Essential Sonoma Travel Guide: What to See & Do

Sonoma is known for vineyard views and relaxed tasting rooms, but its appeal extends well beyond wine. In this Northern California destination, history remains woven into the town’s streets, buildings, and traditions.

Sonoma Plaza: The Historic Heart of the Town

Sonoma grew around Sonoma Plaza, a spacious historic center established in 1835 by Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo beside Mission San Francisco Solano. Today, the plaza continues to shape the town’s identity. It is surrounded by heritage buildings, restaurants, galleries, and local gathering places.

The plaza’s design reflects Sonoma’s early role as a Mexican outpost in Alta California, making it an important place to begin exploring the town’s history and character.

Mission San Francisco Solano

Mission San Francisco Solano adds another distinctive chapter to Sonoma’s past. Founded in 1823, it was the final Spanish mission built in California and the only one established after Mexico achieved independence from Spain.

The mission was created partly to strengthen Mexico’s northern presence amid concerns about Russian expansion. It operated for just over a decade, until secularization brought California’s mission system to an end.

Although its modest architecture contrasts with the more elaborate structures found elsewhere in the state, the mission remains historically significant. Inside, visitors can learn about the building’s changing condition and the preservation efforts that helped protect California’s mission heritage. Historic illustrations showing the missions in poor repair also helped inspire wider interest in their restoration.

Things to Do in Sonoma’s Historic Center

For travelers researching things to do in Sonoma or the best places to visit in Sonoma, Sonoma Plaza and Mission San Francisco Solano offer an ideal introduction. Together, they reveal a destination where wine-country lifestyle, Mexican-era history, and community life come together naturally.

Exploring Sonoma means experiencing not only its celebrated landscapes but also the enduring story at the heart of the town.