Things to Do in Sonoma, California
In short
Sonoma the town sits at the south end of Sonoma Valley, about an hour north of San Francisco. Walk the eight-acre Plaza, step into the Mission and Barracks, and take the Overlook Trail before it gets hot. The three homes we manage are a short drive from Spain Street. Park once downtown and spend the day on foot.
Written by the Casago Sonoma team — we manage 3 homes in Sonoma and answer guest texts about the Plaza and dinner seven days a week.
Last updated August 18, 2026 · Last checked on the ground August 18, 2026
Know before you go
- Town, valley, and county are three different maps
- The town of Sonoma is the Plaza and the streets around it. Sonoma Valley runs north through Glen Ellen and Kenwood. Sonoma County is the whole region, Healdsburg to the coast. This page is the town. The other maps have their own guides.
- Park downtown. Our houses are a short drive.
- The three homes we manage sit on Greger Street, Sonoma Vista Drive, and Cherry Tree Court. Two of them are in The Springs, a few minutes north. The closest is still about a mile from Spain Street. Drive in, park once, and the square is a walk from there.
- Dogs on the sidewalks, not the lawn or the trail
- The city keeps dogs off Plaza Park grass, the Overlook Trail, and Montini Preserve, leash or not. Sidewalks around the square are fine. The Friday certified market at Arnold Field is a no-pets market too. If the dog is coming, plan a street walk and skip those three.
- Book The Girl & the Fig. Wander the tasting rooms.
- The Girl & the Fig is the Plaza dinner we send people to, and weekend nights fill. Valley Bar + Bottle closes Tuesday and Wednesday. The tasting rooms around the square are mostly walk-up. Estate rooms in the valley want a reservation.
- Friday morning for fruit. Tuesday night in summer.
- The year-round certified market is Friday morning at Arnold Field on First Street West. From early May through early September, Tuesday evenings turn the Plaza horseshoe into the night market — produce, food stands, and live music. Saturday on the square is quieter. That's a different rhythm from Healdsburg.
- Walk the Overlook before the heat
- Summer afternoons on the valley floor get hot. Do the 2.4-mile loop in the morning, then sit under the Plaza trees. Carry water after May.
Things to Do in Sonoma, California
Sonoma Plaza
Start on the eight-acre square. City Hall sits in the middle, and Spain Street, Napa Street, and the two First Streets box it in. Adobe storefronts hold the restaurants, the tasting rooms, and a few shops you can do in an afternoon without moving the car. Grab a bench under the trees. Most of our guest texts about this town start here.
The square bounded by Spain, Napa, First Street East, and First Street West.
Official siteSonoma State Historic Park
The Mission, the Barracks, and General Vallejo's home sit a few minutes apart around the Plaza. This is the last California mission and the ground of the Bear Flag Revolt. The park is open daily from 10 to 5, and it closes Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Start at the Mission on East Spain Street and walk the rest.
Mission at 114 East Spain Street. Barracks at 36 East Spain. Vallejo Home at 363 Third Street West.
Official sitePlaza tasting rooms
The blocks around the square are where you taste without getting back in the car. Pinot and chardonnay show up more than cabernet. Park once and wander Spain Street and First Street West.
Spain Street, First Street West, and the alleys off the Plaza.
Official siteSonoma Overlook Trail
The main loop is 2.4 miles round trip and about 400 feet of climb. The trailhead is at the Mountain Cemetery gate on First Street West, four blocks north of the Plaza. Go in daylight. The meadow at the top looks over town, the valley, and the bay. Montini connects if you want more oak and a longer dirt walk, and you can stitch the two into a four-mile morning. July is kinder before 10. Carry water either way.
Trailhead at the Mountain Cemetery entrance on First Street West.
Official siteTuesday Night Market and Friday farmers market
Tuesday evenings from early May through early September, the horseshoe in front of City Hall fills with produce, food stands, and a band. It's the night the Plaza feels like the town's living room. The shop you can count on all year is Friday morning at Arnold Field, 284 First Street West, 9 to 12:30. Come Friday for fruit. Come Tuesday, in season, for the square at full volume.
Tuesday on the Plaza horseshoe. Friday at Arnold Field, 284 First Street West.
Official siteBuena Vista Winery
Founded in 1857, Buena Vista is California's first premium winery. The Press House from 1862 is the tasting room, a few minutes east of the Plaza at 18000 Old Winery Road. Book a tasting if you want a seat. This is the one estate hour after a walking day downtown — caves, picnic grounds, and the old gravity-flow building.
18000 Old Winery Road, a short drive east of downtown.
Official siteEat & drink
The Girl & the Fig
This is the Plaza dinner we send people to. French-country cooking, a Rhône-heavy wine list, and a garden patio on Spain Street. The fig-and-arugula salad and the duck confit are the plates that come up in guest texts. Book a weekend night. Dogs can sit on the patio and the sidewalk seats.
