Sonoma, California Essential Info
Overview
Explore Sonoma County's history, with a trip to the town of Sonoma, home to Mission San Francisco Solano, the last Spanish-Mexican mission built in California. It also includes Buena Vista Winery, California’s oldest winery, and Gundlach-Bundschu, the state’s oldest, continually operating family winery. Sonoma State Historic Park preserves the mission and the Sonoma Barracks, as well as the nearby historic home of General Vallejo and other sites. Sonoma is also famous for the Bear Flag Revolt, where Californians declared their independence from Mexico.
Basics
Best Time To Go
Year round
Current Time
Current Weather
41 °F
Clear
Fun Facts
- 80% of the scenes in Bottleshock, the movie about the wine tasting victory of a Napa Valley chardonnay over France's best whites in 1976, were actually shot in Sonoma.
- Sonoma is considered the birthplace of wine-making in California, dating back to the original vineyards of Mission San Francisco Solano, with improvements made by Agoston Haraszthy, the father of California viticulture and credited with introduction of the Zinfandel/Primitivo grape varietal.
- John Lasseter, an animator and the chief creative executive at Pixar Animation Studios who won Academy Awards for Toy Story, reside in the Sonoma Valley area of the city, with his family.
- Sonoma Plaza is surrounded by many historical buildings, including the Mission San Francisco Solano, Captain Salvador Vallejo's Casa Grande, the Presidio of Sonoma, the Blue Wing Inn, the Sebastiani Theatre, and the Toscano Hotel.
Popular Foods
- Pan Roasted Squab
- Duck Egg with Mushrooms