I've always admired botanical gardens. I added this historical landmark to my points of interest…read morefor the North Bay. Luther Burbank, the renowned botanist and horticulturist resided here for many years. Two tours are offered- self guided audio and docent led. We passed on both as our time was limited. We explored on our own. Wednesday was volunteer day so we had an opportunity to speak with a couple of them. It's a very worthwhile visit if you're in the North Bay. We did buy a couple items in the carriage barn gift shop. There are two entrances you can access. Free street parking.

Lowkey a hidden spot in Santa Rosa, so it's a good visit for locals and tourists alike. It's…read moredirectly off a main road so it might be a little hard to miss. There is a lot of street parking. It's a historic home with a small but charming gift shop. I believe the greenhouse, home, etc are only accessible if you sign up for a tour, which we opted out of. We decided to stroll around the garden to observe the history and the cool varieties of plants made by Burbank. There are some really interesting fruits I've never seen before, such as a fuzzy apple that looks like a peach. There are also free audio tours available with a mobile phone. The gift shop is cute and full of unique things I haven't seen elsewhere. There is also a small history section, so it's worth checking out. Overall a pleasant stroll with some photo worthy spots of white arches and unique plants. If you're coming in season, you may also see some fruit on the trees! I spent a good 20-30min here, but you can definitely spend a little more if you decide to pay for the tour.

We could not have dreamed of a more perfect place to hold our wedding last May. It almost feels…read moreunreal that a place as beautiful as Garden Valley Ranch exists. The entire property is breathtaking and there is nothing better than the sight and smell of fresh roses everywhere! Our guests raved (and even a year out they're still dropping us compliments) about how gorgeous the Belvedere lawn area and Secret Garden were, which is where we held our ceremony, cocktail hour and reception. The koi pond is a hidden gem that we loved doing our first look at. Working with Jessica made planning our vision for the day feel so easy. She is so kind, responsive, generous, and professional. She and the team had also worked with many of our other vendors who were local to the area, so we felt at ease knowing everything would go just as planned on such a busy day. Garden Valley Ranch is a stunning place and we cannot recommend it enough. Our wedding day flew by so fast and we wished we had gotten more time to enjoy this beautiful space!

Great facility. Love the emense rose garden. Luckily there was a southerly breeze the day we were…read morethere...due to neighboring property with all the cattle.

Awesome downtown to walk around. Tons of shops around the outside of the plaza and the middle has…read morelots of shade and trees around the historic building in the middle. Great place to spend a morning or afternoon exploring.

I'm so glad I was able to come here and experience this park. I loved Sonoma more than Napa because…read moreit had some much heart and felt so lush with life. There's a great big open park with lots of parking around and food to explore.

This is a beautiful stop in Sonoma County. It features easy walks that allow you to learn about…read moreJack London and explore his homes, including the House of Happy Walls Museum and the ruins of his Wolf House. The trails are well-maintained and shaded by trees, with some minor uphill and downhill sections, making it a great outdoor activity for all ages. There is a vehicle entry fee to get into the park, but it is covered if you have a California State Parks pass. Highly recommend checking it out if you are in the area or need a break from wine tasting.

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.

Such a charming little farm! We stopped by recently after a short Napa trip and we were greeted by…read morea staffer right after we parked in their lot. There is clear signage for parking, but it wasn't clear right off the bat where the shop entrance was so it was so nice to be greeted and taken around by the staffer! I am horrible for not remembering her name, but she was lovely and very informative. We had a memorable stop here because of her :) The shop is small but cute. I really loved their strawberry lavender lemonade and shortbread thumbprint cookies! The cookies have a strawberry lavender jam center. The lemonade had a great balance of flavor and is so refreshing on a hot day. Turns out we visited when most of the lavender was harvested. I will try to make it back again next time in May or June so I can catch a glimpse of the lavender farm when it's full! It was cool to learn that there were many varieties including white lavender. There was still a section with plenty of purple lavender where we got to take some pictures and my friend trimmed her own little bouquet of lavender for her mom. I highly recommend visiting this farm if you're in the area.

So worth the trip over! From the moment you come to farm your greet by friendly, kind, and inviting…read morestaff ready to teach you about the farm and their varieties of lavender. The Shop has a lot of lavender products, I ended up getting the cookies, honey, hydrosol, and Lemonade. All of which were great products I have really been enjoying. The shop is so cute with drying lavender hanging overhead. Definitely look forward to coming back again.

What a beautiful place! Gold Ridge is a must-visit spot in Sonoma County! I felt like I was…read moretransported to Tuscany. The property is stunning. Stephanie gave us a tour of the farm and led our tasting. She was so knowledgeable and friendly. The olive oils were so delicious and I ended up purchasing the Picholine blend. Thanks for a fantastic day! You've made me a fan

Expensive apples. Also was not given a receipt for purchases and also not even shown the amount…read morebefore I paid. I had to trust that the amount verbally requested was the actual amount I was going to be charged.... not to mention the price for apples was higher than the grocery store. Yes it was fun to pick apples, but we paid $16 for that privilege, in addition to the$100 for the apples.

My favorite part of the holidays!! I come every year to pick a tree - they have a huge selection…read moreplanted on a beautiful piece of west county, plus precuts as well. Family owned and run, it's like a step back in time. Photos from years past, homemade cookies, and a spectacular setting. And don't miss their freshly made wreaths. All very reasonably priced too!

You won't find a higher quality, longer lasting tree, with personable service than Celesta Tree…read moreFarm. People have been coming back here year after year because they know they will be happy with their purchase. In addition to Select & Cut trees of many varieties, Celesta Farms also offers beautiful precut trees from Oregon. They maintain the freshness by keeping the trees in water. They have a big variety of handmade wreaths, garlands, mistletoe and other gifts to meet your needs. And don't leave without some yummy cookies. I'm a neighbor and have bought our holiday trees here since we moved here 3 years ago. Once you visit Celesta Farms, you'll never go anywhere else!!

Hubby & I drove over after we left Luther Burbank's home and gardens in Santa Rosa…read more The experiment farm is where he executed many of his botanical experiments. Nowadays it's been reduced to a very small area. They've got plants for sale. Hubby purchased a Peruvian lily plant for $10.00. What caught my eye was a tree invaded by mistletoe. Currently volunteers are restoring a couple benches using the same materials as the original. Follow the signs to the Farm. There's a very small visitor parking lot. Pro tip: there are no public restrictions.

This 3-acre space has a couple of trails meandering by apple and other fruit trees. I like how they…read moreare labeled so you know what things are. The trails go up to a cemetery which you can also explore. I love flowers and they had sunflowers, dahlias, poppies, among many others. The sunflowers got quite tall. Plants were for sale in the front and payment was through Venmo or check on the honor system. There's a cottage that's open Wednesdays 9am-1pm. There are 3 Luther Burbank Establishments in Santa Rosa/Sebastopol: The Luther Burbank Home and Gardens- located in downtown Santa Rosa close to the freeway and the mall. It's very convenient to get to. This one has his old house which has tours and the gardens around. The Luther Burbank Art and Garden Center-This is more inland in Santa Rosa has a small rose and Iris garden but it's mainly a private events space.