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    General Vallejo Home

    4.4 (19 reviews)

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    $3 admission fee, but it will get you into the Mission San Francisco Sonoma as well
    Shayla B.

    If you are visiting Sonoma, make some time in your schedule to visit the General Vallejo Home. This historic museum features a self guided tour that will take you through the former estate of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo; a former military commander who founded the Pueblo De Sonoma and helped colonize the northern frontier. Your tour begins at the Carriage house where you will find many antiques such as a carriage and saddles that were used during the mid 1800's. Here, you will also find an attendant who will give you a little bit of background on General Vallejo and his home. There are family portraits and pictures of General Vallejo's wife and 16 children including 6 of them who died in a fire. The tour continues into the two-story main house that was built and completed in 1852. Formally known as the "Lachryma Montis", this Victorian estate served as the main living quarters for Vallejo and his family for over 35 years. Inside, you will get a glimpse into what it was like to live during the 1800's. This home features the dining room, kitchen, library, children's rooms, and the master bedroom. There are several antiques scattered all throughout the home as well. All of the rooms in the home are blocked off by gates, but are easily viewable through the wide open spaces. Picture taking is allowed and encouraged. I am always fascinated by how small and narrow the staircases were during these times. The beds were extremely tiny as well, and it just goes to show how much things have changed. Parking is free and there are plenty of parking spaces available in the lot. There is a $3 entrance fee that will also pay for your entrance into the Mission San Francisco Solano about a mile and a half away. Trust me; it's the best $3 that you'll spend in this part of town. Although the tour isn't guided, it is very informative and really enjoyable.

    General Vallejo's House
    Bee D.

    The first time I came to General Vallejo's House was about 23 years ago. I came with my "sister" friend, Lorna, her mom Jackie, my husband and our two daughters. My son came along too, but he was peeking through my belly button! Since then it has become our family mecca. We just love spending the afternoon enjoying the scenery, nature and peacefulness. For a mere $2.00 you can park, enjoy lunch at the picnic area located behind the carriage house, feed the turtles and koi in the reservoir and walk the grounds. This isn't a do-it-yourself tour, although it could be if you wanted it to. The docents (who love their jobs) will take you for a tour and tell you the history of the home, the family and the man. If you have a student that will be taking California History, then make sure you visit before the school season starts. Between the Generals Home, the hotel at the square, the barracks and the mission, they will have a leg up before school starts and this will really peak their interest. Now, before you go.... 1/ Pack some water in your ice chest 2/ Pack your snacks or lunch (fried chicken, potato salad, fresh fruit) (stop at Safeway and get their deli sandwiches, some olives and fruit) (stop at the cheese factory in the square for sandwiches or cheese, salami and french baguettes) 3/ Wear comfortable shoes 4/ Bring your camera and flash (yes, flash photography is permitted) Stop at the square to let the young'uns loose in the playground between each exhibit.

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    12 years ago

    Not a lot of reading or history, but interesting. Entrance fee also covers Sonoma mission.

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    Review Highlights - General Vallejo Home

    Your tour begins at the Carriage house where you will find many antiques such as a carriage and saddles that were used during the mid 1800's.

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    Jack London State Historic  Park - Gorgeous trail with nice natural light

    Jack London State Historic Park

    4.7(191 reviews)
    5.8 mi

    Jack London's gravesite and ruins of Wolf House. We came for the abandoned house and were very…read moreimpressed by the scale and size, Jack London must have been very wealthy for the time to have a house like this. The sad thing is it burned down right before completion so they never got to live in the house. The use of stones and rock kept a lot of the walls despite the fire and it reminds me of of an oversized version of a Greene and Greene style Craftsman Bungalow I saw in Pasadena, CA. If you are a fan of abandoned places you will like coming here. It's fenced off for safety so you can't go running around the structures but you can do a full 360 walk around and there is a platform you can walk on that's about in the middle of the house and you get a good view of the pool and different floors from here. The hike from the parking lot to the museum and to the grave sites and house are easy, my senior parents and young kids were able to do it easily. I would stop by the museum on the way back, there are some nice artifacts from Jack London as well as a scale model of what the hosue was supposed to look like.

