Sonoma, California City Guide
For over 20 years, Pamela Lanier's Sonoma, California Travel Guide has been your connection to Sonoma's tourism community with invaluable details on local attractions, restaurants, shopping, museums, history, outdoor recreation and more.
Sonoma Attractions
 Sonoma is one of the most historically important towns in Sonoma County. Three of the first ten California Historical Landmarks are located on the town’s central plaza. The Mission San Francisco Solano, founded July 4, 1823 by Padre José Altamira, is the northernmost of California's Franciscan missions; Lachryma Montis (Tears of the Mountain), the home of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo built in 1850, and The Bear Flag Monument commemorating June 14, 1846, the day the Bear Flag Party raised the Bear Flag in the Sonoma plaza and declared California free from Mexican rule.
Sonoma has a number of interesting old houses aside from the buildings on the plaza. One old adobe still in use is the Nash-Patton Adobe, built in 1847, one of the oldest houses north of San Francisco, at 579 1st St. East, just east of the plaza. There are also a number of beautiful historic Victorians in the area around the plaza.
The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, just steps from the historic plaza, exhibits diverse works of local, national, and international artists, and serves as a gathering place for residents and visitors of all ages to enjoy workshops, concerts, and other events. The museum’s calendar includes rotating exhibits from sources that include San Francisco’s Mexican Museum and Fine Arts Museum, as well as the studios, galleries and collections of regional artists and collectors.
The restored Sebastiani Theatre on the east side of Sonoma Plaza, originally built in 1933 by the Sebastiani family, is a great place to see an independent, classic or foreign film in an old-fashioned setting: chandeliers, plush seats, and a stage that's still used for concerts and plays.
Just outside downtown lies Train Town, a 10-acre scale railroad adventure and a fun and affordable family destination. Board the steam train to travel over five trestles and bridges and through two tunnels to Lakeview, a miniature town with chapel, petting zoo and play structure. Explore three cabooses from the '30s and '40s, several vintage amusement rides, and coin-operated rides just for the little ones. There is no fee to enter the park; roam the grounds or explore the cabooses for free, but the train and rides require ticket purchase. |
