Things to do in Santa Rosa Besides Wine Tasting

Santa Rosa is the hub of Sonoma County. You may find yourself staying here or at least visiting the biggest city in the county. In case you wish do do something besides wine tasting here are alternatives.

Beer
Okay, it's still alcohol, but a nice change. Sonoma County, and specifically Santa Rosa, has been named one of the best beer spots in the country. Russian River Brewery put the area on the map. They are about to open a new brewery/pub nearby in the town of Windsor. That will take some of the crowd away from the downtown Santa Rosa spot.  There are about a dozen breweries in town with most having tap rooms and some having food. Make sure Hen House and Cooperage are on your list when you visit. You'll find several tap rooms, too, many with food menus.

Eat
As with all of Sonoma and Napa counties where there's wine there is great food. Santa Rosa is the biggest town in the area so there will be plenty of excellent restaurants. You can search for the best restaurants in town as decided by Yelp or TripAdvisor reviewers. A few that might not make that list, but are also excellent, are La Gare, SEA Thai, Naked Pig, Riviera, and Pullman Kitchen.

Hotel in Railroad Square

Visit Old Railroad Square
This is the section of downtown that looks stuck in the early 20th century. It's a lot of fun to browse the shops plus there are several restaurants and lodging options.

Harvest Fair "world championship" grape stomp

Events during the year
Most of the big events happen downtown, at the county fairgrounds or at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. The bigger ones are the Rose Parade (first one was in the late 19th century), National Heirloom Exposition, the county fair, Wings Over Wine Country airshow, and the Sonoma County Harvest Fair.

Shop for wine at Bottle Barn 
Okay, we're back to wine, but this is where the locals shop for wine and spirits. The beer selection just okay. You can find local, hard to find wines at great prices. You can actually find imported wines which is hard to do around here. It's worth a stop to browse the hundreds of local wine selections. If you're thirsty afterwards Plow Brewery is right across the street.

Charles Schulz Museum
Simply known as the Snoopy Museum. Schulz lived and wrote his daily Peanuts comic strip in Santa Rosa. This rotating exhibit is cool for kids of all ages.

Safari West

Safari West
The Sonoma Serengeti. Take a tour during the day or stay overnight.

6th Street Playhouse
Local live theater.

Luther Burbank's Home & Gardens
Santa Rosa's favorite son, a famous horticulturalist in his day. Check out what he invented (Russet Potato, Shasta Daisy, Santa Rosa Plum, etc).