Great relaxing place, cute animals. Nature all around you…read more The staff is very nice and welcoming.

My daughter had a field trip here and it was a delightful experience. Thank you Connolly Ranch.read more

What an amazing and magical place to spend a day. Thank you for showing us your incredible farm and…read moresharing your delicious cheese. Loved every second. Highly recommend a visit to all in the area!

We have been happy CSA members of Tara Firma Farms for 3+ years now and highly recommend for anyone…read morelooking for a local, sustainable farm co-op! The eggs are wonderful, delivery prompt, online store very accessible, and they conveniently partner with other local farms to provide veggies + fruit in addition to their sustainable meats (most CSAs will only provide one or the other). We came across Tara Firma initially via online / yelp searches shortly after moving to the Bay Area in 2016. When my husband and I initially started looking into vegetarianism for animal welfare reasons, I suggested we visit a farm that employs best practices of ethically and sustainably raised meat to help inform our decision. Tara Firma offers free educational tours every weekend and so we drove up one day with our 2 dogs (leashed dogs welcome!) and another family with their 3 (non furry) children for a fun Petaluma outing. The tour was informative and our guide was clearly super passionate about their mission. The farm was very beautiful and the lands idyllic -- we loved the fact that the cows were so free range that we could just barely make them out as a tiny dot in the distant hills. We all enjoyed observing the chicken dynamics around their mobile coop with their rooster guard, and they showed us how unperturbed the hens were when removing the eggs from the nest-- evening letting the children carefully take a couple out. Ultimately, we decided to pursue a vegetarian diet (especially after my husband met the pigs there), but we joined the CSA for their eggs and veggie share + cheeses (sourced from partner farms). We also have purchased meat occasionally for visiting carnivore families and friends, as we wanted to ensure if they were going to eat meat -- they were getting it from a farm like Tara Firma that does it in the right way. The best part of the CSA was their pet share as we realized buying offal from this farm would be a great compromise for our dogs (who were rebelling against our plant-based diet experiment) as we just wanted to provide our dogs protein with leftovers / byproduct without creating additional demand on the meat industry. Our pet share included amazing proteins like heart, tongue, cheeks, as well as more indulgent items like liver and kidney. Even the trotters and bones I would use to make broth in order to flavor / disguise our dogs' vegetarian kibble haha :) We also occasionally received some freezer burn meats, which cannot be sold for human consumption but safe (and very drool-worthy) for our dogs! Unfortunately, the pet share program has been discontinued but there are still plenty of diverse offal options in the farm store! Overall, a great local farm to support and highly recommend a visit!

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.

I am a wine club member but have never visited the Nicholson Ranch Tasting room until yesterday-…read moreFather's Day, 1 minute before closing time. Jessie and her male-co-worker (whose name I didn't get unfortunately) allowed me to come in a buy some bottles at the last second! They were very gracious and welcoming, and I would have understood if they were less than that, but they were awesome! Thank you for putting the cherry on top of my Father's Day!

Been here a couple times and each time was a lovely time. My friend invites us here and he puts…read moretogether a brunch in the picnic area which is a pretty cool setup. And the Nicholson Ranch is such a beautiful property. And has great views. I couldn't tell you about if they served food or anything because each time we visited we would first do picnic brunch then wine taste. The wine is also lovely. They have great selection of wine but I loved the Pinot Noirs. The service is awesome. All the staff are friendly and welcoming. I don't know if our wine pourer was a sommelier but she had lots of stories about wine and the Ranch. Forgive me I didn't write her name down but she was very nice and can keep great conversation.

Love this place! I called ahead to make a reservation for a large group, and the staff was…read moreincredibly accommodating and easy to work with. On the day of our event, everyone was just as pleasant and helpful! The grounds are beautiful, with plenty of shady seating and space for kids to run around. Our entire group thoroughly enjoyed the experience. I highly recommend this spot for group gatherings--it was especially nice that they allowed us to bring our own food for a small "forkage" fee!

Larson Family Winery is always welcoming and kind. We became members We somehow always end up in…read morethis cozy place around 4pm and are welcomed.

Gorgeous property, excellent food - a perfect spot for a local stay-cation! Staff is genuinely…read moreinterested in how the stays are. Wonderful lodging offerings!

A stone's throw away from my hometown of Santa Rosa is this little hidden gem. Westerbeke Ranch is…read moretucked away in Sonoma and has a beautiful property. I came for a retreat and stayed one night, two days. Okay, first off, I just have to say... The food was amazing! Props to the chef, there was food for normal diets and special made dishes for vegans and other restrictive food diets! Everything was delish! I couldn't wait for meals! One of my favorite dishes had to be this pumpkin seed pesto! I'm just drooling at the thought of it. Meals were buffet style in a shared space, so other people who are staying will be sharing meals with you in the same space. The grounds itself are lovely. It's in a nice wooded space with little cabins everywhere, a pool and hot tub area, and many difference conference "cabins". Lots of outdoor work areas where you can hang out and do work. You can even schedule a massage in this cute little round cabin. There are some hiking trails around (although we didn't end up having any time for them). The property is on an incline, so if you have trouble with stairs or upward walking, it'll be something to consider. There are longer ramped inclines if stairs are a problem for you. The cabins themselves are nothing fancy. Quaint and cozy, we had a fireplace in ours which was so luxurious to have! There were three beds in our little cabin and a tiny little kitchen area as well. The bathroom was rather basic, felt like a childhood sleep away camp bathroom. There is a lot of parking throughout, and areas for you to drive up to the top (for people who have cabins at the top so you don't have to lug your luggage all the way up the stairs). It was overall a lovely quaint stay at Westerberke!

beyond wonderful! well cared for, energized horses are super fun to ride. the vineyard trails are a…read moredream. we celebrated a fun ladies' birthday ride followed by lunch at Girl & the fig. doesn't get any better!

We had such a wonderful time horseback riding through Bartholomew Vineyards with Sonoma Valley…read moreTrail Rides! Skye was such a beautiful horse for our bride on our bachelorette trip, and we loved learning about the estate. The ladies took so many amazing photos and made the day so special. The wine at the end was a very fun treat! Would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a special activity while visiting Sonoma!

From the first moment I set foot at the barn, HoofBeats has revealed itself to be my dream place of…read morelove and safe self-development, where: - I can explore my language, love and flow with horses and become a better horse woman - all my self-development nots in turn come to the surface, where they meet Jenny's gentle and graceful coaching, thus getting channeled each time to a constructive learning outcome - my body started feeling good, in shape and useful - I found a family away from home - activities and interactions bring me to higher and greater clarity about my self, my life, my work and relationships. This is not a push-the-button riding school. It's a space of self-discovery through interaction with horses, from the ground and from the saddle, and its depth has brightened my life up like I didn't even know was possible. If you live in Sonoma County and you are looking for a safe place of exploration, this is THE place!

Jenny is amazing. She's overall a beauitful person inside and out. I received a equestrian guided…read moreeducation session as a gift, and it was amazing. Jenny's horses are all rescues and they all have a calm and easy going demeanor. I never worked with horses and got sppoked the first few times they initated contact with me. They are such gentle giants and by the end i am definitely now a fan of them! All the horses were great to work with and Jenny was awesome at giving guidance and feedback. Her passion in her work is immediate. I highly recommend attending one of jenny's sessions, she's one of the sweetest people I ever met. She's very generous and really created a personalized session to fit my needs. Overall I had a great time just being in her space and interacting with Jenny and the horses! She's a kind, compassionate and thoughtful teacher! There's something indescribable about being in the space, it's like for a second, nothing else matters besides being in that moment. Thank you Jenny!