Fun things to do in Sonoma

If you're in Sonoma on a Tuesday evening, May through October, stop at the Sonoma Farmers Market in the Plaza.

It's a real local experience. Along with the fresh produce stands, there are also food booths, local crafts, and live music. Many families come and have their dinner here, and I have seen groups of friends who get together and put up tables and chairs, with tablecloths and crystal wineglasses.

Try some pain biologique from Mike Zakowski's wood-fired oven (Mike won the silver medal in the World Cup of Baking in 2012), local creamed honey from Hector, chicken pumpkin curry from the Thai food stand, fresh plums, cherries, and nectarines in season.

Most of the stands get going around 5:30 pm, and the market is open until dark.

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Sitting back over a half mile from the Carneros Highway is the Gloria Ferrer Vineyards. It is one of the older wineries in the Sonoma area dating back to 1986. The winery was first known for producing sparkling wines. The winery prides itself on being developed in a Spanish tradition. Today they also produce a wide selection of wines including Carneros Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Carneros Cuvee

I went to the visitors center late on a Friday afternoon. It was too late for a full tour so I looked around. The grounds are immaculately kept and the visitor center sits up on a small hill with a commanding view of the vineyards and the Carneros Highway down below. There was a private tasting going on but I was allowed to enter the main drinking area anyway.

Sparkling wines are available for purchase for either $ 5 or $ 10. Estate varietals are available in smaller glasses for either $2 or $ 3. There is a large selection of food to be purchased there as well.

The visitor center is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm for tours.

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When the Old Sonoma Train Depot was about to made into a museum in 1976 it was totally destroyed by a fire. Due to some exceptional philanthropic work in a short time over $114,000 was raised and three years later a museum was open to the public.

The Sonoma Train Depot built in 1880 was a major transportation hub in the Sonoma Valley. The station was busy moving freight and passengers throughout Northern California. Once private autos came into wide scale use in the 1920's the train depot's utility dried up quickly.

Today the museum serves as an informative collection of exhibits from Sonoma's past. All of the exhibits have been prepared with the utmost attention to detail. Exhibits include what it was like at the train station in the late 19th century to an exhibit that depicts the raising of the Bear Flag. There were three very helpful docents there when I walked to the museum on a mid February Friday afternoon.

While the museum is a long block and a half walk from the Plaza it is well worth the time to visit. There is no cost to enter the museum but donations are accepted.

The Swiss Hotel was originally built as a home by Don Vallejo, the brother of General Vallejo. The adobe home served as a stagecoach stop in the 1870's. In 1892 it served as the Tocino hotel for railroad passengers and visitors. According to the Swiss Hotel web site, when another hotel on the western side of the plaza burnt to the ground, the owners took its name the, "Swiss Hotel," and it has kept the name to this day.

The hotel is currently an operating hotel and includes a bar and restaurant.

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Not visible from the street the General Joseph "Fighting Joe," Hooker home is located in the rear of the El Paseo on First Street. Hooker built the home around 1850 and then sold the home and the adjacent acreage a short time after to Catherine and Pedro Vasquez. Several other families occupied it over the years but in 1973 the home was given to the Sonoma League for Historic Preservation. The house was opened for visitors in 1976 and twenty three years later a major remodeling of the interior took place.

When I was there on a Friday afternoon the home was not open. It is open during the winter only on Saturdays through Mondays from 1 to 4. It is not clear if there is a charge to see the house and museum.

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The bright yellows and reds of old freight cars catch your eye as you drive down Broadway into downtown Sonoma. These cars are part of Train Town a great little amusement park for kids. Train Town has a scaled down locomotive, a great merry go round, and several other rides. The train ride goes over several bridges, tunnels and includes a stop at a miniature town.

I was there on a Friday afternoon and it was filled with kids and their parents and grandparents. A nice thing about the place is that there is no admission charge, you just pay for the rides you want. Cost of the train ride around the park is about $5.25. You can also buy a family pack of coupons good for six rides for $ 12.00. The grounds are immaculately kept up which makes walking around the park a small joy.

From September 1 to May 31st, Train Town is open Fridays through Sundays from 10 am to 430 pm.
From June 1 to August 31st Train Town is open every day from 10 am to 5 pm.

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The Sonoma Barracks were constructed by General Vallejo to house Mexican soldiers against rebel uprisings. Work on the barracks was started in 1836 and most likely was completed in different stages up to 1841. The barracks were made out of adobe which was a typical building material used by the Mexicans in California.

The barracks are part of the Sonoma Historical State Park and have been refurnished in order to give a glimpse of what life was like in a Mexican army barracks at that time. The building is located between the Toscano Hotel and just down the street from the mission.

There is a film one of the downstairs rooms of the barracks that depicts the Bear Flag uprising in 1846 and how the soldiers responded to it.

i enjoyed my brief walk through the barracks and the climb upstairs to look at the large unfurnished rooms. It is a great place to go out on the porch and take pictures of the Town Plaza. Unlike the Mission, admission to the Barracks was free the day that I arrived.

Housed in the old Sonoma Public Library building is the Visitors Bureau. Once you come into town the place is well marked and easy to find.

The original building was built with a Carnegie Grant and shows the exterior typical of other California cities that built them around the same time (e.g. Grass Valley). I was disappointed to find that upon entering the old building there wasn't really any exhibit or information to commemorate the old library. When I asked one of the folks in the counter when this library was moved to the new facility she didn't know even though she has lived in the town since the 1970's.
Perhaps the visitors center was too busy the day I arrived to answer questions.