General Vallejo's House is located in Sonoma, CA, in the Sonoma State Historic Park. The grounds (including trails) and visitor center was free to walk about. Parking was free as well, they had a nice size parking lot. To view the inside of the house, it's $3. The visitor center was the carriage house nicknamed the Swiss Chalet. It was built in 1852. The timber came from Europe. It's now the museum with history information boards about the General Vallejo and his family. So you may ask, who is General Vallejo? What's the hubbub? Mariano Guadalupe Vallejwas born in Monterey, California, in 1807 as a subject of Spain. He served in the California military which was under Spain. He served as commander of various presidios and establishing them and the controversial workforce. His last command was the Sonoma presidio. The house is furnished and staged as it was in the mid to late 1800s. It was built in 1852, Vallejo lived there until his passing in 1890. The architecture is Victorian Carpenter Gothic. It was prefabricated back East and shipped around Cape Horn (pre railroad). The rooms are viewable through the barred doors. The fireplaces are made of imported marble. The kitchen was another building behind the house. The family cook lived onsite in a room adjoining the kitchen. Behind the kitchen is a body of water, a water reservoir. Back in the day, it was a natural spring. The General sold water to the town and folks by transporting the water in redwood pipes. It proved a steady income. He even tried his hand at winemaking. But suffered severe losses in the 1870s blight and didn't get his winemaking business off the ground. He never fully recovered to his previous economic heyday, living out the rest of his years modestly than before. read more

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Great introduction by the park ranger! Enjoyed how they sell plant bulbs and fruit from the grounds ! I bought a delicious grapefruit! Plenty of signage regarding rattlesnakes. read more

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We walked from the square to General Vallejo's home. It was only $3. To roam around the property and the house. The history was so interesting. You could almost feel the family still there. The stair case leading up to the bedrooms was a little scary they were so steep with a low Banister (maybe we have grown taller) And if you save your receipt you also get into the mission so you don't have to pay twice! read more

We actually came to town to visit the mission. The ticket covers the general's house as well as the park area nearby. The mission and the general's house are two miles apart on a busy street. It was a nice surprise to find this bit of history. Upon entering you will see General Vallejo's phaeton which is in excellent condition on display in the barracks area. It's very rustic. From there you can walk across his peaceful, fountained yard to his charming residence. The 4-bedroom, two-story home is well-appointed but not at all ostentatious. The cooking cottage and maids residence is again across another fountained yard. This is not open to the public, but if you are interested in old kitchens it is permitted to look through the windows. read more

If you are visiting Sonoma, make some time in your schedule to visit the General Vallejo Home. This historic museum features a self guided tour that will take you through the former estate of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo; a former military commander who founded the Pueblo De Sonoma and helped colonize the northern frontier. Your tour begins at the Carriage house where you will find many antiques such as a carriage and saddles that were used during the mid 1800's. Here, you will also find an attendant who will give you a little bit of background on General Vallejo and his home. There are family portraits and pictures of General Vallejo's wife and 16 children including 6 of them who died in a fire. The tour continues into the two-story main house that was built and completed in 1852. Formally known as the "Lachryma Montis", this Victorian estate served as the main living quarters for Vallejo and his family for over 35 years. Inside, you will get a glimpse into what it was like to live during the 1800's. This home features the dining room, kitchen, library, children's rooms, and the master bedroom. There are several antiques scattered all throughout the home as well. All of the rooms in the home are blocked off by gates, but are easily viewable through the wide open spaces. Picture taking is allowed and encouraged. I am always fascinated by how small and narrow the staircases were during these times. The beds were extremely tiny as well, and it just goes to show how much things have changed. Parking is free and there are plenty of parking spaces available in the lot. There is a $3 entrance fee that will also pay for your entrance into the Mission San Francisco Solano about a mile and a half away. Trust me; it's the best $3 that you'll spend in this part of town. Although the tour isn't guided, it is very informative and really enjoyable. read more

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The first time I came to General Vallejo's House was about 23 years ago. I came with my "sister" friend, Lorna, her mom Jackie, my husband and our two daughters. My son came along too, but he was peeking through my belly button! Since then it has become our family mecca. We just love spending the afternoon enjoying the scenery, nature and peacefulness. For a mere $2.00 you can park, enjoy lunch at the picnic area located behind the carriage house, feed the turtles and koi in the reservoir and walk the grounds. This isn't a do-it-yourself tour, although it could be if you wanted it to. The docents (who love their jobs) will take you for a tour and tell you the history of the home, the family and the man. If you have a student that will be taking California History, then make sure you visit before the school season starts. Between the Generals Home, the hotel at the square, the barracks and the mission, they will have a leg up before school starts and this will really peak their interest. Now, before you go.... 1/ Pack some water in your ice chest 2/ Pack your snacks or lunch (fried chicken, potato salad, fresh fruit) (stop at Safeway and get their deli sandwiches, some olives and fruit) (stop at the cheese factory in the square for sandwiches or cheese, salami and french baguettes) 3/ Wear comfortable shoes 4/ Bring your camera and flash (yes, flash photography is permitted) Stop at the square to let the young'uns loose in the playground between each exhibit. read more