110 West Spain Street, on the Plaza.
Official siteEl Molino Central
Counter-service Mexican in The Springs, with a patio that fills by midday. Friday through Sunday they do chilaquiles in the morning. The regular menu runs every day, and tables are first come. Two of the homes we manage sit closer to this counter than to Spain Street, so it is the easy lunch when you'd rather stay north of the Plaza.
11 Central Avenue, in The Springs north of the Plaza.
Official siteValley Bar + Bottle
A wine bar, a bottle shop, and a small dinner room on First Street West. Seasonal plates, a weekend brunch, and coffee in the morning if you want to start on the west side of the square. They close Tuesday and Wednesday. Book dinner or brunch; coffee hour is walk-in.
487 First Street West, a block off the square.
Official siteGroceries & essentials
Safeway
Safeway at 477 West Napa Street is the full supermarket a few minutes west of the Plaza. Shop here for the house. Friday at Arnold Field covers the week's fruit.
477 West Napa Street, west of First Street West.
Official siteSonoma Valley Hospital
For a medical emergency, call 911. Sonoma Valley Hospital has the valley's emergency room at 347 Andrieux Street, a few minutes from the Plaza, open all day.
347 Andrieux Street, in town.
Official siteThe hike, the heat, and fire
Overlook first, then Montini if you want a longer dirt walk. Both are daylight trails. Carry water after May. The climb is gentle and the afternoon still cooks.
Dry grass here ignites. Use the house grill only, keep a hand on it, and drown the coals before you go inside.
What a Saturday morning here actually looks like
We drive in from The Springs, park on First Street West, and walk the Plaza while the coffee lines are still the loudest thing on Spain. If the heat hasn't started, we peel north four blocks to the cemetery gate and do the Overlook before the meadow fills.
Friday we go to Arnold Field for fruit instead. Tuesday night, in season, we come back for the horseshoe. The Girl & the Fig when we booked it. El Molino when we want the patio in The Springs.
From our team
- Overlook at eight feels like a different hike than Overlook at two — go early and the meadow is yours.
- The Girl & the Fig is the Plaza dinner we actually send people to. Book the patio if you can.
- Staying on Greger or Sonoma Vista? El Molino is the closer lunch, and the chilaquiles on a weekend morning are the move.
- Friday at Arnold Field is the produce run. Tuesday night on the horseshoe is the party, May through early September.
- Taste on the square, then give Buena Vista the one reserved hour if you still want a vineyard.
Sonoma questions
What is there to do in Sonoma?
Walk the Plaza, go through Sonoma State Historic Park (the Mission, the Barracks, and Vallejo's home), and hike the Overlook Trail. Taste in the rooms around the square, then drive to Buena Vista if you want one estate hour. Friday morning is the certified farmers market at Arnold Field. Tuesday evenings from May through early September, the night market takes the Plaza horseshoe. Eat at The Girl & the Fig or El Molino Central.
How far is Sonoma from San Francisco?
The town of Sonoma is about 45 miles north of San Francisco, roughly an hour via Highway 101, Highway 37, and Highway 121 or 12, longer on Friday evenings. Napa is about 25 minutes east. Healdsburg is about 45 minutes north. Glen Ellen is about 15 minutes up-valley. The town is in Sonoma County, not Napa County.
Is Sonoma the town, the valley, or the county?
All three names get used as if they were one place. The town of Sonoma is the Plaza and the streets around it. Sonoma Valley is the valley north through Glen Ellen and Kenwood. Sonoma County is the whole region, including Healdsburg, Sebastopol, and the coast. This guide is the town. Our Sonoma Valley rental page covers the valley homes.
Can you walk to Sonoma Plaza from the homes we manage?
The three homes we manage sit on Greger Street, Sonoma Vista Drive, and Cherry Tree Court, a mile or more from Spain Street. Two of them are in The Springs. Drive in, park downtown, and the square is on foot from there. Read the listing if a plaza-front walk is why you booked.
Do you need a car in Sonoma?
Yes for the homes we manage, for Buena Vista, and for anything north in the valley. The Plaza, the Mission, and the Overlook Trail work on foot after you park downtown. Rideshare exists and thins out after dinner on the farm roads. Plan the ride back before you sit down.
How far is Sonoma from Napa, and where is Jack London State Historic Park?
Downtown Napa is about 25 minutes east. You can taste in both towns in one day if you want that drive. Jack London State Historic Park is in Glen Ellen, about 15 minutes north on Highway 12. It makes a good morning up-valley when you want redwoods and the ranch ruins.
