Here's How To Spend A Perfect 3-Day Weekend In Sonoma This Fall, According To A Local

There's so much to love about Sonoma — which is just a 1.5 hour drive from SFO — from the small town charm around the plaza to the hiking trails at the Sonoma Overlook to the friendly walk-in wineries that rival the more posh ones in nearby Napa. With acclaimed restaurants like Valley Bar and Bottle, Cafe La Haye, El Molino Central, we have amazing food options, making the city-to-country swap much less of a sacrifice. The weather is also fantastic for summer-lovers through October, when the six-month dry season ends.

Wineries host everything from live music to Broadway theatre to yoga and meditation too. OK, enough with my hometown boast. Here's how to spend a perfect girls weekend in Sonoma this harvest season and beyond.

Day 1: Spa Day

The Lodge at Sonoma is one of my favorite spa experiences in the town of Sonoma, with a relaxing pool and sauna area, plus cozy private reading pods that you can lounge in before you get your treatment. Stay and/or book your spa treatment here to start your girls weekend (you can book a yoga class beforehand too). You can have lunch poolside or toss on a sundress and hop over to nearby MacArthur Hotel (another favorite) for lunch at their darling outdoor restaurant Layla.

After your leisurely lunch at Layla, stroll around the Sonoma Plaza for shopping: Jak Z for home decor lovers; The Loop, KJB, Wildeflower, and Perlé for fall fashion; and Chateau Sonoma for your Francophile fix. After picking up your next fall read at Readers' Books, grab a scoop or two at Sweet Scoops, homemade ice cream sourced with local ingredients like lemons, peaches, berries, and even wine!

The Fairmont Mission Inn & Spa is another must on my visitor list — cozy outdoor fire pits are perfect for grabbing a bite and a cocktail in the evening. You can stay overnight here too, and they have a great spa with mineral pools, but you can definitely take advantage of their amenities and Santé restaurant (a good brunch spot) without an overnight stay.

Day 2: Wine Tasting

Harvest season is a beautiful time to visit Sonoma with rolling hills of lush vineyards that start to change color toward late fall. I suggest a day trip to Healdsburg for your second day in Sonoma County. Drive up scenic Highway 12 toward Santa Rosa and visit the French-inspired chateau at Jordan Winery, a scenic Alexander Valley estate with oak and olive trees, a 2-acre garden (it's the largest winery pollinator sanctuary in the country), lakes, and the perfect grapevine backdrop for your IG stories.

Book Jordan's Paris on the Terrace Harvest Lunch or Pizza Cooking Class & Luncheon in October, or dress up for a magical Halloween tasting experience with fall-inspired hors d’oeuvres made by Michelin star-rated chef Jesse Mallgren.

Another favorite wine tasting experience is taking a drive up to Reeves Winery in Dry Creek Valley. Sip small production wines in their open air veranda, surrounded by craggy oak trees, grapevines, and a Great Pyrenees named Guy.

Healdsburg has its own town square with boutiques, galleries, a bookstore, and gourmet restaurants like the plant-based Little Saint, Valette (the Day Boat Scallops en Croute are a must table experience!), and Barndiva.

Day 3: Bike Ride

Back in Sonoma, grab bikes at your hotel or home stay, or rent them, and ride along the Sonoma city bike path that cuts straight through the town, along Montini Open Space Preserve, the Train Museum, and country roads lined with vineyards and berry bushes. Ride to the Sunflower Caffe at the downtown plaza (it has a darling garden in the back) or grab fresh paninis at Sonoma's Best, which also has a cute garden in the back with a few cottage stays.

The bike path leads to Bartholomew Estate Winery, where you can grab a picnic table and a bottle of wine and enjoy your al fresco lunch from Sonoma's Best. Next door is also California's first winery, Buena Vista Winery, built in 1857. There are a bunch of local wineries that are also worth driving to, including Scribe Winery (members only tho), Hamel, and Ram's Gate. Or you can pop by tasting rooms downtown like Pangloss Cellars, Three Sticks, and Roche.

Wrap your long weekend with a dinner at Valley Bar and Bottle and a cocktail at the speakeasy-style Beacon Bar next door, both on the plaza, and come back and visit us soon!