The Ultimate Russian River Travel Guide, from Guerneville to Jenner and everything in-between

When it’s time to get away from day-to-day life, the Russian River is where to go to enjoy wine, dining, kayaking, redwoods, beaches, and more. The moment you take your first breath as you roll into town of Guerneville, the biggest town along the river greets you with the fresh scent of Redwood trees. It’s…

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Best Easy Family Hikes in West Sonoma County

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 2023

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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7 Best Places for Families to Swim in Sonoma County

While you’re planning your summer day trip or vacation with your family, it’s always a good idea to make a reservation for the activities you want to do. Maybe you want a private chef?  Or you’re celebrating a special occasion and want to make lifelong memories? Or you simply need a guaranteed spot at the beach?

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Activities to Plan Ahead for your trip to the Russian River

While you’re planning your summer day trip or vacation with your family, it’s always a good idea to make a reservation for the activities you want to do. Maybe you want a private chef?  Or you’re celebrating a special occasion and want to make lifelong memories? Or you simply need a guaranteed spot at the beach?

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Patricia’s Day of Family Biking & Wine Tasting in Graton

Today we have our first guest post! Written by a Mom and trust & estate attorney from San Francisco, Patricia DeFonte shares her unique experience of visiting the Russian River with her family. She describes her favorite activity of her trip (also one of our favorites), which was biking along the West County Trail in Forestville and Graton. She started in downtown Forestville, then biked and wine tasted her way to Graton and back.

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Sonoma is Cider Country

In this article we feature our favorite West Sonoma ciders, all of which have a tap room with outdoor space. There is so much to do in the area, that we were able to come up with suggestions on how to turn the cider tasting into an adventure for the whole family!

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Top 7 Family Takeout Restaurants in West Sonoma County

Are you ready for a trip away from home but dread the thought of having to cook yet another meal for your family? The Russian River area is now open for visitors so you can get away into the Redwood forest, enjoy the scenic river, and visit nearby beaches. And that is all you will have to think about when you come, because our local restaurants and small businesses have adapted to the new way that we are enjoying restaurant food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Best Challenging Family Hikes in West Sonoma

In this series we are highlighting our top 3 easy, moderate, and strenuous hikes in West Sonoma County. A few of our favorite trails in Armstrong Woods and Austin Creek were burned in the recent fires and remain closed. When they reopen we’ll post an update to these posts. We hope these other equally amazing trails inspire you to get out and enjoy the fresh air and natural beauty of Sonoma County.

These strenuous hikes have steep uphill components and range from 4-15 miles, and great for adults and big kids. The shortest one may also be considered moderate.

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Best Moderate Family Hikes in West Sonoma

Now that our kids have graduated from fairy wands while hiking (though certainly not from berry bushes), we have moved on to geocaching as great way to motivate slightly older kids on down the trail. Geocaching is a free IRL treasure hunting game played with the GPS on your phone. Someday we will do a…

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