Sonoma County's largest city – its urban heart – is usually only a stopover for visitors who need to travel on and explore wine country. But Santa Rosa has gained prominence in recent times as a destination in its own right, a city with walkable neighborhoods and lots of exciting recent restaurants and other places to go to.
If you're planning a weekend getaway, your start line is a no brainer: Flamingo Resort & Spa, the recently revitalized historic motel inbuilt 1957. The refresh of this mid-century mod motel has breathed recent life into this family-friendly, budget-friendly property, with barely enough retro cool mixed with modern upgrades to spice things up.
The pool at the middle of the property, from which a series of rooms fan out like a blooming flower, is the middle of the motion. The large shallow a part of the pool is a splashy play zone for the little ones. Adult lounge chairs surround the deeper part, which is conveniently positioned near the small bar cart that gives glasses of ice-cold watermelon frosé and spicy Angry Bird margaritas ($13). And the Wild Bird pool menu offers casual fare starting from strawberry spinach salad and buttermilk fried chicken to quesadillas for youths.
Meanwhile, the breakfast, lunch and dinner menus on the resort are Lazeaway Club is just adventurous enough to intrigue adults and keep kids comfortable, too. Think fried Brussels sprouts ($10) with toasted coconut, spicy chicken bao ($15) and kalua pork sliders — and mac and cheese, too. And for brunch, try the gochujang-spiced baked eggs ($19), served in a large cast-iron skillet.
Summertime at The Flamingo brings Sunday sessions by the pool, with live DJ parties every Sunday afternoon through the tip of September featuring Mark Farina, Avi Snow, Truthlive and more. Inside, between the airy lobby and the restaurant, is the resort's nightly music venue, Vintage room. The lounge just began a rustic music night – called “Space Cowboy!” – on the primary Friday of the month featuring local country-rock musician Dustin Saylor and line dancing lessons.
A fun strategy to explore town with the entire family is a city-wide scavenger hunt on the theme of “Art, Wine and Redwoods in Santa Rosa” with Let's roam. The hunt is guided through an app and takes you to parts of town that supply a wide range of sights, historical sites and quirky places filled with trivia, with challenges that you should solve as a team.
Many of the stops are near areas you'll need to explore anyway, resembling the South A Street Art District, referred to as downtown's SOFA district, which is home to the best concentration of art studios in Sonoma County. Depending on how much time you will have, there's also a terrific place to refuel nearby. Chef Liza Hinman opened the very fashionable dinner-only Spinster Sisters in 2012 and recently opened Marigolda pop-up lunch spot with chicken sandwiches, seasonal salads and drinks like blackberry lemonade.
Check out before or after the hunt or in the course of it at Russian river brewing for a pint of Pliny or to sample your way through the range. Opt for the entire tasting board experience and sample 2-ounce servings of Californian and Belgian-inspired beers.
Whatever you do, don't miss town's Historic Railroad Square, with a 1904-built depot, train connections and all forms of attractions. Santa Rosa was home to cartoonist Charles M. Schulz for greater than 30 years, and all around the city—but especially here—you'll find sculptures paying homage to his unforgettable Peanuts characters. Find Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy and more in Railroad Square, then browse the boutiques, restaurants and antique shops that populate this historic district.
Duck in Goblin Brothers Game store for board games, cards, role playing games and all types of numbered dice you would like. Go to Cast Away Yarn Shop for colourful skeins and other knitting and crochet supplies, craft kits, and gifts starting from felt strawberries to yarn tarot. Yes, tarot—so that you, too, can foresee the magical with cards depicting the Queen of Wands with a crochet hook and the Hermit with a ball of golden yarn.
You've been on the road for some time now, so go to Grossman's Noshery & Barright across from the train station. This traditional New York deli concept is all about big doses of nostalgia, from the mile-high pastrami sandwiches ($17) on house-made rye bread to your entire “Bubbies Favorites” section of the menu. They also offer delicious Mediterranean dishes here, including a rainbow-colored Sabich Board ($22) with falafel, perfectly fried eggplant, quinoa tabbouleh, and all of the dips and tender pita you possibly can want. And the bar is intriguing, with its house-distilled vodkas.
Terri and Mark Stark Grossman's opened in March 2020, just as lockdown began, however the place has done well – we obviously needed comfort food then and we still need it now. It's one among eight popular restaurants operated by the couple's Stark Reality restaurant group in Santa Rosa and Healdsburg. The list also includes Bird & the Bottle, Willi's and Augie's French, which opened last fall.
Another excellent spot to stop for a bite – or a treat – is Amy Brown and Joe Wolf's Marla Bakery. The bakery first opened in San Francisco, where it gained a big following, but closed in 2019. Late last yr, it reopened within the historic Railroad District. Be sure to try their famous crebble ($5.50), a twisted, knotted croissant with maple sugar and sea salt, in addition to their massive sandwiches. Friday nights feature fried chicken ($28), and Sundays feature a dinner series featuring local winemakers, guest chefs, and special menus served of their chic, modern setting.
And if you happen to fancy a correct pint, head to The Goose and the Fern. The pub atmosphere, with dark wood, green partitions and appropriately sized pint glasses, transports you across the pond. The menu of classic English pub fare is topped off with tantalizing fish and chips ($24), said to be one of the best on the town, and a blinding wine list.
When you go
Flamingo Resort & Spa: Rooms start at $237. The hotel is positioned at 2777 Fourth St. in Santa Rosa. www.flamingoresort.comCheck out the Lazeaway Club menu at https://lazeawayclub.com and the Vintage Space program at https://vintagespacesr.com.
Let’s roam: This 90-minute, 1.40-mile scavenger hunt in Santa Rosa costs $13 per person. www.letsroam.com.
The Old Maid Sisters: Open Tuesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., with a pop-up lunch to-go, Marigold, open Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:45 p.m., 401 S. A St.; thespinstersisters.com.
Russian river brewing: Open day by day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., 725 Fourth St.; www.russianriverbrewing.com.
Goblin Bros. Games and Equipment: Opens at 11 a.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. weekends at 129 Fourth St.; https://goblinbros.com.
Yarn Shop Cast Away: Open Wednesday through Monday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., 100 Fourth St.; https://castawayyarnshop.com.
Grossman’s: Open day by day 8 a.m. to eight p.m., 308 Wilson St.; https://grossmanssr.com.
Marla Bakery: Opens Thursday through Sunday at 8 a.m. at 208 Davis St.; www.marlabakery.com
The Goose and the Fern: Open 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. or later Wednesday through Sunday, 116 Fifth St.; https://thegooseandfern.com.
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