Things To Do In Sonoma

Maxwell Fun Center gathers families together for hours of memory-making fun on a picturesque 18-hole course. The miniature greens evoke a sense of local pride, featuring shrink-rayed townsfolk bustling amid lifelike replicas of Sonoma's historical mission and city hall. Though today's Groupon is only valid for golfing, putters can celebrate a successful outing with a tasty ice cream at Maxwell Fun Center's snack bar or regain lost mojo after an astronomically high stroke count by heading to the nearby arcade to play skee-ball and air hockey or flirt outrageously with Ms. Pac-Man.

Benziger Family Winery hosts daily tram tours that depart on the half-hour from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with the exception of noon. Imagery Estate Winery hosts tastings Monday–Friday from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

With machines set up in rows to encourage competition, many ordinary gyms cater to men's bodies and psychology, right down to the urinals that were "accidentally" installed in the women's locker room. At Curves, you'll move around a circuit that positions machines inward so that you'll have a chance to laugh with your fellow fitness frontierswomen while raising your heart rate and burning calories with a complete aerobic and strength-training workout. Hydraulic resistance machines are designed to work with women's bodies and promote weight loss, protect against osteoporosis, and deal with arthritis. An experienced trainer is always nearby to help manage your machine manoeuvring and your muscle making. Instead of fiddling with weight stacks and losing your momentum, the hydraulic machines use your body weight and fitness level to create resistance that matches your abilities, decreasing the risk of soreness or injury. Because traditional lift-and-lower motions create bulky muscles, each machine uses push-and-pull motions to create toned, lean muscles perfect for crushing a grapefruit without looking like you can.

Located in Napa Valley, Honig Vineyard & Winery produces flavorsome sauvignon blancs and cabernet sauvignons that can be found on restaurant wine lists across the country. Visitors to the winery’s fancy tasting room have the chance to sample five of Honig’s delicious wines. Sommeliers and thirsty Langoliers can sniff, taste, and carefully dissect the potable properties of the Rutherford sauvignon blanc, a 2008 vintage that starts fruity and ends with a crisp, minerally finish, as well as the 2006 Honig cabernet sauvignon, which features blackberry, cherry, and plum flavors developed over 18 months in an American oak barrel, just like old-timey cowboy hobos. The remaining three samples include the 2008 Honig Late Harvest sauvignon blanc—a refreshing dessert wine aged in new French oak barrels with lemony and grapefruity hints—Honig’s single vineyard cab, and a library selection.

Eagles Trace's vintage-producing veterans lead parties of up to eight connoisseurs into the depths of their winery, housed within the stone-hewn walls of an underground cave. During the 90- to 120-minute tour, guests taste up to four varieties from the collection, swirling and sniffing their sample before determining whether they got the merlot, the cabernet sauvignon, or cough syrup. Groups then enter into the caves to taste one of the winery's creations straight from the barrel, where it is kept at a constant 60 degrees–62 degrees by the cool subterranean air. At the tour's conclusion, visitors adopt their favorite bottle to take home, such as the cuddly 2005 Latitude 38, a bordeaux-style blend that is house-trained and boasts flavors of blackberries, black currant, and plums.

Sonoma Pedicab's able-bodied cabbies employ eco-friendly leg power to chauffeur wine-enthused tourists through Sonoma's picturesque wine country. Departing from Sonoma City Hall, drivers propel vineyard-hopping guests through wine country, overflowing irises with views of rolling mountains and lush, green tree branches heavy with round, succulent marbles. Taste buds explore the aromas and flavors of local varietals, and a smorgasbord of cheese and chocolate keeps palates cleansed and appetites quenched during tours. As cabbies conquer miles of arresting landscapes, the pedicab's awning keeps rogue sunrays from hijacking sensitive oculars, and reflectors, shock-absorbent seating, and hydraulic brakes keep guests as safe and comfortable as an oyster slumbering in a Kevlar shell.