A blog by Lucky Bend Lookout, a modern vacation rental on the Russian River in Guerneville, California
this year I decided to put on my ugly Christmas sweater and bring the family to a tree farm in Sebastopol. And while we were in the area, why not go ice skating in Santa Rosa? And then to kid friendly dinner in Petaluma? We had such a great time on our day trip from San Francisco that we decided to share this itinerary with you so you can be inspired to get outdoors and have fun too!
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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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From Stillwater Cove in the north to Wright’s Beach in the south, the area surrounding the hamlet of Jenner where the Russian River meets the sea is full of fun and sometimes quirky adventures for the whole family. Check out our choose your own adventure guide to a day trip in Jenner.
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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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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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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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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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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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Turkey, ham, and prime rib may be the meal that comes to mind around the holidays but San Franciscan’s and Northern California chefs know that the easiest way to have an amazingly memorable holiday feast is with dungeness crabs fresh off the boat. Dungeness crab season varies each year but generally runs from November to…
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