I'm pretty disappointed in Healdsburg Jazz. They seem to focus on money and not Jazz. My experience…read morehas mostly been in the SF Jazz community. Here, they don't seem very open to building relationships and seeking out and creating jazz experiences. They are consistently overpriced and I often leave disappointed. Marcus talks to much and the organization tries to manage its members, rather than focusing on creating events that blow the listeners socks off. It's very sad.

What unfettered fun! Sit outside in lawn chairs enjoying food and wine while listening and…read morewatching to professional Jazz bands! It's all history now, but the afternoon's experience changed many of us who attended: We want to do it again and many of us want to go to New Orleans to see first hand what we sampled! (It would have been a hard sell to get me on a plane to New Orleans before I heard the Dr. Michael White Quartet.) There are many venues during the Healdsburg Jazz Festival - this one was New Orleans Jazz hosted at the Dry Creek Winery on Lambert (Laaaaaambert!) Road. Three groups performed: Russian River Ramblers are a local group of musicians which play traditional music (All of Me). MJ's Brass Boppers Brass Band played an eclectic repertoire that included brassy riffs that caused individuals to get up from those comfortable lawn chairs and dance! The last performance was Dr. Michael White Quartet. Dr. White prefaced each tune with a bit of interesting history on the piece of music and jazz history in New Orleans. One of his original pieces was "Sunday Morning" which Dr. White composed after the Katrina flood that devastated New Orleans. He explained that jazz bands in former times would parade through neighborhoods playing on Sunday morning to lead people to church. I'd never heard that before, but the image of a parade of people following a jazz band to church on a sunny Sunday morning is a good one! The highlight of the performance was when Dr. White was off on his clarinet solo when accross the street, someone's car alarm goes off. I instantly had homicidal thoughts about the car's owner to ruin Dr. White's magnificent solo... when I noticed a nearly imperceptible change in tempo and Dr. White incorporated the car horn into his riff!! Pitch and tempo of the car horn was as if that car horn was designed to accompany the music. That was a dandy demonstration of improvisation that I will not likely forget for a very long time! I hate large crowds. This crowd was small and festive. People I enjoyed being with. I do not know if all the events at Healdsburg Jazz Festival are as good as this one, but if they are half as good, this is an experience worthy of anyone's time.

Friendly & informative staff! Will definitely go again! Was neat seeing all the different…read moreballoons. We did the tethered ride. Ready to do the full ride next time

Do NOT go to this event. It is a waste of time and resources. All they want to do is squeeze…read moreevery penny out of you, even the kids. My family drove up from the south bay this past weekend, even drove up a day early to get a hotel room nearby. We got there a little after 5am, no easy feat with a 1yr old and 6yr old, but we made it. We saw most of the glow show, it was fine. And then we learned that due to weather, the balloons would not be flying. We took it in stride, and tried to enjoy the event as much as possible, you can't control the weather, and we wouldn't want anyone to get hurt. My wife decided to at least take the 6yr old for a balloon ride. They had 3 balloons giving rides. After waiting in line for about 2 hrs, it was my wife/son's turn. Apparently something changed in the weather, one of the other balloons already stopped giving rides about 2 min prior, and after sitting in the basket for about 2 min while discussing the possibility of canceling the ride, and going up maybe 5 feet in the air for a few seconds, they decided to cancel the ride. I thought they would at least provide a refund, or at least put my son in the 3rd balloon that still had a long line, and was 50+ feet in the air. Nope, they blamed the weather and refused to give a refund, or let him go in the other line for the balloon that was still going up. My kid was so disappointed and did not understand why. The very LEAST they could do is refund the $30 we paid, nope, they decided they would do nothing and left a very disappointed kid. It's only $30, nothing compared to the gas/hotel/other costs i spent to come to this event. It was the principle. This event is not for kids. It ss for the organization to squeeze pennies out of kids and their families. I will never return to this event, and will discourage anyone else I know from attending this group's events as well.

The Carmel I got there was so good. I went as a tourist and it was an awesome market!read more

This market has a season that runs on Saturdays from mid-April to December, and I was lucky to be…read moreable to visit on their second April weekend this year. I really love this market because it's so food-focused, which is like "duh" with all the beautiful farms in the immediate vicinity.. but many of the "farmer's markets" I visit at home in DFW are overrun with crafts, so it's nice to be at one that's truly focused on local farmers. We bought fantastic green garlic, onions, asparagus, shiitake mushrooms, kiwis and bananas, apples, grapefruit and oranges, fresh rosemary, orange marmalade and cranberry pepper jam, a white lemon balsamic vinegar, our favorite Valley Ford farmers cheese, a lovely strip steak, and a bouquet of flowers to enjoy during our short visit. We thought the prices were great and even a bargain for the quality of food. And we got a little purple Healdsburg Farmer's Market t-shirt for Winnie!

Very surprised over this last weekend at the Blues Festival. Surprised that attendance was down -…read moreway down! With such a good line-up the only thing I can think of is that it's just not the way it used to be. First of all, the vendors have become scarce. We talked to one of them who said they no longer go because it's become much too expensive to be there anymore. Then the swimming in the river is something I always look forward to but that got axed as well. They put a barrier of kayaks right in the middle so you couldn't swim in the deep part. I swear I sat in the water and it barely went up to my neck. I literally had to scoot around on my butt to get around. I like to swim not scoot! The wine garden didn't have as many tasting booths either. Only four but that didn't matter because there weren't that many people. In the previous years, the place was booming with so much vibrancy but this year we found it to be deficient. I really feel that it affected the musical ambience.

