A park with turtles? Really?!…read more I was walking at a nearby park and remembered this neighborhood park has turtles. When we drove over, we noticed friendly ducks relaxing on the grass, kids playing on the playground, and lots of turtles sticking their heads up to catch a breath. The water in the pond does look very murky so not sure if it gets cleaned. The pond has a fence around it that is about 3 1/2 feet tall so kids can't accidentally walk into the water. It's a fun park with a partially fenced area for little kids and an adjoining area for bigger kids. There is lots of grass, a gazebo, picnic tables, benches, bocce ball court, short rock climbing wall and even a neat zipline. Our friends held a birthday party here last year and the kids had a blast.

First time this past weekend, my kids loved it. It was booming and had so much to do!read more

Embrace the redwoods, lakes, the river, and shaded paths all within one park…read more Hands down my favorite regional park in Sonoma County. Come here to escape the chaos of the city. Where the water and trees welcome you with serenity. Come walk the dog, ride your horse, bring your kayak, bring your fishing pole, bring a blanket, have a BBQ in the group picnic area and more. A safe place for children but please always watch them around any body of water. Just on the outskirts of Santa Rosa, Riverfront welcomes you with all of its glory. The trails around the lake a extra wide and flat. Easy for a wheelchair to go round. This is one of my regular spots to escape and intake the beauty of nature. I highly recommend just buying a parking pass to support the parks. If you visit a regional park once a month, it pays for itself.

Treat yourself to an easy 2-mile walk along the lake formed by former quarry. Relatively level,…read moreunless you take one of the detour trails near the entrance. A few benches along the route enable a rest if you're out of shape offer nice views of the lake. Dogs on leash OK -- just pick up after your pet (I only wish equestrians on the trail had the same courtesy, so watch your step!). There's also a picnic area at the trail head, and bathrooms are nearby. There is a day fee for parking, but if you're a local, pick up an annual pass -- it will pay for itself in a few visits.

Local regional park with baseball, volleyball, par course, four tennis courts (no pickleball…read moreallowed), soccer fields, kids play structure, dog park and hiking trails. We came birding here recently and saw a hawk and woodpecker perched up in a tree. They also had sheep and goat grazing in a temporary fenced-off area to keep the dry grass down. I love this eco-friendly method of managing vegetation. There were about a dozen dogs happily playing in the dog park when I was there. It was fun to watch how they interact with each other. There were a few growls but responsible dog parents were there to quickly call their dogs back. There are several picnic tables sprinkled throughout the park. You can reserve areas for special events. I have attended a wedding and a friend hosted a retirement party here. The Gravenstein Apple Fair has been held at this location for many decades as well. There are a few parking lots to choose from. You can park inside the park for free if you are a Sonoma County Regional Park member. Annual pass is currently $69. Seniors get a discounted rate.

Ragle Ranch Regional Park is an amazing local park. It has beautiful examples of oak woodland, some…read moreredwood groves and fine examples of secondary succession where fields are gradually being replaced by forest. There are bicycle trails, hiking trails and people take horses there too. Benches along the way let a person sit and enjoy the beauty. Out on the trails it's hard to believe you are within walking distance of downtown. There are also baseball, softball, soccer and volleyball. It is also home to the premier public tennis facility in West County, the Ragle Ranch Tennis courts were built with private donations and have been maintained by dedicated volunteers for the past 30 years without taxpayer funds. It has one of the few practice walls in West County and a porta potty nearby.

Great playground but no bathrooms. Two play areas one for younger and one for older kids.read more

Such a lovely upgrade! Great park! Only downfall I can think of is there's no restroom.read more

great swings go super high there's often a cat, very cute, highly recommend! Get coffee and come…read morehere during your free period or break

Horrible park. Beware if you have a baby or young child or just want to walk around this place is…read moreso unsafe. The baseball field is in direct shot of the playground and the field has no netting or anything protecting people from getting hit if someone is using the baseball fields which by the way are open for anyone to use at any point. So dangerous and just plain stupid. Big fail for Sebastopol and public safety

This is a serene getaway into nature. You can feel more oxygen in the air and it's significantly…read morecooler. I've always loved Redwoods and feel like walking through redwood forests is very meditative. The hike isn't too long, maybe a half hour or so unless you are someone that stops a lot. I like a shorter hike because it frees up times to do other things but it's not really a destination to itself, more just if you are doing stuff around Occidental, I wouldn't come out of my way for it. The road is pretty windy and narrow. Be careful especially if you have a bigger car like an SUV.

