Once a sleepy hamlet in the heart of northern Sonoma County, Healdsburg is now a booming culinary and wine capital. Despite several splashy restaurant and hotel openings in the past year, however, it maintains a breezy vibe that makes for relaxed weekends in wine country. More rustic than its glitzy neighbor Napa Valley, this pretty town of over 11,000 is recognizable for its restored Queen Anne homes and California farm houses. Equally charming is the walkable downtown and historic plaza, lined with galleries, shops, restaurants, and wine-tasting rooms.
Most everything you’ll eat and drink here comes from surrounding Sonoma County, including halibut and Dungeness crab caught off the Pacific Coast and produce from numerous small farms. For some real local flavor, hit the Healdsburg Farmers’ Market, held on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Whatever you decide to do, here’s everything you need to know about Healdsburg, including the best restaurants, places to stay, and ways to spend your time.
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Getting to and around Healdsburg
Healdsburg is about 65 miles north of San Francisco. While there are ways to get here from the city via public transport (take the Airport Express bus from SFO to Sonoma County Airport, then an Uber or Lyft from there to your hotel), you’ll likely want a car in Healdsburg for getting to the wineries and possibly the Pacific Coast. For the most options and best prices, rent a car at SFO and head north over the Golden Gate Bridge to Highway 101; just be sure to time your drive to avoid rush-hour traffic.
If you don’t have a designated driver for wine tasting, know that Uber and Lyft are available for vineyard hopping. You could also sign up for a wine tour with a driver, like the ones offered by Bohemian Highway and North Bay Wine Tours, or rent a bike at Spoke Folk Cyclery in town (though keep in mind that cycling under the influence is against California law).
What to do
Start your tour of town in Healdsburg Plaza, where you’ll find great shops like the new Ciao Bruto, which sells artisanal Italian foods alongside organic and biodynamic wines. From there, explore Healdsburg’s many wine shops and tasting rooms, including Marine Layer Wines, known for its small-batch pinot noir and chardonnay. Also worth checking out are The Drink (from two cutting-edge wineries, Rootdown and Leo Steen) and Lioco (offering a choice of wine flights in a casual, bar-like setting). When you’ve had enough wine, visit the Healdsburg Museum & Historical Society to learn more about the area’s Indigenous people and agricultural past.
While there’s much to see and do in Healdsburg proper, the town also serves as an ideal base for exploring wineries, the Pacific Coast, and more. The nearby Russian River, Alexander, and Dry Creek valleys teem with vineyards and tasting rooms, including the superb Aperture, where you can sample Bordeaux-style wines while browsing photographs by artist Andy Katz (the father of Aperture’s star winemaker, Jesse Katz).