Sonoma County doesn¿t need the swirl-and-sniff-and-sip-and-spit routine to be a memorable experience.
Giant trees reach for the sun in Armstrong Redwoods State Park, north of Guerneville, Calif. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
The Russian Orthodox chapel, a replica of the original built for the Russian settlement in the 1820s, still functions within the stockade walls of Fort Ross State Historic Park. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
Michael Fahmie, outside his country store in Bodega, Calif., tends to virtual greeter Alfred Hitchcock. Fans of the director and of “The Birds” regularly flock to the town where scenes were filmed. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
Sea and shoreline combine in splendor in Sonoma Coast State Park along California Highway 1 between Bodega Bay and Jenner. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
Among the souvenirs not for sale at Francis Ford Coppola’s Geyserville, Calif., winery: a godfather’s desk, Robert Duvall’s apocalyptic duds -- and some notable hardware. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
Rocks stand like sentinels in the Pacific (and discourage surfers) along Gleason Beach, north of Bodega Bay. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
Cedar enzyme baths -- unique in this country -- along with massages and facials are enhanced by quality time in the authentic Japanese “meditation garden” at Osmosis Day Spa, Freestone. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
His devices ready, a would-be naturalist scans the water for whales at Bodega Head. Spring and fall are the best times to view the migration from Sonoma County. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
House-made pappardelle and locally produced pinot noir, enjoyed at LoCoco’s Cucina Rustica in Santa Rosa, Calif., cap a day of exploring Sonoma County. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
A visitor to the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa tries to capture a piece of mural made from 3,588 ceramic reproductions of “Peanuts” comic strips. Good grief. (Alan Solomon / For Tribune Newspapers)
