It’s so exciting! The time has finally come! Effective 12:01am in June 19, 2020. Sonoma County is welcoming staycationers from nearby to stay and play!
Beaches are open, you can rent a canoe, restaurants are seating patrons indoors, you can go inside a store, wineries are open, and campgrounds, vacation rentals, and hotels are allowed to open to tourists.
It will be so great to visit Sonoma County and get some outdoor therapy, enjoy dining out, and go wine tasting. There are however some changes to the way you will do activities while social distancing.
Beaches and Boats
All Russian River beaches and Sonoma Coast beaches are open and standard parking fees apply. Johnson’s Beach is the only private beach on the Russian River and it will open to the public on Friday, June 19th. The campground and cabins will open on Friday, June 26th. Advance reservations will be required for all guests and need to be made online via their website at www.johnsonsbeach.com/beach. You can reserve a spot that is about 10 feet in diameter, spaced 8-to-10 feet from the next group, with an umbrella included. Priority will be given to their overnight guests. Guests will also be able to reserve boats, parking, and other items on the web site.
The local boat rental companies Burke’s Canoe Trips in Forestville, and King’s Sport & Tackle in Guerneville will be renting boats, but their shuttle bus capacity will be reduced, all patrons will be required to use hand sanitizer before boarding the shuttle, and windows will have to stay open. All boats will be sanitized between rental parties. King’s is renting boats currently, with reservations arranged by phone. Burke’s canoes will start renting boats on July 1st.
Restaurants, Wineries and Shopping
At Sonoma County restaurants, there will be hand sanitizer at the entrance. Tables will be spaced at least 6 feet apart and there won’t be salt and pepper shakers on the tables, and menus will be sanitized. Staff will be wearing masks and customers will only remove masks while drinking and eating.
Wineries can now serve customers outdoors as well as indoors. Wine tasting can happen with or without food, but you need to make an appointment. When visiting a winery your group can include up to six people and employees must maintain a six-foot distance from other employees and customers.
Retail stores will have reduced capacity and people inside the stores are required to wear masks. Employees will have their temperature taken at each shift and complete a symptom questionnaire.
Vacation Rentals, Hotels & Campgrounds
The moment we have been waiting for is here! Lucky Bend Lookout can host you again! The summer calendar is mostly full, with just a few days available at the end of August. We still have openings in the fall, which is a really great time to visit since it’s less crowded. As we described in this blog post, it’s still great weather in the fall and you can expect to enjoy the river until the end of October.
Your vacation rental experience will be different than what you are used to, so it’s best to be prepared so there won’t be any surprises. Lucky Bend Lookout is following the COVID-19 Industry Guidance from the State of California and as described in our blog post here.
In addition to following the cleaning protocols, most of the amenities that can be touched by guests but are difficult to clean will not be provided. Examples of these items include brochures, magazines, and pantry items. We will also limit the number of blankets we provide. We will be sure to provide our guests with hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes, and bleach to be used as needed.
Hotels in Sonoma County are also allowed to host tourists. In addition to the same cleaning protocols as vacation rentals, hotels are advised to install hand sanitizer dispensers at key guest and employee entrances and contact areas such as driveways, reception areas, hotel lobbies, restaurant entrances, meeting and convention spaces, elevator landings, pools, salons and exercise areas. Ice machines will not be made available and housekeeping will only occur after the guest has checked out of their room. Self check-in may also be an option now at hotels.
If you have any questions or concerns about your upcoming visit or would like a book a weekend getaway from the San Francisco Bay Area, call or text Sarah at 415-516-6961.