Geyserville: Lake Sonoma; things to do

101 North 

Lake Sonoma  

3333 Skaggs Springs Rd., (707) 433-9483.  Free.

 

Scenic Lake Sonoma hosts all manner of water activities--fishing, boating, water-skiing, swimming.  Everything from a canoe to a patio boat or houseboat can be rented from the Lake Sonoma Resort.  Campsites are available. 

The Milt Brandt Visitors Center displays the area's wildlife and provides a self-guided tour through the Congressman Don Clausen Fish Hatchery.  When the steelhead trout and salmon run here, usually from November through April, they can be observed using a man-made fish ladder. 


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images courtesy of venues

Geyserville: Locals Tasting Room; things to do

101 North 

Locals Tasting Room  

21023 Geyserville Ave., (707) 857-4900.  Daily 11-6.  Free. 

Locals Tasting Room lets you taste a flight of delicious wines from ten small-production artisan wineries that are not distributed through retail outlets or restaurants.


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Geyserville: The Hope-Merrill Bed & Breakfast Inn; hotel review

101 North 

The Hope-Merrill Bed & Breakfast Inn 

21253 Geyserville Ave., (800) 825-4233, (707) 857-3356.  12 rooms; $$-$$$.  Some TVs; some gas fireplaces.  Heated pool (seasonal).  Full breakfast.  No pets. 

The solid redwood 1870 Eastlake Stick Victorian Hope-Merrill house is restored exquisitely to that period with antique Eastlake furnishings and authentic Bradbury & Bradbury silk-screened wallpapers.  In fact, the original owner's restoration efforts won a first place award from the National Trust for Historic Preservation. 

Should this lovely inn be booked, opt for the charming Queen Anne Victorian Hope-Bosworth house located across the street.  Under the same ownership, these two houses share communal facilities.  When the temperature permits, a dip in the attractively situated pool is sublime, and in the morning a full breakfast is served around one large table in the formal dining room. 

Guests at either house can order a gourmet picnic lunch for two featuring local foods.  A two-part “Pick and Press” package is offered for wannabe winemakers.  Participants check in at harvest time in September for a round of grape picking and pressing, plus, of course, some tasting and dining.  They return in spring for a bottling and labeling session, plus, of course, more tasting and dining, and then depart with two cases of their own wine sporting personalized labels. 


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Geyserville: Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria; restaurant review

101 North

Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria  

21021 Geyserville Ave., (707) 814-0111. $$. 

Delicious treats—including spectacular housemade breadsticks--await within this rustic, brick-walled vintage building that is home to Diavola Pizzeria & Salumeria. The space is deep and features two large spaces with a tin ceiling. Superb thin-crust pizza is tossed in an open kitchen in back beside a wood-fired oven (varieties include the basic tame Margherita as well as the spicy Inferno), and charcuterie is housemade (to sample, try the antipasta plate). Lunch selections include salads and panini, and pastas are always an option. Specials sometimes include surprises such as full-flavored Moroccan chicken meatballs with spinach, carrots, apricots, and barley. Several beers and Peterson Dego Red wine are on tap.


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image ©2011 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Geyserville: Isis Oasis Sanctuary; things to do + hotel review + restaurant review

101 North

Isis Oasis Sanctuary  

20889 Geyserville Ave., (800) 679-7387, (707) 857-4747. Tours by appt.

Named for and dedicated to the Egyptian goddess of nature and fertility, the unusual  Isis Oasis Sanctuary nonprofit retreat center hosts theatre, poetry, and spiritual events “aimed at bridging the gap between the modern world and ancient Egypt.” The 10-acre property is on what was once a Pomo Indian ceremonial grounds and is home to waterfalls, a 500-year-old designated heritage fir tree, and a pond that is holds both black and white swans. Visitors can tour an aviary of exotic birds and a vivarium of insects and small reptiles. Owner Loreon Vigné moved here after San Francisco outlawed the breeding of wild cats within city limits. Here she breeds exotic felines, including ocelots (she is the only breeder known to reach a 7th generation) and bobcats, and her menagerie currently includes ocelots, bobcats and serval cats. A Sacred Sunday Salon program begins at 2 p.m.

Unusual lodgings (Some shared baths; $50-$100 donation. Pool, sauna, hot tub. Full breakfast.) include three canvas yurts, one converted wine barrel, a tepee, and a 2-story obelisk, as well as cabins and 12 lodge rooms--each of which is named and decorated for a different Egyptian goddess.

Mummy’s Kitchen serves Egyptian Asian fusion cuisine ((707) 921-8423. D F-Sat, L Sun; $-$$.). Menu items include Egyptian Mummy Wraps, Pad Thai with tofu or chicken, and Egyptian stew with cous cous.


