Updating my review since the venue change to the Sonoma County Fairgrounds: as I mentioned I have…read morebeen attending this event every year since 2011! I really like the larger Sonoma County Fairgrounds space (and appreciate that parking is included), which is airy and has plenty of room for all of the vendors. I bring my own plate and stemmed wine glass every year so I can quickly pile up the cheese and enjoy it while walking around planning what I want to try next. All of the vendors are so kind and truly enjoy talking about their products. Some of my favorite cheese vendors are Beehive, Laura Chenel, and Marin French. Some of my favorite alcohol vendors are Barber Lee, Griffo Distillery, and Gowan Cider. This year I was excited that my favorite ice cream place De la Creamery was there, and I loved pairing my Mexican Chocolate ice cream with bourbon from Barber Lee.

I love cheese..... love it ... love it .... Love it ... When…read moreI saw this festival happening I made a plan to visit from LA with my husband. He loves cheese as well so we thought to make it a weekend trip to Sonoma and Santa Rosa and attend these events. The food pairing with wine at Kendal Jackson was amazing, the cheese crawl was somewhat enjoyable at the Barlow but the marketplace on Sunday was a disaster. For over an hourwe were there the lines at the cheese stations were packed. You couldn't move around or enjoy anything cause there were so many people. To have a tiny slice of cheese you had to wait at least 10 mins in line. One line after another.... Most places didn't offer any crackers or bread so imagine eating pieces of cheese without any pairings. After a few stops I was feeling nausea already. I couldn't enjoy anything so my husband and I left very disappointed. I did purchase a few cheeses, jams, honey and spices. Probably that was the best part about this event. Maybe I had very high expectations reading about the festival and getting too excited for it. But seriously it was not worth taking a trip from LA. At least we were able to enjoy our time at the wineries and a short hike at Armstrong Redwood Park.

I love fair season! The Sonoma County Fair is super nostalgic for me. I went on the last day and it…read morewas packed, almost too crowded, but we still had a great time. I went on four rides, had some really good food, and of course got a funnel cake. The only downside is having to pay for both admission and rides, which feels like a bit much compared to other fairs. But overall it was a fun time.

Had alot of fun walking around. Eating Amazing food, great beer and the hall of flowers was off…read morethe charts Great, I got my lady friend some stuff that she fell in love with..I got a gray fedora hat. Please go one time this Year..

Unfortunately, I couldn't drink because I was the DD (by default because my medicine affects my…read moreliver).. But I had such a great time! Seeing all the animals were fun, especially the llamas! And I loved all the food booths. There was regular fair food like corn dogs, but there was also an Indian food booth and a Greek food booth. The grape stomp was hilarious to watch! And the cooking demonstrations were great too (I went to one where you could make pizza.. and well.. being at the end of the line sucks because all the toppings were gone). But the creme de la creme of course was the massive amount of vineyards representing! I wish there were as many restaurants/caterers representing. The food tasting were scarce, but that just meant seconds for me. http://sexydishes.blogspot.com/2011/10/its-okay-to-wine.html

Attention people with big feet, this is the event for you. They have a Wine Stomp contest. Kick off…read moreyour shoes and dance in the ooze. Yee Haw. Nothing like wine just made by someone stomping on the grapes with their bare feet, especially with a hint of fresh toe jam. And they got Honey tasting. No, not what you are thinking. Honey from Bee's. Good event for a Foodie. Winos will love it too. If you decide to compete in the Wine Stomp, please wash your feet first. Unfortunately a lot of the fun stuff they used to have here they no longer do. Beware, the good wines go fast. Some people come here and really belt the booze down. Parking costs $8.00 Gate Admission: $5.00 or FREE w/ 4 non-perishable food items for the Redwood Empire Food Bank. Runs from Oct 3-5

This is the 124th Luther Burbank Rose Parade. The parade route has changed since the last time I…read morewent. It's centered around the new Courthouse Square on 3rd and 4th Streets. I was on the 4th street side and since it's a wider street than 3rd, the Santa Rosa Motorcycle unit was able to perform their trick maneuvers. The parade included local elementary, middle school, and high school bands. The band that came the furthest was Compton High School from southern California. Compton HS band was led by 3 drum majors with the band in full uniform and team of cheerleaders. There were too many floats and participant groups to name here. There were a few long "gaps" in the parade where people thought the parade was over. I was one of them, so I walked over to courthouse square looking for something to eat. There were plenty of food vendors including Thai, Greek, hot dogs, specialty sausages, and more. I walked over to the 3rd street side of the parade discovered Ted Williams of KZST radio was the parade announcer underneath their own tent booth. He did a great job in announcing the parade groups and I found out the parade wasn't over as there was a huge gap. So next year, I'm setting up a portable chair with drinks on the 3rd street side near the KZST booth. It's a parade worth attending!

We went to the 119th Annual Luther Burbank Rose Parade & Festival on Saturday, 5/18/13. It was my…read morefirst time hearing of it, it's one of the oldest & largest event of its kind in Northern Calif. Parade theme this year 2013 was "Surf 'N Safari" so lots of Hawaiian shirts, Hawaiian hats, surf boards & animal balloons. The grand marshall was The Campions. Lots of marching bands, local businesses, local banks, local schools & local politicans & clowns. Parking: city parking garage on 1st & B; 5th & Beaver; and 7th between Mendocino & B St. Plenty of portable bathrooms available. Juilliard Park was where the festival part after the parade was held. We walked in the park & saw the famous church that was made out of One Redwood Tree! Supposedly featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not. The park is located on Santa Rosa Ave across the street from the historic Luther Burbank Home & Gardens.

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.

Ive been here a total 3x and its been a great experience. Id totally recommend coming here for the…read moreexperience and knowledge. Such little cuties there

Another year, another gorgeous tree from Mark's. Such a wholesome, reliable and heartwarming…read morebusiness. Loyal to noble firs and Mark's forever!

Great tree selection and best service around. They have cute decor to purchase free candy canes and…read moreapple cider.

Four people and we all got what we each wanted. Food trucks all took cards for payments. Paella was…read morebomb anello family seafood had a killer crab Louie for a good price.