    Can def spend all day here. Interesting to learn about Jack London. Loved that he lived such a full…read morelife even when cut short. Thankful that his wife Chairman left everything for us to learn and explore. There a $10 fee per vehicle to enter. Def worth it as there are numerous sites to see. I started with the museum as it opens at 9 am. Short hike to his once dream house unfortunately got burned down. His resting place all can be done in a short hikes on the other side the cottage open at noon. Meanwhile I did a few hikes in area. Def worth to visit

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    Jack London State Historic  Park - Museum is worth stopping at

    Museum is worth stopping at

    Jack London State Historic  Park - This is the cottage they lived in, Jack, London, and his wife Charmaine before they built wolf House

    This is the cottage they lived in, Jack, London, and his wife Charmaine before they built wolf House

    Jack London State Historic  Park - Easy trail for old and young people

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    Easy trail for old and young people

    General Vallejo Monument

    General Vallejo Monument

    4.0(1 review)
    0.4 mi

    Located on the Sonoma Plaza, this monument depicts General Vallejo sitting on a park bench. He is…read moreentirely approachable and if you wanted to, you could get a nice selfie sitting with the man. In 1833, Vallejo was dispatched north by the newly appointed Governor José Figueroa to visit Fort Ross and choose a suitable site for a presidio north of the Bay of San Francisco. The ten-year-old Mission San Francisco de Solano site in Sonoma was the location of Vallejo's approved military camp. Later, Vallejo was named military commander of all of California north of the Bay, director of colonization of the Northern Frontier, and administrator of the secularization of the Mission at Sonoma. Governor Figueroa sent an order to Lieutenant Vallejo on June 24, 1835, instructing him to found the Pueblo de Sonoma. He quickly designed Sonoma's main streets and started construction of a barracks to the west of the mission. Vallejo supported the successful proposal to outlaw slavery in California as well as the Californio proposal to maintain separate property rights for women. With this monument is a large plaque thanking the committee members, the major donors and this statement, "The General Vallejo Monument Committee dedicates this monument as a gift to the Citizens of Sonoma on Pueblo Day, June 24, 2017, which date is the 182nd anniversary of the founding of the Pueblo de Sonoma by then Lieutenant Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. A special thanks to the City of Sonoma for the allocation of this site on the Sonoma Plaza and for its support in helping make this project a reality." [Review 21009 overall - 526 in California - 1994 of 2023.]

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    General Vallejo Monument - General Vallejo Monument, Sonoma

    General Vallejo Monument, Sonoma

    General Vallejo Monument - General Vallejo Monument, Sonoma

    General Vallejo Monument, Sonoma

    General Vallejo Monument - General Vallejo Monument, Sonoma

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    General Vallejo Monument, Sonoma

    Mountain Cemetery

    Mountain Cemetery

    4.7(7 reviews)
    0.3 mi

    *Halloween themed review. Boooo!*…read more Stumbled onto this beautiful cemetery as it is right next to the Sonoma Overlook Trail. After hiking that trail down by the staging area where the cars are parked, I noticed an open gate leading to the cemetery which is in the same hills. I don't find cemeteries scary or creepy but rather reverent and humbling. Ive visited many cemeteries whether a family involvement or just to pass through and observe. And I have found that all are different, some are more interesting than others. I like ones with more landscape features such as hills, more plant life/trees, well laid out/organized. I don't care for one's next to modern commercial buildings or when there are more dirt or concrete than plant life. That is just a personal aesthetic preference. This Mountain Cemetery fits its name, as well as my eye and senses. It is beautiful just to stroll around if you are not scared of the nature and essence of death. Every culture handles it in its own ways and i can respect them all. It's how we honor and remember those who pass and gave is what's more important to me. The older headstones most with birthdates from the 1800s seemed to be higher up in the hills. The more recent ones seem to be lower. But I loved all the oak and cedar trees, lots of shade. There was even a thick patch of prickly pear cactus. There's also a veterans cemetery right below this public one. That one is very manicured and succinct. There are trails that weave through all this. To hike these hills, you will not only get a great dose of fresh air and exercise, but you may also get a moment to thank those that have lived and contributed; and more importantly to me, to appreciate those who are still currently here. A very humanizing experience.

    One of the best "hiking" and historical cemeteries I have been to! Noticed the more older plots are…read morelocated higher up and meanders along the hillside. Beautiful walk, views and discoveries of families, years and stone styles. It is an active cemetery, so be respectful of the environment. There is a parking lot and it is connected to a bunch of trails. In fact there is a street sign in the middle of the cemetery guiding you to the main forest trail. By the parking lot, there is also a Veterans memorial and an open-field park. Peaceful and beautiful.

    Photos
    Mountain Cemetery - Respect

    Respect

    Mountain Cemetery - Love this grave site with their own oak tree.

    Love this grave site with their own oak tree.

    Mountain Cemetery

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    General Vallejo Home - parks - Updated May 2026

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