Fun Things to do in Sonoma County on a Rainy Day

Whether it’s a gentle shower or a sudden downpour, rain can be a good thing — it nourishes the wine grapes that make Sonoma County famous, covers the rolling hills in fresh green, and gives the air a wonderful wash-cleaned feeling. Plus, Sonoma County has lots of enticing things to do indoors. Here’s a list of rainy-day options for fun.

1. Taste the Fruit of the Grape

In Sonoma Wine Country, tasting doesn’t require sunshine. Sonoma County’s more than 400 wineries offer tasting rooms in historic buildings, modern structures, castles, caves, barrel rooms, and downtown storefronts. Step inside and make yourself comfortable, then taste the many reasons Sonoma County wines are praised worldwide.

Check out these fun Tips for Sonoma Wine Tasting and this handy list of Sonoma County Wineries for your perfect tasting destination.

2. Go With a Guide

Sign up for a guided wine-tasting tour, and leave the driving and the details to a wine-savvy guide so you can relax and enjoy. Travel by limo, bus, van, or luxury vehicle. The itinerary can be customized to match your interests, and tour companies often offer a behind-the-scenes look at wineries. This Guide to Food And Wine Tours provides an overview, and our Sightseeing & Tours listings offer more options.

3. Peek into the Past

When the weather is wet, discover the fascinating history and displays at one of these Sonoma County destinations.

• The Museum of Sonoma County displays the region’s rich and colorful past in a historic 1910 Post Office building in Santa Rosa.
• The West County Museum features the history of western Sonoma County in a beautifully restored 1917 Mission-style railroad depot in Sebastopol.
• The Depot Park Museum has historic displays plus authentic railroad cars in Sonoma.
• Visit the Hembree House Museum, a fascinating 1930s Spanish-style home in Windsor.
• Stroll the Gould-Shaw House Museum to tour an impressive Victorian collection throughout this house in Cloverdale.
• The newly restored Guerneville Bank Club has a fun historical display in its lively building in Guerneville.

4. Sip Craft Brews

Craft beverages of all types flourish in Sonoma County, which boasts nearly two dozen operating breweries, more than half a dozen cider producers, and slightly more than a dozen distilleries. Use the Sonoma County Craft Beverage Map to pick your destinations.

5. Dine on Farm-Fresh Goodness

From down-home cooking to signature California Wine Country fare, you’ll find what you want in Sonoma County’s 600-plus restaurants. Wine Country chefs typically use locally-produced meat, fish, cheese, fresh and organically-grown produce, olive oil, wine, beer, and other local products to create their delicious dishes.

Read about the Best Restaurants in Sonoma County and the Top Romantic Restaurants in Sonoma County. 

Or search this listing of all Sonoma County Restaurants to find your new favorite.

6. Climb, Bounce, or Skate

In Santa Rosa, test your climbing skills on the extensive top rope, lead, and boulder terrain for all strength and skill levels with a day pass at Vertex Climbing Center.

Or check out the trampoline park, arcade games, laser tag, upscale bowling lounge, 7D interactive theater ride, and more at Epicenter, an all-in-one destination for sports, fitness, and entertainment in Santa Rosa.

In Rohnert Park, you can strap on skates or blades and glide away at Cal Skate or bounce the day away at Rebounderz Rohnert Park, with 75 interconnected trampoline beds, a Ninja warrior course, arcade games, and more. 

7. Listen to Music

Sonoma County boasts two outstanding concert venues. The Green Music Center at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park presents a varied musical schedule with a 1,400-seat venue and a 240-seat, cathedral-like concert hall.

Or enjoy an eclectic mix of music, theater, dance, comedy, lectures, and family shows in the recently remodeled Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa.

For more options, check our Performing Arts listings and Calendar of Events.

8. Discover Wine History

Tools handcrafted more than a century ago are the stars of a theatrical show with lights, movement, and narration in the Wine Tool Museum at Buena Vista Winery in the town of Sonoma. The fascinating collection ranges from long-handled cutters that resemble medieval battle axes to plow blades, pruning knives, and picking boxes. Museum tours are offered daily by appointment and can include tasting a flight of current-release wines.

9. Treat Your Sweet Tooth

From the Costeaux French Bakery, which has been a Healdsburg tradition since 1932, to Raymond’s Bakery tucked under majestic old-growth redwoods in Cazadero, to Wild Flour Bread drawing fans of its brick oven delights in tiny Freestone near the coast — Sonoma County offers a number of opportunities to nibble on delicious baked goods.

