Sonoma Family Adventures

Best Easy Family Hikes in West Sonoma

By: LuckyBendLookout
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Kids always whine about hiking but in the end have a really good time once they get their minds on something fun. When I was a kid, my parents would overcome the resistance by coaxing me from berry bush to berry bush down the trail. By the time I finally got full of berries we had…

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Sonoma County Pumpkin Patch Adventures in 2020

By: LuckyBendLookout
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It’s time for the annual family outing to the Pumpkin patch! Even with COVID-19, there is an abundance of options for families in the SF Bay Area. Sonoma County is my favorite place to go get pumpkins, gourds, and Autumn treats so here is a summary of just a portion of the pumpkin patches available for visitors.

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French Themed Day Trip in Beautiful Sonoma County

By: LuckyBendLookout
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I wouldn’t consider myself a francophile so much as a wineaux. Growing up in California and having travelled to all the major wine regions in in France and Spain, I have always been struck by how Sonoma and France are kindred spirits in wine and food culture, even sharing similar Mediterranean climate and similar ecology.…

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Sonoma Apple Picking Adventures in 2020

By: LuckyBendLookout
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There is something that satisfies the soul about picking a harvest and turning it into delicious treats for the family. In the spring we take our family out to Brentwood to u-pick cherries, apricots, and peaches. Most of our spring harvest gets chomped for snack time or converted to jam to take us through the…

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Sonoma County is Welcoming Visitors!

By: LuckyBendLookout
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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…

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Whales, Hiking, and Chowder; Day Trip to Bodega Bay

By: LuckyBendLookout
Family Adventures, Itineraries, Localvore, , , , , , , , , , 2 Comments on Whales, Hiking, and Chowder; Day Trip to Bodega Bay

Where can you go on a day trip from the SF Bay area that’s less than two hours from the city, has breathtaking ocean views, amazing local food, an easy hike, and wildlife viewing?  Bodega Bay, of course! We usually visit Bodega Bay when we stay at our vacation home Lucky Bend Lookout because it’s…

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I’m Ready for Post Lockdown Travel! Now What?

By: LuckyBendLookout
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On a scale from 1-10, how ready are you for a vacation? If you asked me, I would say I am a 11! I will go ANYWHERE as long as it’s not home and as long as it is safe. But what does a safe vacation look like? At the time of the publication of…

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Book Direct for a Better Trip; Save a Few Bucks too!

By: LuckyBendLookout
Grown Ups (Mostly), Local Advice, , , , , , , 3 Comments on Book Direct for a Better Trip; Save a Few Bucks too!

A few years ago we had a traveling revelation that changed our approach to vacationing ever since. It was all thanks to booking direct and developing a relationship with the vacation home owner. We flew our family of four to the Yucatán to meet up with some friends to escape the cold wet winter weather.…

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Three Different Road Trips Through Northern California to the Russian River

By: LuckyBendLookout
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Its only an hour and twenty minutes to the Russian River but why race up there when it could take you all day? One of the things that we have come to love about the Russian River area is that vacation wonderland is so close, and most importantly, doesn’t include any travel on Interstate 80.…

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Lucky Bend Lookout Goes Carbon Free

By: LuckyBendLookout
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We finally made it! It took us four stages to take Lucky Bend Lookout from ramshackle shack to the eco-friendly splendor that it is now. We are starting 2020 with the final stage, 100% renewable energy from solar power during the day and geothermal power at night. No more guilt for cranking up the radiant…

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