Sonoma County Movie Locations Tour Itinerary

Get nostalgic for the small-town America of Peggy Sue Got Married and American Graffiti; drink Pinot Noir with Oscar.

Cruisin’ the Boulevard

Kick off your tour in downtown Petaluma, less than 45 minutes north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge on Highway 101. You’ve got a big day ahead of you, so fuel up with coffee and a freshly baked pastry at the divinely scented Della Fattoria Café. Or, serious espresso fiends can energize just down the street at Acre Coffee, a favorite spot for those who love sustainable interior design and art in their latte foam.

Refreshed and caffeinated, leave the car parked downtown and walk up Western Avenue to Petaluma Boulevard North, once a go-to spot for Hollywood directors looking to recreate the small-town America of yesteryear.

George Lucas shot 1973’s American Graffiti, the classic tribute to American teen-hood and automobiles, largely on Petaluma Boulevard and its surrounding streets. On the first block of Petaluma Boulevard North, in a lot next to the Mystic Theatre, a young Richard Dreyfuss pulled off one of film’s most memorable stunts and a cop car lost its back end.

And surrounding streets weren’t short on action, either. Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, and Suzanne Somers cruised Water Street, Kentucky Street, and Western Avenue on four wheels, but the best way to set the scene today is on two feet, using this excellent map of exact filming locations.

Of course, if you’re lucky enough to be visiting Petaluma during the town’s annual salute to the film, you won’t need to do much imagining — there’ll be enough hot rods and rock ’n roll music to take you right back to 1962.

If you need a pick-me-up during your trip down memory lane, stop into Lala’s Creamery, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and soda fountain with kitschy charm and seasonal flavors such as Nutella-banana and Petaluma strawberry.

Lala’s couldn’t be in a more picture-perfect spot: Pleasantville, the 1998 movie in which Reese Witherspoon and Tobey Maguire are zapped into a 1950s TV sitcom town, features scenes shot just outside, on the corner.

Glance up at the century-old clock tower at the corner of Western Avenue and Petaluma Boulevard North and you can take yet another trip back in time. The clock, along with Western Avenue’s iron-front buildings, provided a perfect backdrop for Francis Ford Coppola’s Peggy Sue Got Married, a 1986 flashback film starring Kathleen Turner and Nicolas Cage.

Head west on Western Boulevard towards American Alley (which was used for scenes in 1997’s Inventing the Abbotts), then turn right onto Liberty Street. Number 226 is the stunning Queen Ann Victorian that Turner’s Peggy Sue called home, though these days it’s a private residence.

A few blocks away, at the corner of B Street and Fifth Street, you’ll find the Open Door Christian Church, where Robin Williams filmed a scene for Disney’s 1997 family flick, Flubber.

Picnic in the Park

Ready for a change of scene? Drive north on Highway 101 for about 30 miles, then take the Central Healdsburg exit and head to the Healdsburg Plaza, named by Travel + Leisure magazine as one of the most beautiful town squares in the country.

The magazine folks aren’t the only ones who have loved the Healdsburg Plaza: In 1943, Natalie Wood filmed The Happy Land on the square; and more than 50 years later, Wes Craven brought a group of teenage heartthrobs here to film scenes for the franchise-sparking horror movie Scream.

Lunch options near the square range from upscale (Barndiva) to fresh baked (Costeaux French Bakery). Of course, if the sun’s out, you can always pick up sandwiches at Oakville Grocery and picnic right in the Plaza.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse

From Healdsburg, keep driving north about 10 minutes on 101 until you get to the Independence Lane exit for Geyserville. From here you’re heading to the imposing Francis Ford Coppola winery.

The legendary director may not have shot any movies here, but once inside, you’ll quickly feel the Hollywood magic. Sip a glass of the “Director’s Cut” Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet, or Merlot as you marvel at Coppola’s huge collection of movie memorabilia that’s housed here. Go for a wander and you’ll find Don Corleone’s desk from The Godfather, the original car used in Tucker, and even a few shiny-golden bald men named Oscar.

Small Town Comforts

Cruise back south down 101 about 20 miles, then take the exit for Downtown Santa Rosa. Check into the Hotel La Rose, a 1907 stone stunner on Santa Rosa’s historic Railroad Square, or try the nearby Hyatt Regency Sonoma Wine Country.

About three miles west of Railroad Square, you can also make like Cate Blanchett and Billy Bob Thornton in the 2001 movie Bandits by booking a room at the renovated Midcentury Modern Flamingo Resort. 

Time for Dinner

Spend the evening wandering Santa Rosa’s quaint downtown, sampling the nightlife, or indulging in imaginative cocktails and Surf & Turf specialties at Stark’s Steak & Seafood.

See the small towns Hitchcock loved; take a peek at Pollyanna’s house; beware of birds in Bodega; make like a Goonie at the beach.

