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Santa Rosa is a city of about 151,000 (and growing fast) located about 50 miles north of San Francisco in Sonoma County...

SANTA ROSA, CA

Dave
2004-02-22 12:47:10

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is some information about select local towns and attractions in Sonoma County. Additional information about the Napa Valley is available at the bottom of this section.

Bodega Bay is located about 45 to 50 minutes west of Santa Rosa on the Sonoma County Coast. There are many beaches in this area. Swimming in the ocean in this part of California is strongly discouraged. Every year there are those who try to go swimming and they don't realize how strong the undercurrent can be. Sleeper waves are large waves that crash much higher on the beach then most. One sensible piece of advice is to never turn your back to the ocean.

The Tides at the Wharf is a good restaurant overlooking Bodega Bay. There is also a fish market here and some small shops.

Healdsburg is a small town located just 11 miles north of Santa Rosa. Like Sonoma, there is a small central park in the downtown. This park is surrounded by four large city blocks of which there is excellent shopping at small quaint boutique and other art type stores. There are orange trees growing in this park and can be easily picked when they are ripe. The Raven Theatre is located near the plaza. This is a large historic theatre for showing popular movies. The Raven also has several other small theatres.

Sonoma is a small quaint town located 18 miles from Santa Rosa on Highway 12. Your drive along Highway 12 will take you through the heart of the Sonoma Valley Vineyards. You will pass through Kenwood a few miles from Santa Rosa. Take note of the Smother Brothers Winery and store next to the Highway.

The Shona Gardens (also mentioned below in the section about the Napa Valley) are located next to the road. These are gardens created for the spiritual in all of us. The gardens consist of large and small Shona statues placed around the property. Stone fences built without concrete encircle the property. There is ...