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About Sonoma County

Wine, food, and nature lovers will find their paradise in welcoming, laid-back Sonoma County. Here the vineyard growers are fifth generation and the wines are as diverse as they are delicious. Made up of 16 wine regions that span 47 miles from north to south, Sonoma County grows a variety of grapes, including Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Zinfandel. Quaint farming towns dot the region—home to world-class restaurants and quirky shops—and 60 miles of pristine coastline and ancient redwood forests complete the picture. With so much to do and see, there’s a Sonoma County for everyone. 
-- From Explore Sonoma County website.

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XSiGHT

Venues TWE Curated Just for You

Sonoma County, a neighbor of Napa County, has its onw distictive personality. Evident in the rich agriculture soil, there is something down-to-earth (pun intended) about it. The region has roots deep in the history of California culture.  See our list of TWE venues in the Elopements page.

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Lilly & Lime Photography

TWE Top Picks of Must-See Venues in Sonoma County

We love an oakey red wine (Rick) and a sweet white (Jennifer) paired with Netflix at home, but, we also enjoy a weekend visit to these amazing Napa venues:
  • Viansa Winery | Sonoma
    33 acres of our estate vineyards and 97 acres of natural wetlands, which serve as home to variety of indigenous water fowl | Website
  • Gundlach-Bundschu Winery | Sonoma
    a unique combination of steep hillsides and cool valley floor sites, allowing us to grow a broad variety of wines at a very high-quality level | Website
  • Chateau St. Jean Winery | Kenwood
    conceived as a true fine wine estate in the European style, where wines from individual vineyards were kept separate to fully capture individual character of each site | Website
  • And plenty more! Here are beautiful wineries according to Wine Country.

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Wine Country Chocolates
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Jack London State Park
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Cedar Bath at Osmosis Day Spa

Our Perfect Trip to Sonoma Valley

​We head straight to downtown Sonoma for some Wine Country Chocolates to eat as we stroll through the shops around the plaza. Delicious early lunch at Maya is rounded out with some wine tasting at Three Sticks. A nap at our room at favorite Ramekins, is usually timed so that we are ready for a culinary class on site! Exquisite Portuguese tapas dinner at Tasca Tasca and if we can squeeze it in, a flight of sparkling at the bubbly bar, Sigh. And...all of this is within walking distance, so we never have to drive once we hit Sonoma!
 
Our second day is breakfast at the always chic El Dorado Kitchen, and then a drive to dreamy Glen Ellen for a hike at Jack London State Park. Tasting at our favorite Hamel Family Wines (call in advance!), and then some tasting at gorgeous Chateau St. Jean in Kenwood. We check in at Kenwood Inn & Spa for a massage and to stay the night. Dinner at Salt & Stone is a treat.
 
If we are adventurous, we head into what we call the "wild" part of the Sonoma Valley on our second day, and either hike around the beach at Bodega Bay, or at Goat's Head State Beach in Jenner where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. A trek to Korbel for some sparkling, or kayaking down the Russian River, ends with some pampering at the unique Osmosis Spa in Freestone and dinner and overnight at the lovely Farmhouse Inn in Occidental.
 
A third day is a trip up to Healdsburg, where we can spend the day shopping and tasting in downtown, and then head back down to one of our all-time favorite resorts, Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn for spa services, dinner at Sante and some rest. We head home the next day, but not before having brunch at HopMonk Tavern (beer, for a change!), and pick up some bottles of wine at Gundlach-Bundschu "GunBun".

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Fort Ross
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Sonoma Cheese
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Sonoma Breweries
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Healdsburg

And More Points of Interest

Hiking, Camping, Exploring
Safari West, Santa Rosa | www.safariwest.com
Jack London State Park, Glen Ellen | https://jacklondonpark.com/
Petaluma Adobe State Historic Park | https://www.sonomacounty.com/outdoor-activities/petaluma-adobe-state-historic-park
Fort Ross, Jenner | https://www.sonomacounty.com/outdoor-activities/fort-ross-state-historic-park
The Sea Ranch, Sea Ranch | https://www.sonomacounty.com/cities/sea-ranch
Sonoma Coast State Park | https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=451
 
Wineries and Breweries
Sonoma County Wineries | https://www.sonomacounty.com/activities/wineries-wine
Sonoma Breweries, Distilleries | https://www.sonomacounty.com/activities/breweries

Cheese
Sonoma Cheese | https://cheesetrail.org/

Museum
Museums in Sonoma County | https://www.sonomacounty.com/sonoma-listings/museum
 
Farmer's Markets
Santa Rosa | https://thesantarosafarmersmarket.com/
Bodega Bay | https://bodegabaycommunitycenter.org/farmers-market/
Healdsburg | http://www.healdsburgfarmersmarket.org/
Sonoma | https://www.sonomastuesdaynightmarket.com/
Petaluma | http://ilovefarmersmarkets.org/index.html
 
Car Racing
Sonoma Raceway | https://www.sonomaraceway.com/

About Napa County

Tan Weddings & Events understands the allure of the Napa Wine Country Region. There's romance in the air, scented with vineyards and grapes. You'll hear words like sauvignon blanc and terroir, and you are transported to someplace exotic. Then you'll taste an award-winning wine and wish you were a vintner yourself. But most of all, you'll fall in love. Yes, with the region. But if you are am engaged couple, you'll definitely be swept up by the notion of saying your "I do's" here!

We love the magic of Napa County so we've put together this page for your perusing pleasure to discover what Napa County is all about and entice you into choosing us for your elopement or wedding. See napavalley.com and visitnapavalley.com for more information.