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image ©2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers  

Geyserville: Bosworth & Son General Merchandise; things to do

101 North

Bosworth & Son General Merchandise  

21060 Geyserville Ave., (707) 857-3471. Daily from 10am.

boots and jeans at Bosworth & Son General Merchandise in Geyserville, California

Obed Bosworth established this general store in 1911, and now his son, Harry Bosworth, carries on the family tradition with his dog, Willie, who plops on the old wood floors wherever he pleases. The Bosworth & Son General Merchandise store sells everything from cowboy wear to heritage seeds to food and wine to burial plots (in addition to being president of the town’s historical society, Harry takes care of nearby Olive Hill Cemetery).

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image ©2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Geyserville: Meeker Winery; things to do

101 North

The Meeker Vineyard

21035 Geyserville Ave., (707) 431-2148. Tasting daily 10:30-6.

Mrs. Meeker displays a bottle of wine at Meeker Winery in Geyserville, California

Charlie Meeker used to be in The Biz in L.A. (as an attorney, then as a film producer, and later as a studio executive and president of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer), so his winemaking career then was confined to many, many weekend and holiday trips. Finally, in 1999, he and his actress wife, moved here to make wine full time. The Meeker Winery tasting room is inside the town’s 1903 former bank building, and the sampling occurs at a wine bar made from a single slab from a fallen oak. The signature wine is “Handprint Merlot,” called that because the bottle has an actual handprint from one of the winemakers. They say they spend 50 days each year dipping their hands in paint and imprinting them on a total of 16,000 bottles of wine (and spend $40,000 for the paint!). No two of the trippy bottles are exactly alike, and yellow and orange indicates Charlie did it. Oh yeah, and the wine is darn good, too.


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image ©2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Geyserville: Route 128 Winery; things to do

101 North

Route 128 Winery  

21079 Geyserville Ave., (707) 696-0004. Tasting Thur-Sun 11-6.

Today, in what was once the parts department for one Ford Motor Company’s first distributorships, the family-operated Route 128 Winery pours a pleasant Viognier, an intense Syrah, and a delicious PeLu Rouge blend. Because it is a small production estate winery, most of the bottles are sold here at the tasting room. “Keep it small. Keep it simple.” is the motto.


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image ©2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Geyserville: Geyserville Inn + Hoffman House Restaurant; hotel review + restaurant review

101 North

Geyserville Inn  

21714 Geyserville Ave., 1 mi. N of town, (877) 857-4343, (707) 857-4343. 40 rooms + 1 cottage. Some gas fireplaces. Solar-heated pool; hot tub.

A step up from the standard motel, the Geyserville Inn has spacious grounds abutting vineyards. Most rooms have a terrace or balcony.

Hoffman House Restaurant

next door, (707) 857-3264. B-L daily, D (seasonal) F-Sat; $$. 

The Hoffman House Restaurant operates next door within a 19th-century house. It offers inviting patio dining and is a convenient choice for breakfast.


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images ©2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers

Geyserville: Francis Ford Coppola Winery + RUSTIC restaurant; things to do + restaurant review

101 North

Francis Ford Coppola Winery  

300 Via Archimedes, at Independence Lane exit off Hwy. 101, (877) 590-3329, (707) 857-1400; . Tasting daily 11-6; tour daily at 11, 1, 3.

Tucked into a vineyard-covered hill and featuring distinctive towers reminiscent of the area’s once-common hop kilns, the Francis Ford Coppola Winery is currently undergoing renovation.  Tasting consists of a flight of three of the same varietal served with complementary food bites. A favorite to look for is the flagship Archimedes Cabernet Sauvignon made with some of the estate grapes seen growing out front.  Director Coppola’s five Oscars and one of two Tucker automobiles he owns are on display. The tour is given along a skywalk overlooking the production facility.

RUSTIC 

Daily 11-9.

RUSTIC restaurant is all about Coppola remembering what he ate as a child. His personal favorites are on the mneu, including a flavorful Florentine steak made in the dining room’s Argentianian parrilla oven (one of only a few in the U.S.) and a succulent Mrs. Scorsese’s Lemon Chicken (yes, that Scorsese). Crispy thin-crust pizza that rivals NYC’s best and charming and tasty bumblebee pasta (bumbola con broccoli e salsiccia) are also winners. The emphasis is on family-style cooking that features fresh, seasonal ingredients sourced from the property’s organic herb and produce garden. An extensive collection of olive oil tins bring charm to the large open dining room; patio dining overlooking vineyards is also available.

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video ©2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers 

Geyserville: Catelli's; restaurant review

101 North

Catelli’s 

21047 Geyserville Ave. /Hwy. 128, (707) 857-3471. L-D M-Sat; $$-$$$. 

Opened originally in this 1902 building by the present owners’ grandparents, then moved to Santa Rosa, and now repurchased and brought back again to its original site, the long-time Catelli's Italian restaurant serves updated traditional fare. Granddaughter Domenica is the chef (she once worked for Oprah! and is the author of the Mom-a-licious cookbook) and grandson Nicholas does the other stuff. Don’t miss the signature thin-rolled ravioli, either with a garlicky butter sauce or a tangy red meat sauce. Nonnie’s minestrone, a meatball sandwich, and a portabello burger are also options.


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image ©2010 Carole Terwilliger Meyers