Shadows and Screams

Start your morning back in Railroad Square, which by the light of day may look more familiar. It was here that Alfred Hitchcock shot scenes for Shadow of a Doubt, a 1943 suspense ride about an uncle with a terrible secret and the niece who finds him out. In the movie, a  locomotive — bringing with it an ominous cloud of black smoke — pulls into the train station at 9 Fourth Street. The station building is still standing, though today it’s a visitors’ information center.

For a bite and a cup with your view of Railroad Square, try A’roma Roasters, or for a heartier breakfast, head to Omelette Express, then walk it off with a quick stroll through Whistlestop Antiques.

Take the car back up Fourth Street to make a left on Morgan Street, a right on College Avenue, and then a left on Mendocino Avenue. You can’t miss Santa Rosa High School as it comes up on your left. The elegant brick school lent a gothic feel to scenes in Peggy Sue Got Married and Inventing the Abbotts, and can now boast fictional alumni like Kathleen Turner, Nicolas Cage, Liv Tyler, and Jennifer Connelly.

Make a quick right onto Pacific Avenue and follow it down to McDonald Avenue, arguably the city’s most beautiful residential street. A stroll up and down McDonald will take you past gorgeous old homes used in Shadow of a Doubt and Scream.

Make sure you stop and peek through the gates at the McDonald Mansion, an 1870s estate that’s still the grande dame of the neighborhood. In 1960, Walt Disney used Hollywood magic to add a false third story to this historic home, transforming it into the mansion where Hayley Mills goes to live with Jane Wyman in Pollyanna.

Coastal Thrills

Next, you’re headed for the Sonoma Coast. Drive south on Highway 101 for just a few minutes before taking the Highway 12 exit towards Sebastopol. Drive through Sebastopol, continuing on Bodega Avenue as it becomes Bodega Highway, and wind your way past vineyards, barns, and apple orchards.

About 10 miles down the road, you’ll reach the tiny town of Bodega. This was the setting for Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds, which still gives viewers a temporary case of ornithophobia almost 60 years after its release.

Just off the highway (up Bodega Lane), you’ll see the St. Teresa of Avila Church, made famous by a 1953 Ansel Adams photograph and later glimpsed briefly on film during The Birds. You’ll also find the old Potter Schoolhouse, the setting for much on-screen running, screaming, and pecking during The Birds.

The two buildings also prettied up the opening credits of Fred Astaire and Petula Clark’s 1968 musical Finian’s Rainbow. (Feel free to snap as many pictures as you’d like in front of both buildings, but do note that the Potter Schoolhouse is now a private residence).

For lunch, grab a seat at the cash-only Casino Bar & Grill. The locally sourced, ever-changing menu at this roadhouse-style bar may surprise you, but its history shouldn’t: this was the watering hole of choice for Hitchcock’s crew during The Birds’ filming in Bodega.

Walk of Fame

Travel out to Bodega Head, another famous Birds filming location. From Bodega, take Highway 12 to CA-1 and travel through the town of Bodega Bay (more on this location later). Turn left on Eastshore Road, a quick right onto Bay Flat Road and continue on Westshore Road until the road dead-ends at a cliff-top parking lot.

Bodega Head is just as beautiful in our day as it was in Tippi Hedren’s, so get out of the car and take it all in with a walk on one of the headland trails. A cluster of picnic tables makes this the perfect stop for a quick break.

Stomp the sand off your shoes and hop back in the car to drive further north up CA-1 — and deeper into horror territory. About six miles up the coastal road, Schoolhouse Beach welcomed Jennifer Love Hewitt, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Ryan Phillippe, and Freddie Prinze Jr. during a scene in 1997’s I Know What You Did Last Summer. But don’t be scared: Any local will tell you this spot’s really more famous for tide pooling than for terror.

Another five miles up CA-1, take the pull-off for Goat Rock Beach. Look familiar? Try thinking back to a time before Josh Brolin was the 43^rd president of the U.S. and Sean Astin was a hobbit. Steven Spielberg shot part of his 1985 cult classic The Goonies, about a band of kids searching for hidden treasure, right here.

To enjoy the same scenery Spielberg did, go for a bluff-top hike or a leisurely walk along the beach, or visit (from a respectful distance) with the colony of seals that calls this beach home.

Seafood and Bay Views

Retrace your tracks and then make a right onto CA-1. About eight miles down the road you’ll be back in the town of Bodega Bay. Dinner options abound along Bay Highway, starting with burgers, hotdogs, and shakes at The Dog House.

The site of the Tides Wharf Restaurant and Bar was used for scenes in The Birds, and though the original building burned down years ago, it’s since been rebuilt and now serves upscale casual seafood with bay views. Terrapin Creek Café on Eastshore Road offers a locally sourced dinner menu that’s earned national acclaim, served in a casual neighborhood atmosphere.

That’s a Wrap

Stick around town for the night and enjoy panoramic water views from a room at the Inn at the Tides or the Bodega Bay Lodge. Or, make your way north on the CA-1 to Jenner, a tiny but charming town with plenty of lodging options including the Timber Cove Resort and the Jenner Inn. River’s End Restaurant & Inn, where sunsets are a downright cinematic viewing experience, is a local favorite.