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The General Vallejo Home is a fascinating historic landmark. Vallejo called this place his "Boston home"-he had an adobe in Petaluma, along with an adobe home on the Plaza (now only the servants' quarters remain) It was built in New England. There is a natural spring. The mansion itself has been beautifully restored&now decorated for the Christmas holidays. One can see the "El Delirio", a garden pavilion of sorts (Vallejo made his own wine, so the name is fitting) His son Napoleon's hermitage has a beautiful view of the reservoir&comes complete with creepy taxidermy. The separate kitchen&living quarters of the Vallejos' Chinese cook is an interesting snapshot of daily life. Out in the California frontier, one wonders if the Vallejo family cook did the equivalent of Koi Fusion or Kogi BBQ. After all, nearby San Francisco was home to fusion cuisine like fortune cookies, Irish coffee&chop suey. The carriage house doubles as a museum. It has a spectacular natural setting. It's tucked between the Mayacamas Mountains&Sonoma Mountain. The $3 admission for all Sonoma Historic Parks (including the Petaluma Adobe) is worth it. read more

If you're visiting the General's house, be sure to take advantage of the whole State Park inclusive ticket to the Barracks, Mission, etc. It's an easy walk (roughly 5 blocks including down the long drive) from the Mission. http://www.yelp.com/biz/mission-san-francisco-solano-sonoma I found the house more interesting than the mission itself. I always like to see the rooms set up how they might have been in their glory days. An imported "Swiss Chalet" outbuilding is set up museum style. You can see the whole main house upstairs and down in 20 minutes. Hard to believe the guy had 16 kids in a house that size. If he were around today he'd probably have some 8,000 sq ft monstrosity. When we were there a docent provided a short overview tour and even walked around the grounds a bit with us. In addition to the main house, there was a detached sitting room, kitchen and a boy's bedroom (above the spring pond where fish and turtles currently reside) that you can peek into through the windows. read more

After visiting the Mission and hearing that admission included this historical site as well, we made the mistake of thinking that the Vallejo Home was just a few streets away. It's over a 2 mile hike and in the heat, at 8 months pregnant, it was strenuous to say the least. I wish they had told us how far it was! I highly recommend driving there instead of walking unless you need exercise and the weather is super mild. It was a little miserable due to the heat, although the house itself was cool, there isn't really anywhere to sit inside. If the weather was cooler, the picnic area behind the house might have been a nice place to sit. I enjoyed seeing the original artifacts that had belonged to the family, and there was a docent lead tour as well as a video and picture displays about the General and his family. read more

We trekked there so I was so tired. Very informative barn but didn't have any access to the home itself. There was like a man made lake with lots of turtles and a pathway going up the mountain but there was a sign on beware of rattle snakes. The yard itself was beautiful and big plus there is a vineyard near the entrance to the property. read more

General Vallejo Home - Parks Near Me - Sonoma, California

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Part Three- We didn't plan on visiting th Vallejo home originally but since you get in with the same ticket that you buy for the Sonoma Mission and Barracks we made the trip here and I'm glad we did. The tour was very informative and we learned a lot about General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. I loved the docent that gave us a personal tour of the house. It was really cool to learn about the Vallejo family and I was surprised at how many of the artifacts decorating the place are originals from them. The musical instruments in the house were really theirs and they were very gifted musically. The study that General Vallejo died in is pretty much intact. He owned a large selection of books, as much as 17,000 at one time, half of which were lost in a fire at another home of his. I would have loved to get closer to the library to see what books we have read that are similar but that is something for another day. We loved the tour, the history and the wonderful docent that showed us around the house. read more

I went to the Vallejo home today for the first time and was very impressed with the preservation of the grounds and home. All the furniture is intact inside the two story home and the gardens are still lush with many of the species Vallejo prided himself on cultivating. A murky pond in the back used to serve as a fresh water spring and is now home to turtles and fish. Your entrance fee gets you into the barracks and mission by the square in downtown Sonoma. read more

I love the fact that for the $3.00 a person you can get in to see Vallejo's home, Petaluma Adobe, Solano Mission and the Sonoma Barracks. The house is located a ways a way from the mission. The grounds are very pretty and I love the pond in the back. The house has a lot of different artifacts from the time period and the entrance building has some great artifacts as well. read more

Out of all the buildings you can see in Sonoma State Historic Park, this is probably the most interesting. I would recommend to start here, so that you get to see the best stuff while still fresh. I made the mistake of leaving it to the end, and it didn't work out so well. Read more/ see more photos here: http://blog.compasstales.com/2012/08/07/sonoma/ read more

Not a lot of reading or history, but interesting. Entrance fee also covers Sonoma mission.

This is a state historic park which means there is a $3/adult fee and less for children. This is a cool place to take an independent tour of. To see the entire property is about 30-45 minutes tops! If you like history and architecture this is good place to visit. You can walk through the residence but not the cooks quarters or guest house, although you can look through the windows to see inside which is pretty neat too. read more

Well maintained rooms in the main house where you can go on a self-guided tour, along with some outbuildings. The reservoir is large and peaceful, the gardens are quite attractive as well read more

We visited this place, because I saw that it was related to the Sonoma Barracks which we saw. It's a nice self-tour. Felt something weird in the one of the rooms like a freezing cold spot. Then, I found out later that it's the room where the caretaker has seem a "ghost". Neat place. I really like history so it was a great experience. read more

I didn't get a chance to go into the home, since i was meeting a group here for an evening hike. The grounds look beautiful. I will return to explore again. Not too many parking spots (20 or so?) so i dont know how crowded it may be on a weekend. Good moderate trails, a mix of shade and exposure. read more