I had never heard of this grove of redwoods even when I was growing up in the area. It is located…read morea couple miles west of the town of Occidental. We were afraid we would lose cell service but luckily it worked the entire way so we were guided by Waze. The road is quite narrow and windy so best to take it slow in case you run across other cars or bicyclists. There are residences along this road too so another reason to take a slow pace. The parking lot is small but we fortunately got a spot as we waited for the other members of our party to arrive. It had been raining all weekend so perhaps there were not as many visitors as normal. We noticed several friendly dogs on leash as we walked along the well-kept trails. The redwoods are truly majestic and there are many picture perfect spots along the path. We took some beautiful photos of the redwoods with fern in the foreground. It's a nice and easy trail and a peaceful spot to have a picnic. I think they must have controlled burns here because in certain areas, there were redwoods that had blackened trunks. Some of these trees are over 1,000 years old. Take Coleman Valley Road to Fitzpatrick Lane. There is a small parking lot and I've read not to park on the side of the road if the parking lot is full as they do give out tickets.

Such a stunning wedding venue! As a photographer I can say it doesn't get much better - tons of…read morevariety for backdrops, beautiful light everywhere you look. So many different vignettes - take a pick and create something unique Some recent pics here: https://timhalberg.com/wedding-and-elopement-photography/griffith-woods-wedding/ Definitely will be photographing weddings here more!

This venue is such a hidden gem! What a fabulous place to have a day time wedding, I have never had…read morea better time photographing a wedding than being at Griffith Woods! It was so serene, lots of photographic areas for portraits. The owners are so nice and the land is very well maintained. I hope to come back here for more weddings it truly was one I will never forget - WHERE WE WANDER PHOTOGRAPHY TO

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.

Stopped by to take a walk and get some new plants. Last visit all the plants I purchased are now…read moreflourishing. Today I bought an aster and a fuschia. The plants have signs with information about their care , size etc. It is so relaxing to walk along the paths and so nice that the plants and trees are labeled. A perfect hideaway to come and read a book on one of the many benches scattered around. A hidden gem.

Review is during Winter and I'm not sure if it's greatly improved in Summer. We were looking for a…read morefun body of water for the kids to enjoy, they can spend an hour easily throwing rocks and sticks into water. The parking lot has about 40 spaces and porta potties, the entire round trip is 3.9 miles. We did about half and turned around so not sure if there was an amazing payoff at the end but we checked and it looks like a smal rock beach where you can chill and hang near the river. Most of the trail you are walking pretty far from the water and there isn't much excitement along the way. At some point it got monotonous so we tried getting closer to the water, these smaller trails are overgrown and the water during Winter is still and smells. I don't know if conditions improve in Summer but I definitely wouldn't go swimming in that water, just stick to the river at the end. Would not recommend coming here in Winter, there are other places nearby that are better.

Sunset Beach is a fun place to post up and enjoy the Russian River. You'll be in a prime position…read moreto see (and possibly help) people go by on their tubing adventures. Sunset Beach is unique because it has a shallow area and a lagoon-like area which is fun for families to float around in safely without fear of being caught in the current. However, just across the lagoon you'll find great access to a medium-fast current perfect for older children and adults who want to float in tubes, then walk back to do it all over again! Hot Tip: Expect lots of company throughout the afternoon because Sunset Beach is the ending point for tubers catching the Russian River Shuttle back to their vehicles. Extra Hot Tip: Please avoid the rope swing. It looks so fun, but ends in tragedy for at least a few people each year, including 2025.

Howarth Park is truly one of Santa Rosa's gems! It's amazing how much this park has to offer, and…read morethere really is something for everyone. Families can enjoy the large playground, with climbing structures and slides. There are also paid attractions, which are seasonal. My family has enjoyed the miniature train and carousel, plus pony rides and the Animal Barn, where kids can meet and pet the animals. Then there's beautiful Lake Ralphine, where you can fish or rent paddleboats, kayaks, and canoes. The lake is also a peaceful place to sit, enjoy the scenery, and watch the wildlife. For those who like to stay active, Howarth has miles of hiking, walking, jogging and biking trails, with connections toward Spring Lake and Trione-Annadel State Park. There are also tennis and pickleball courts, which are currently under construction. It's also a wonderful place for birthday parties, picnics, field trips, summer camps and group activities. And I love that you can have a completely free, relaxing day walking the trails, enjoying the playground or having a picnic, or add some of the paid attractions for an extra-special family outing. Whether you're looking for outdoor exercise, family fun, nature, fishing, boating, playground time, or just a beautiful place to spend the day, it's hard to beat having all of that in one park

We love Howarth Park, it has many outdoor activities. The kids love the play area along with…read morefishing, feeding ducks, feeding chipmunks, riding boats, feeding the animals at the little barn, after they can go on a little train ride or miracle round. It also nice for walks and runs, the trail has different exercises you can get into. Theres a fishing doc here along with plentiful places to BBQ. Multiple playgrounds and the list goes on. It's always packed so parking gets full. But with our mind state we serendipity get lucky- as we come into the park, someone always leaves at the right time for us to park! Definitely a gem in Santa Rosa.