Sonoma County Tourist Traps

   The previous blog post was on Napa tourist traps. This one is about Sonoma County.

   If you missed the Napa post the dictionary definition of a tourist trap is:
A place that attracts and exploits tourists.

   I'm not saying you shouldn't visit any of these places listed below, but just realize what you are walking into. I've been to enough tourist traps myself when on vacation so I'm not here to criticize anyone else's choices.

   Sonoma County isn't here strictly for wine tourism as is Napa. That is a key difference when comparing the number of tourist-heavy locations and businesses in Napa to what's in Sonoma. Avoiding tourist traps in Sonoma is mostly about avoiding the most popular places because of crowds and often stressed staff. I'm not saying don't visit,  just be aware of what you might be getting into. I've been to all of these places and have worked at one of the wineries listed.

Healdsburg shoppers

Towns of Sonoma and Healdsburg
   Sonoma is conveniently located so you'll often have a zillion people show up looking for parking places on weekends and every day during the summer. The town is cute, historic, and walkable. It's full of shopping, wine tasting and restaurants. The south end of the county, where Sonoma is located, is a bit of a tourist trap because it's real convenient from the Bay Area. Sonoma has morphed from a old, wine making town into a visitor destination.
   Healdsburg went from a grungy farm town to a world-class destination on purpose. You could spend days eating and drinking your way through Healdsburg where food, lodging, and retail shop prices are noticeably higher.
   Both towns have cool town plazas that host events.

Buena Vista Winery
   Probably the most important winery in the state's history. The current owner, an immigrant from a French wine family, is quite the character and has turned it into something weirdly entertaining. Not necessarily weird in a bad way, just different.
   There are cutouts of famous local people as you walk in, a Champagne room that has overtones of a French whore house (I'm guessing, never been in one), some of the merchandise in the tasting room is a little over the top (a bobble head of himself?). I'm not a fan of the wines; your opinion may differ.

Coppola Winery
   Francis Ford bought an existing winery and fixed it all up with movie memorabilia and a swimming pool(!?) He recently sold it to Bill Foley, a billionaire collector of wineries. The wine was never great under Coppola, I don't expect any recent improvements.

Ferrari Carano Vineyards
   Bill Foley bought this one, too. It's a popular spot because of the architecture and the beautiful grounds. The wine is secondary.

Jacuzzi Winery & the Olive Press
   It looks like an old building, but it's fairly recent with a facade of  "stonework." Knowing that is a turnoff. Crowds of visitors come through here because of the location. The Olive Press area is especially touristy/tacky. Not sure of the quality and prices for the oil as I haven't been there in years.

Korbel Champagne Cellars
   The good: Cool tours, a lot of Champagnes (aka sparkling wines) available, prices are decent, a good deli, history, nice grounds.
   The not so good: Can be crowded, many of the sparkling wines are yucky sweet, the still wines are bad.

Viansa Winery
   The first warning should be the "visitor info" sign on the road out front. Inside you'll find an "Italian marketplace." Perhaps this is a better place to stop and look around rather than purchase. A popular tour bus stop. Their main business is weddings. The winery is strategically placed to get you on your way into the wine country.

Viansa Winery, near the town of Sonoma

 
    Some non-wine well-known places that are not tourist traps:
Charles Schulz Museum, Jack London State Park, Safari West, Armstrong Redwoods.