This is a good year...but event has been s bit spotty the last few years. Past was great family…read morefriendly event with people in river, beach area....pretty much everywhere. Currently a bit subdued but beautiful weather & good groups. Bobby Rush was GREAT. Excellent performer....a real treat. Keep the blues alive ;-)!

Okay, darling!! Definitely a historic little theater. Seeing Steel Magnolias was a must for an out…read moreof towner looking for something to do for the weekend while staying at the little saint cottages. The play was cute and quaint, the audience sat on the stage as if we were right with the cast. I think there must have been maybe 50-60 attendees for a Friday night showing.

Raven Performing Arts Theater is a quaint, small-town theater. I go several times a year year to…read morewatch the Healdsburg Chorus, and I just went to see the Raven Shorts, which was so much fun. The theater isn't fancy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's just what it should be in the center of a small wine county town. The seats are comfortable, they have a snack bar, the temperature is comfortable, and the location can't be beat. Everyone is friendly and enthusiastic, the shows are always good, and it's wonderful to enjoy the local talent and then walk to any number of the delicious restaurants on or off of Healdsburg Square...my recommendation is Vallette, just a few steps away!

When tickets go up, this event sells out in a couple of hour. Once you attend this event you'll see…read morewhy. The weather is perfect, you're on the river, and on both sides surrounding you are tons (literally) of BBQ to be eaten and kegs of beer to be emptied. There's music, revelry and a lot of satisfied bellies all around you. It's definitely an experience to take in. We had a bit of a logistical hiccup getting in, and unfortunately I wasn't able to try the Mad Scientist BBQ (winner from last year) but there's always next year. And with that being said, I sampled at least 8-10 other very legitimate BBQ teams serving some of the best ribs and chicken I've ever had. If you are fortunate enough to secure a ticket for this event next year I recommend a couple things: -Get a beer lanyard for $5 (they are super helpful) -Come with an empty stomach -Eat first, then drink. The food runs out before the beer. -Bathroom lines can be tough, try to go to the less obvious Porto locations That's it, see you next year Stumptown!

I've been to a lot of Brewfest's...this one is my favorite! Not because it's only 7 min. from home,…read morebut it's a BBQ competition with about 30 competitors, with all the different varieties of Ribs and Chicken wings you can eat. Awesome!!! Also... yer right on the Russian River with great views in the background. Not to mention all of the bikini wearing, and fer you girls, lots of shirtless dudes runnin' round. Great selection of breweries from up and down the coast. Live music is playing all day long, and after the Fest...all night long up above at Stumptown Brewery with Impossible Elvis. Big thanks to Peter fer Putin' all this together. Cheers!

Over the past 15 years I have bought several items at the Center for the Arts. Paintings, jewelry,…read morea few hand thrown comical coffee cups, hand painted greeting cards. I get to feel the righteous glow of supporting local artists through a non-profit cooperative store. Be aware that as I write this the Yelp page, January 2, 2022, it still shows the gallery on Plaza street. The gallery moved to 334 Center street in mid-2021. The new space is larger, more brilliantly lighted and airy feeling. A fun place to leisurely browse.

A hidden gem indeed! Great space, unique art and photography. There's a nice size parking lot ~…read morescore! Our docent Chris explained what this place has to offer and suggested we check out the calendar of events. She also mentioned they do a neat Holiday bazaar, where numerous vendors make exclusive items for the holiday season. Great gift ideas, one-stop shopping! It reminds of Yelp's nifty under fifty holiday pop-up in the East Bay. I have another place to go shopping for holiday gifts and this time in the North Bay, as if I needed another reason to come up to Healdsburg HA! Highly recommended if you're wine tasting in the area or having brunch, cheers!

I've lived in California for a long time, but these past three years have had amazing line-ups for…read moreHealth and Harmony. Erykah Badu, Ghostface Killah, Femi Kuti, Steelpulse, Galactic, India Arie, K'Naan, Cake, George Clinton, Damian Marley, The Jerry Garcia Band...the list goes on. This year, however, I was blessed to see the one and only LAUREN HILL perform. Not very many people can say that, especially while dancing under the sun with amazing friends, guest speakers, yogi's, mothers, children, yummy dank food and beautiful weather. As we all know Sonoma County is an amazing place to be and I felt so honored to attend the 32nd Annual Health and Harmony Festival. I highly recommend it being one of your first festivals to properly kick off the season of love--summer!

Walt from Walt's Adventures adventuring at the Menagerie Hill Ranch in Vacaville, California…read more Life can be interpreted as more fulfilling when filled with adventures. It is wise to step outside your environment and, in the case of this current venture, go visit an Alpaca farm. The Menagerie Hill ranch has beautiful animals. The host was awesome and knowledgeable. We increased our knowledge of the animals and of the farm but also got to feed them. We also had the opportunities to get close and personal with them for pictures. They were all friendly and fluffy. I recommend this unique experience for all because if you do not just break your usual pattern to stop and smell the roses or to pet and feed an Alpaca, life will pass by before you know it. Put your life on pause just for a few hours and go see the Alpacas. They would like to share peace with you. You can find them at the Menagerie Hill Ranch

This was a memorable trip. We were originally slated to visit in late June before my birthday but…read moreboth Deb and Kirk were recovering from surgery. We stayed in touch over the next several weeks before settling on an August date. We braved the high temps and winding roads to arrive at the ranch. It's a beautiful space on a hillside and you can see the herd and their guardian llama as you pull into the parking lot. We learned a lot about the alpaca life cycle, fed the boys, and my daughter got to hold and carry a cria. We bought two cute alpaca shaped soaps. I didn't experience any of the negativity others have complained about. It is a working ranch so it's not a petting zoo or a tourist attraction. Go with the flow and you'll have a great experience.