Cool Towns in Sonoma County

There are lots of interesting and even cutesy small towns in Sonoma County. Many people know about the two biggest tourist destinations, Healdsburg and Sonoma, but there's more. The biggest city and county seat, Santa Rosa (pop 185,000) will be skipped. Too big to be cute. :)

Bodega  pop 600

Not to be confused with Bodega Bay (that's coming up next). It sits three or four miles inland from the coast. Its claim to fame is that much of Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds was filmed here. You'll recognize the schoolhouse immediately. 

It looks the same. Now a private residence
Poor people must get a lot of trespassers

Bodega Bay  pop 1,000

While we're talking about Hitchcock, the Tides Wharf Restaurant and other parts of Bodega Bay were also prominent in The Birds. The restaurant is still there, though remodeled, and with memorabilia from the filming. People mostly go to Bodega Bay for the little restaurants, shops, and the views from Bodega Head that sticks out a mile or two into the Pacific. Traffic can be heavy on summer weekends.

Part of the Bodega Bay fishing fleet
image from sonomacounty.com

Healdsburg  pop 11,000

This was a dusty little farm town that managed to find fame (and money) by hitching a ride with the local wine industry. The town is pretty much dedicated to visitors with the lodging, shopping, excellent restaurants, and wine tasting rooms. Healdsburg sits in a convenient location right between the Alexander, Dry Creek, and Russian River Valleys.

Healdsburg Plaza

Petaluma  pop 60,000

The biggest of our cool towns is here because it has a cool downtown. It's so cool, it was the filming location for American Graffiti. There are bookstores, antique shops, lots of restaurants, and the Petaluma River. It's very walkable with good nearby parking.

Petaluma river front
image from petalumamusicfestival.org

Occidental  pop 900

Long known locally for the friendly competition between Negri's (since 1943) and the Union Hotel's (since 1879) family style Italian restaurants. The town sits in a little valley surrounded by redwoods. Occidental has expanded a bit for visitors with lodging, more places to eat, and the cutesy shops.  A travel website recently called Occidental "delightful." Just south, in Freestone (pop 30), is the Wild Flour Bread bakery; worth a stop if you're driving by. If you wanna get away from it all, Occidental might be the place.

The Union Hotel bar
image from thebethlists.com

Sebastopol  pop 7,500

The welcome sign as you are entering town says "Nuclear Free Zone." That should help you sleep at night if you choose to stay here. Sebastopol used to be the center of the county's apple crop, now it's in the center of Pinot Noir vineyards. There is a small downtown, but it's the newish Barlow Center on the edge of town that draws locals and visitors alike. This was the site of an apple processing plant that now has food, wine, beer, and shopping in an easy to walk setting, but still with lots of parking. Don't miss the Crooked Goat Brewery.

Their sister city used to be Sebastovol, Russia. Eff that!

Sonoma  pop 10,000

A major wine destination in the south part of the county near to the population centers of the Bay Area, so expect busy weekends. Besides the lodging, shopping, eating and drinking, there is history, also. Sonoma was the last of the Spanish Missions (actually, Mexican by this time) and the home of the short-lived Bear Flag Revolt against the Mexicans. There is a great town plaza in the center with lots of wineries within walking distance or an easy drive.

Sonoma, and the plaza, from above