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Holly D Photography

Venues TWE Curated Just for You

Gorgeous outdoor spaces of manicured lawns, courtyards, and patios with vineyard views - the perfect setting for an elopement or wedding. The venues we work with offer fabulous vistas, as well as other features like fine dining, accommodations, wine tasting, and a great staff to meet your needs. The towns of Angwin, Calistoga, Napa, and St. Helena boast award-winning vineyards and plenty of charm. If you are from out of state, or just a short jaunt away from the Bay Area, make Napa County your destination for a TWE elopement or wedding. See our list of TWE venues in the Elopements page.

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XSiGHT Media

TWE Top Picks of Must-See Venues in Napa County

We love an oakey red wine (Rick) and a sweet white (Jennifer) paired with Netflix at home, but, we also enjoy a weekend visit to these amazing Napa venues:
  • Castello di Amorosa | Calistoga
    the only authentic medieval (13th-century) Italian Tuscan castle and winery built in America, Italian artisans painted the frescoes, and hand-layed the castle stones shipped from Italy | Website
  • CIA at Greystone | St Helena
    built in the late 19th century and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, our impressive Greystone facility in St. Helena was once home to the Christian Brothers Winery | Website
  • Carneros Resort & Spa | Napa
    surrounded by rolling vineyards and picturesque countryside, it delivers a relaxed and luxurious quintessential Napa experience | Website
  • And plenty more! See a list of wineries and tasting rooms from visitnapavalley.com

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Castello di Amorosa
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Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
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Earth & Sky Confections
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Our Perfect Trip to Napa Valley

​Drive up in the morning, shop for spices & wine and then lunch (and often dessert!) at the many offerings at Oxbow Public Market. A stroll through downtown Napa, trip to visit the latest contemporary art at the Di Rosa, followed by a nap and dinner at Copia. Staying the night at Carneros Resort is always a treat, and we make it a priority to have at least one fabulous farm-to-table meal on site at The Farm and enjoy the spa services. 
 
Our second day, we trek up to St. Helena for wine tasting at one of the many hidden gems in Spring Mountain. Lunch at Farmstead is a steadfast favorite, followed by shopping along the main street. Dinner and a night's stay at Harvest Inn brings the old world European charm. 
 
Our third day, we wake up bright and early, because it is time to head to our favorite little corner of the valley -- Calistoga! Hiking at Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, puts us in the mood for lunch at our most favorite Sam's Social Club, a private wine tasting at Knightsbridge (call early to set this up!), a massage and mud bath at Golden Haven Hot Springs, and a well-deserved nap! Dinner is a treat at Solbar, followed by a stay at the historic, private, beautiful Brannan Cottage Inn.
 
Before heading home, we grab breakfast at Bella Bakery, visit shops along Lincoln Ave. grab some chocolates to take home for the kids from Earth & Sky, and grab some wines from W.H. Smith Wines. If we have a bit of extra time, we'll stop to have a late lunch at Brix in Napa https://www.brix.com/, or at Bottega at the Vintage Estate in Yountville.

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Napa Valley Wine Train
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Farmer's Market
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Las Alcobas
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Hiking in Napa

And More Points of Interest

Museums
Napa Valley Museum, Yountville | https://napavalleymuseum.org/
Di Rosa Contemporary Art Museuma, Napa | https://www.dirosaart.org/
Sharpsteen Museum, Calistoga | www.sharpsteenmuseum.org
 
 
Camping, Hiking, Biking
Bale Grist Mill State Historic Park, Napa | www.napaoutdoors.org 
Back Roads, Calistoga | www.backroads.com
Bothe-Napa State Park, Napa | www.napaoutdoors.org
Getaway Adventures, Calistoga | www.getawayadventures.com
Oat Hill Mine Trail, Calistoga | www.summitpost.org/oat-hill-mine-road
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, Calistoga | www.napavalleystateparks.org
Petrified Forest, Calistoga | www.petrifiedforest.org
Old Faithful Geyser, Calistoga | www.oldfaithfulgeyser.com
 
Farmer's Markets
Calistoga | www.calistogafarmersmarket.org
Napa | https://napafarmersmarket.org/
St. Helena | http://www.sthelenafarmersmkt.org/
Farmstead, St. Helena | https://www.longmeadowranch.com/things-to-do/farmers-market
 
Napa Valley Breweries & Distilleries | https://www.visitnapavalley.com/things-to-do/breweries-distilleries/
 
Napa Valley Restaurants | https://www.visitnapavalley.com/restaurants/
 
Spas
Spa Terra at Meritage, Napa | https://meritagecollection.com/meritage-resort/spa
Indian Springs Spa, Calistoga | https://www.indianspringscalistoga.com/spa-overview
Solage, Calistoga | https://aubergeresorts.com/solage/wellness/spa/
Atrio Spa at Las Alcobas, St. Helena | https://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/sfola-las-alcobas-a-luxury-collection-hotel-napa-valley/
Bardessono, Yountville | https://www.bardessono.com/
 
Castle Tour
Castello di Amarosa, Calistoga | www.castellodiamorosa.com
 
Car Racing
Calistoga Speedway, Calistoga | www.calistogaspeedway.org
 
Wine Train
Napa Valley Wine Train | www.winetrain.com
 
Aerial Tram
Sterling Vineyards, Calistoga | www.sterlingvineyards.com
 
Hot Air Balloons
Calistoga Balloons, Calistoga | www.calistogaballoons.com
Napa Valley Aloft, Yountville | www.nvaloft.com
Header Photo | XSiGHT Photography
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