Getaway with Mom 3-Day Itinerary

Healdsburg: Gourmet Tasting and Shopping

Healdsburg is a foodie haven and home to nearly 100 restaurants, ranging from haute to hamburgers. In the heart of Sonoma Wine Country, the town of Healdsburg also boasts dozens of wine tasting rooms, artisan bakeries, cheese shops, and confectioners.

Begin with a delicious breakfast at Costeaux French Bakery, a Healdsburg institution since 1923, celebrated for its artisan breads, fresh pastries, and scrumptious breakfasts. It’s a great spot to sip coffee before exploring.

Stretch your legs and hunt for treasures at the antique and thrift shops along Healdsburg Avenue. Venture to Modern Antiquarium. With more than 30 vendors, this stocked-to-the rafters antiques collective is a favorite of many of the Bay Area’s top home designers.

Save your appetite for Savor Healdsburg Food Tours — a culinary walking tour that combines sightseeing with plenty of eating and drinking.

Owner Tammy Gass leads a three-hour tour through downtown, featuring six restaurants and tasting rooms, each offering a selection of bites paired with drinks. That can mean excellent spots like Chef Mark Stark’s Bravas Bar de Tapas, which was recognized by Travel and Leisure magazine as one of the top 100 tapas restaurants in the U.S.

Browse the boutiques and art galleries around Healdsburg Plaza. The Hand Fan Museum, the only one of its kind in America, is a jewel-box-size shrine to some of the most breathtaking and historically significant fans in the world.

Have a rest and check into The Madrona, located just one mile from downtown Healdsburg. This historic showpiece, originally built in 1881, is a boutique hotel full of luxurious upgrades and artistic details. Classic hotel rooms and private bungalows spread over eight acres of lush grounds, featuring art collections and a seasonal saltwater pool.

At the Madrona, farm-fresh fare, including complimentary breakfast, is prepared with ingredients from the estate’s own gardens and served in the sunlit dining rooms, exclusive lounge, and lavish outdoor setting.

In the evening, you could dine at a favorite place you discovered on your Savor Healdsburg tour.

Cloverdale: Fresh Foods and Cooking Demonstrations

Rise and shine with a complimentary breakfast at The Madrona.

Then head for some fun and culinary treats at Relish Culinary Adventures, where talented chefs host hands-on and demonstration cooking experiences at the center and often at various locations throughout Sonoma Wine Country. These fun-filled activities feature seasonal, local ingredients, including olive oil, artisanal cheeses, North Coast seafood, farm-fresh produce, local meats, premium wines, handcrafted beers, and much more.

Speaking of fresh, local bounty, you and Mom can browse, sample, and purchase the very best wares at the Healdsburg Farmers Market. It’s a delicious stop to stock up on all sorts of good food for snacking on your trip and to bring home.

For the next bit of fun, head to Cloverdale, which is a charming arts town and a local secret. Rejuvenate with coffee at Plank Coffee, where you’ll find fresh-roasted coffee beans and house-made chai, alongside pastries and cupcakes baked daily. (There are tasty vegan and gluten-free treats here, too, like orange and Mexican-chocolate cakes.)

Next, head over and check into your hotel to relax. Cloverdale Wine County Inn & Suites is modern and comfortable with all the conveniences, like continental breakfast, and offers free tastings at Sonoma County wineries.

Wander downtown Cloverdale to work up an appetite for the World Famous Hamburger Ranch & BBQ. This classic Americana roadhouse serves hearty homemade chili, patty melts, and meatloaf, plus specialties like wood-fired smoked barbecue brisket and baby back ribs. 

Flowers, Gardens, and Wineries

Take Mom to some of the most artful winery gardens with this handy itinerary, and you can find more pretty places to stop along the way by checking the Sonoma County Wine Road.

Start with a rose for Mom, found at the Russian River Rose Company, where you can stop and smell more than 600 varieties, ranging from ancient strains to modern hybrids.

Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery is another must-see with a park-style garden spanning five acres, with more than 2,000 species of trees and shrubs, plus bridges, ponds dotted with lilies, and sculptures such as a life-size bronze of a girl dancing with a dove.

Champagne is another Mother’s Day must, and Korbel Champagne Cellars has you covered with its Méthode Champenoise sparkling wines. This legendary winery features in-depth tours of its historic champagne cellars and the elaborate rose garden that ends with a tasting.

You can get lunch at the Korbel Delicatessen & Market, with its patio seating amid the redwoods. Gourmet sandwiches celebrate Sonoma County flavors with artisan cheeses, local produce, and tasty prosciutto or tri-tip.

Toast Mom with a glass of champagne and look forward to getting away to Sonoma Wine Country again next Mother’s Day — or any time of the year!