Sonoma County Farm Tours are Delicious Adventures

Sonoma County’s rich agricultural heritage is alive and well. And thanks to the county’s vibrant approach to agri-tourism, residents and visitors alike can enrich a beautiful country drive with an educational farm tour.

Pick produce; pet sheep and goats; milk a cow; learn how to irrigate a field; or take a cooking class! Some adventures are free, while others carry a fee that helps supplement the farm.

It’s easy to plan your trip if you use the free and downloadable map and guide provided by the non-profit Sonoma County Farm Trails, devoted to keeping a strong bond between the grower and the eater (you!). Member farms/producers of the organization are listed and described, along with days and times they’re open for visits, and other pertinent information. Some farm visits are only by appointment.

Here’s a round-up of a few of our favorite Sonoma farm tours.

Achadinha Cheese Company, Petaluma

Tour the cheese plant, milking parlor, and barns, and then taste the cheese on the traditional farm tour at Achadinha Cheese Company outside Petaluma. This family-run, 230-acre ranch is home to roughly 250 goats and 60 cows, as well as pigs, sheep, horses, chickens, dogs, cats, and ducks.

Preston Farm & Winery, Healdsburg

Taste estate wines, homegrown olive oil, just-baked bread, and fresh and pickled vegetables at Preston Farm & Winery in Dry Creek Valley north of Healdsburg.  Operated by the Preston family for 45 years, this 125-acre organic and biodynamic property is nestled between a meandering salmon-spawning stream and a sleepy stretch of former wagon trail leading to town. It features a tasting room, farm store, and bakery with a wood-fired oven. 

Lavender Bee Farm, Petaluma

Take a private tour of Lavender Bee Farm in Petaluma. It’s chemical-free (no pesticides or chemical fertilizers) and hosts more than 5,000 lavender plants and multiple beehives. The farm store offers gourmet honey, lavender bouquets, sachets, hydrosols, essential oils, linens, and other gifts. 

Redwood Hill Farm – Capracopia, Sebastopol

Sebastopol’s Redwood Hill Farm-Capracopia — a goat dairy farm — offers farm tours by reservation. Cuddle a baby goat, learn how to milk a goat, and visit these intelligent animals at this sustainable, Certified Humane farm, which also includes chickens, beehives, olive and fruit orchards, and more.

Garden Valley Ranch, Petaluma

Tour the grounds of Petaluma’s rose-filled Garden Valley Ranch, producer of garden roses grown totally outdoors. You’ll marvel over floral sights such as the 220-foot-long by 14-foot-wide display border, edged in local stone and containing roses, perennials, shrubs, and annuals arranged in color sequence as in the Gertrude Jekyll style of old.

Visit Farms for Seasonal Produce

Plan your Sonoma farm tour with this free, downloadable map from Sonoma County Farm Trails.

• Get your peaches at Dry Creek Peach & Produce in the Dry Creek Valley.
• Shop for ripe and local goodies atOak Hill Farm of Sonoma in Glen Ellen.
• Fill your baskets with the month’s freshest harvest at Tierra Vegetables in Santa Rosa.

---

Written by Sonoma County Insider Suzie Rodriguez