A Perfect Weekend Getaway in Guerneville
Guerneville is an adorable town in northern California, on the banks of the Russian River, nestled between valley wineries and the pacific coast. Less than two hours north of San Francisco, it is a perfect weekend trip from the Bay Area to enjoy river activities, beautiful hikes, wineries, and more!
Getting to Guerneville:
We drove from South Bay up to Guerneville, a took a detour through Sebastopol. You can really only get here driving, so that’s what I recommend. If you’re flying in, either SFO or OAK would be your closest airport.
Road Trip Stops:
The drive to Guerneville goes through some beautiful wine country! We took a stop at Russian River Vineyards for lunch and a wine tasting. They had delicious food, good wine, and a cute outdoor seating area. We really enjoyed this stop!
Sebastopol is a small detour, but worth a stop if you need a bite to eat or a drink. The town has a huge collection of restaurants and bars that share an outdoor seating area. We got ciders at Golden State Cider, which as a gluten free girlie, is one of my all time favorites! We also had sandwiches from The Farmer’s Wife, which was good but very expensive for a sandwich. Then we finished the stop with ice cream from Two Dog Night Creamery.
Day One
Arriving in Guerneville:
We drove up on a Friday afternoon for our weekend in Guerneville. We enjoyed a road trip stop at Russian River Vineyards and then went to check in at our Airbnb. We stayed at this super cute little cabin near the Rio Nido Lodge. The cabin is not really secluded, its right next to the lodge, so you can see other guests and cars driving by, but it’s still a quiet and relaxing little spot.
The cabin is so cute and cozy. Definitely best for just two people. The bed is in a loft where you have to pull the ladder out of the ceiling, but it makes for a cozy little nook. We were also obsessed with the little hot tubs and complimentary robes.
For another option if you are more than two people, we LOVED this VRBO in Occidental. It is a little further from Guerneville, but this place was amazing!
Grab a bite:
Guerneville is a tiny town with only a handful of restaurants, but there are some really good options. We waited about 30 minutes to eat at boon eat + drink. This place was delicious and we’d definitely go back! It’s the most upscale place in the area, but still reasonably priced.
Day Two
Try Oprah’s Favorite Biscuits:
Start your day by heading over to Piknik Town market to grab the famous biscuit that Oprah had on her “Favorite Things” list! The cafe is in a cute little store where you can pick up other snacks or souvenirs.
Get Lost in the Woods:
Next, head to Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve to explore the beautiful redwoods. There are really nice hikes in the redwood groves to explore the forest. We entered the park at the main entrance and drove to the back parking lot to hike from there. We did the perfect hike where we followed the ridge trail from the back parking lot to the front one, then took the nature trail back. It was about a 3 mile loop with ~1,000 feet elevation gain.
Wine Tasting:
The first time we visited, we tried Korbel winery. We honestly don’t like Korbel wine, but it’s fun to check out this household name wine brand. We just did a walk in tasting and tried their whole collection of sparkling wines for $25 each. The highlight of the visit was a stop at their Delicatessen and Market where we picked up sandwiches to bring back to the cabin. They even had gluten free bread!
For a much BETTER option – I highly recommend Moshin Vineyards. We had a lovely tasting here and they even let us bring our own little charcuterie (not full lunch, just snacks). The wine was wonderful and the service was great. I’d highly recommend this spot!
Relax at the cabin:
The whole point for this weekend getaway for us was to relax, so we wanted to spend the afternoon doing just that! Both the Airbnb and the VRBO had a little gas fire table, so we ate our sandwiches by the fire, read our books, and then enjoyed the hot tub.
Dinner in Town or at the Coast:
If you feel like staying close, you can head to the main drag in Guerneville and grab tacos and margaritas at El Barrio. We had some delicious pork belly and chicken tinga tacos, accompanied by unique mezcal drinks.
If you’re feeling up for some adventure, head to the Jenner Headlands to watch the sunset over the sea. This was a great way to end the afternoon and then we headed to River’s End Restaurant for dinner with a stunning view.
End with a Sweet Treat:
We ended our day by walking down from El Barrio to Nimble and Finn’s for ice cream. This unique ice cream shop is in a converted bank that now sells delicious homemade ice cream!
Day Three
Slow Morning:
We started the day with a slow morning at the cabin, enjoying the hot tub one last time before checking out.
Coffee and Breakfast:
We drove a little out of our way to Lightwave Coffee and Kitchen to enjoy breakfast at this eclectic indoor/outdoor cafe. After our breakfast and coffee, we walked along the river for our last couple hours in Guerneville.
Porter Bass Winery:
One of the highlights of the weekend was our stop at Porter Bass Winery. We made a tasting reservation online and drove up to this beautiful Italian countryside-like estate. There are no signs or anything so for a minute we thought we were lost, but then a nice woman came out of the house to greet us and start the tasting. It was just a rickety picnic table with an outstanding view, but I loved the rustic no-frills vibe! The wines were great and the tasting was so casual and personal. I’d highly recommend a stop here!
