Perfect Spring Saturdays in Sonoma County

Sample (& Make!) Spring’s Best Cheese

A hands-on cheese-making class at The Epicurean Connection in Sonoma will lead you through the making of 2-plus pounds of a delicious crème de ricotta, which students get to take home. Cheese expert and instructor Sheana Davis will also lead students through a tasting of several local artisan cheeses.

Before or after class, visit the back patio at Sunflower Caffé. It’s filled with flowers and plants and is a lovely place to kick back with a glass of white peach sparkling wine and eggy French toast with bacon.

The Plaza is yours to explore for the rest of the day — try a flight of wine at Corner 103, named one of the best tasting rooms in the country. –Mya Constantino

Enjoy Sugarloaf Ridge Wildflowers

Sugarloaf Ridge is a particularly fertile place to search for spring’s wildflowers. This vast state park has everything from penstemon and trillium to golden fairy lanterns and lupine.

Several of the trails here are rigorous, but the Canyon-Pony Gate Trail loop is a moderate choice. Two miles will take you through a redwood grove with starflowers and other spring greenery. -Meg McConahey

Explore Jack London’s History

Sonoma County is home to many public parks, but none more famous than Glen Ellen’s Jack London State Historic Park. A visit to the novelist’s vintage white-clapboard cottage shows the office and adjacent sunroom where London wrote many of his later books and short stories.

Abundant hiking trails within the park reveal London’s life as a farmer and early conservationist. The House of Happy Walls, where London’s widow, Charmian, lived after the author’s death, is now a museum.

Back in town, head to The Fig Café & Winebar to polish off an excellent burger. -Kienan O’Doherty

Experience Wine With Art

The Donum Estate, a biodynamic vineyard in the Carneros region, houses an incredible art installation with a high-end tasting experience like nothing else. The Vertical Panorama Pavilion has a swirl of rainbow-hued glass arching overhead in the middle of the vineyard like an otherworldly Easter bonnet. Beneath the dome, the riot of color brings to mind an explosion of spring wildflowers, an optimism reflected in the complexities of the wine. A tasting held inside the pavilion is a once-in-a-lifetime splurge, but other tasting options here offer views of the art along with tours of the collection and sculpture garden.

Afterward, try downtown Sonoma’s Tasca Tasca for a satisfying snack of Portuguese tapas for two. -Abigail Peterson

Embark On A Nursery Crawl

For Earth Day, Bay Area gardening geeks know that Sonoma County is the best place to embark on your own “nursery crawl.” Line your trunk with a tarp and jaunt from nursery to nursery on this plant lover’s dream day.

Start at The Nursery at Emerisa Gardens in Santa Rosa for quality perennials, grasses, and shrubs. Then, explore the enchanting 7-acre display gardens at Sebastopol’s Hidden Forest Nursery for blooming azaleas, rhododendrons, and camellias. Stock up on tools, seeds, and plant start at Harmony Farm Supply and Nursery.

Refuel before your afternoon of planting at Hole in the Wall, serving an all-day breakfast fit for a farmer with the veggie-stuffed Gardeners Omelet. -Meg McConahey

Discover California’s Rich History

General Mariano Vallejo founded the town of Sonoma and was involved in California’s transition from a territory of Mexico to part of the U.S. His beautiful carpenter-gothic home was built in 1852 and is decorated in Victorian style.

After your visit, an adjacent bike and walking path leads to the Sonoma Plaza, where El Dorado Kitchen offers a delicious menu. -Yovanna Bierberich

Watch For Whales

In late April and early May, in particular, the peninsula at Bodega Head, part of Sonoma Coast State Park, is a great place to see gray whales migrate from Baja California to Alaska. They swim north along the coast just offshore, providing great viewing opportunities without having to leave the land. Look closely, and you might spot some mother whales traveling with their calves. –Marisa Endicott

Chill Along The River

Riverfront Regional Park in Healdsburg is a beautiful spot for all kinds of outdoor excursions, but a favorite is kayaking in the park’s two lakes. Nestled along the Russian River, the park feels like a true escape to the natural world. There’s leisurely fishing plus plenty of birds and other wildlife to see.

The best way to kickstart a day of kayaking is to grab a hearty breakfast, and you’ll find all sorts of good things like crepes, pork buns, pastries, or egg sandwiches at the Saturday morning Santa Rosa Farmers Market at Luther Burbank Center for the Arts. -Emma Murphy

Savor Food And Nature

Southeast Santa Rosa’s Taylor Mountain Regional Park is perfect in May. Its native oaks, and rigorous uphill hikes will get your heart racing.

Nearby, the Mitote Food Park, a hub of Mexican food trucks in the heart of Roseland, is a celebration of local heritage and delicious flavors. Try the fresh mango ceviche at La Victoria or succulent mushroom tacos at Gio Y Los Magos. Linger for a lively fiesta fueled by local bands and dancing. For the Aztecs, the word “mitote” means a round dance or a community celebration — and that’s exactly what you’ll find here. -Alana Minkler

Step Back In Time

It’s known as Sonoma County’s “ghost town,” but the truth is that Wingo, California, is neither haunted (as far as we know) nor deserted anymore. Back in the day, Wingo — in the marshlands south of Schellville — was accessible only by rail and boat. The small cluster of houses, many now being fixed up by locals, all have docks on Sonoma Creek, which connects to a network of sloughs.

For a 5.5-mile round-trip hike to this interesting site, start at Larson Family Winery on Millerick Road and follow along as the road turns to gravel. You may convince yourself you’re lost, but eventually, Wingo will appear like a hallucination. Stop in for a fun tasting at Larson’s before or after your jaunt.

Grab a bite at Lou’s Luncheonette nearby. Order whatever you’d like for lunch, but you’re missing out if it isn’t the spicy chicken and waffles. – Phil Barber

Paint Like A Pro

Sonoma County is just as full of artists as it is of interesting landscapes and places to paint. A surface and some paint or a sketchpad and pencils are all you need to jump into outdoor, or “plein air,” painting. On any given weekend, you might find artists with easels set up on the beach, in downtown Petaluma, or at local parks, capturing the scene. But you don’t have to paint alone.

Local parks like Pepperwood Preserve occasionally offer classes led by artists who teach how to paint natural settings, and professional and amateur artists meet for regular outdoor painting sessions through groups such as Ready, Set, Sketch. -Antonie Boessenkool

Marvel Over Steam Power

Sturgeon’s Mill is a working museum and turn-of-last-century lumber camp on the outskirts of Sebastopol. Steam whistles, sputtering engines, and buzzing saws help volunteers tell the fascinating history of this mill, which for 50 years supplied redwood lumber to the area. Kids will love seeing draft horses and blacksmiths at work, and trees turned into lumber. Check the website since it’s only open four weekends a year. Before you go, fill up with a hearty breakfast at Willow Wood Market Café in nearby Graton. -Jennifer Graue