in time for dinner and a nightcap. Win-win!

END: In Sonoma County, it’s all about eating (and drinking!) local. In downtown Petaluma, Central Market sources its menu items from Sonoma County-based growers and its own organic farm, Muleheart Farm. Close out your evening with a nightcap from Speakeasy…shhh.

Do you like cheese? Of course you do! Taste your way along the California Cheese Trail. See page 43 for more info.