For more tasty picks, check Delicious Bakeries and Patisseries in Sonoma County.

10. Relax at a Spa

Refresh and rejuvenate at a Sonoma County spa. The Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn in Sonoma is one of the only luxury spa resorts in the country with its own source of thermal mineral water.

The Spa at Flamingo in Santa Rosa invites you to relax and unwind with a eucalyptus steam, a dry-infrared sauna, and a soak in a whirlpool tub with every treatment.

Enjoy “me time” in the zero-gravity lounge chairs at Me Spa in Santa Rosa. Kenwood Inn & Spa and Farmhouse Inn are also great choices for an indulgent spa getaway.

Read our round-up of Top Sonoma County Spas or check our Spa and Wellness listings.

11. Get in a Good Workout

A day pass can give you access to the exercise facilities at Flamingo Resort and Spa in Santa Rosa.

The Sonoma County Family YMCA in Santa Rosa provides access to an indoor swimming pool, weight room, and classes ranging from meditation and stretching to martial arts, group cycling, and cardio hip hop.

One-day passes are also available in Sonoma at the Sonoma Fit Pool Club, where water from underground natural hot springs fills three pools. This facility also includes a workout room with treadmills, elliptical machines, weights, and more.

12. Cook Up Something Special

Where better to enjoy a cooking class than in the heart of Wine Country’s farm-to-table freshness? Dedicated to the essence of Sonoma Wine Country living – fresh foods, fabulous wines, and good company – Ramekins Culinary School in the Sonoma Valley offers demonstration and hands-on classes.

Relish Culinary Adventures brings together talented chefs and fabulous cuisine at its state-of-the-art Healdsburg center and various Sonoma Wine Country locations. Relish offers culinary activities such as DIY canning, mushroom foraging, cheese making, and ethnic cuisines. Private cooking lessons are also available.

13. Let the Force Be With You

Enjoy Rancho Obi-Wan, a 9,000-square-foot nonprofit museum in Petaluma, recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest private collection of Star Wars memorabilia. Open by appointment for docent-led tours, come explore the interaction of Star Wars, popular culture, and changing technology. The arcade here offers vintage video games and pinball machines — all set on free play!

14. Visit Snoopy and the Gang

Cartoonist Charles Schulz, creator of the beloved “Peanuts” comic strip, lived and worked in Sonoma County from 1969 until his death in 2000. The 8,000-square-foot Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa celebrates the cartoonist’s life, his characters, and the impact Charlie Brown and the gang made worldwide.

Next door to the museum, you’ll find Snoopy’s Home Ice, where you can strap on ice skates and glide. Enjoy hot chocolate and other snacks in the Warm Puppy Café. The nearby Snoopy’s Gallery & Gift Shop sells all things Peanuts.

If you want to round out a family-friendly adventure, visit the highly interactive Children’s Museum of Sonoma County, located just down the street from the Schulz Museum. 

15. Stroll Art Galleries and Museums

The arts scene is big in Sonoma County, and there’s no better way to spend a rainy day than exploring some of its many galleries and museums.

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art in the town of Sonoma demonstrates that this Sonoma Wine Country community brings in exhibits that rival its big-city counterparts.

In addition to history, the Museum of Sonoma County in Santa Rosa includes an impressive modern and contemporary art display featuring artists who have lived and worked in Northern California.

The Paul Mahder Gallery presents world-class contemporary art in the largest single-story gallery in California — and it’s just one of some two dozen art galleries within walking distance of the Healdsburg Plaza.

16. Enjoy a Bit of Retail Therapy

Even if it’s raining, you can shop! Discover all the hot spots and unique places to go Shopping in Sonoma County. Here are a few shopping favorites:

• Find brand-name stores at the indoor, two-story Santa Rosa Plaza Mall in downtown Santa Rosa.
• Peruse more than 60 specialty shops and restaurants indoors at Coddingtown in Santa Rosa.
• Explore the upscale boutiques, restaurants, and cafés in the open-air Montgomery Village Shopping Center in Santa Rosa.
• Hunt for bargains at the open-air Petaluma Village Premium Outlets.

For more activities, check out Sonoma County’s Calendar of Events.

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Written by Sonoma Insider Patricia Lynn Henley