Visiting Sonoma, United States: Top Sights on Foot

The best things to do in Sonoma include exploring Sonoma Plaza, visiting historic buildings and museums, and following the story of the Bear Flag Revolt. The town combines California history with a lively central gathering place and a strong regional art scene. Neywo has a free audio guide for Sonoma with 9 narrated places.

What to See in Sonoma

Sonoma Plaza

Sonoma Plaza is the central gathering place of Sonoma and a natural starting point for exploring the town. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, identified as the founder of Sonoma, laid out the broad plaza in 1835. That early plan shaped the historic space that remains one of the town’s defining landmarks.

The plaza also connects several important stories from Sonoma’s past, including the Bear Flag Revolt and the brief California Republic.

Mission San Francisco Solano

Mission San Francisco Solano was founded in 1823 and was the final Spanish mission built in California. It was also the only mission 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 ended California’s mission system. Its modest architecture and preservation history offer a different perspective from the more elaborate missions elsewhere in the state.

Sonoma Barracks

The Sonoma Barracks is a historic landmark and museum in the town’s historic center. It provides another way to explore Sonoma’s past and helps place the surrounding plaza and mission within the area’s broader history.

Bear Flag Monument

The Bear Flag Monument stands at Sonoma Plaza and commemorates the Bear Flag Revolt, also known as the Raising of the Bear Flag. Listed as a California Historical Landmark, the public artwork connects the plaza with one of the most important episodes in Sonoma’s history.

California Republic

Sonoma was at the center of the California Republic, also called the Bear Flag Republic. For less than a month in 1846, this small breakaway state claimed control of the surrounding area.

The episode began on June 14, 1846, when thirty-three American immigrants rebelled against the Mexican government in Alta California. Their complaints included restrictions on buying or renting land and threats of expulsion. The rebellion was secretly encouraged by United States Army Captain John C. Frémont.

The rebels raised a flag in Sonoma showing a California grizzly bear and a star. The words “California Republic” appeared only on that flag, expressing their ambition to create a republican government. Although the new republic never developed a civil government, its leaders elected military officers. On July 5, its force joined the California Battalion commanded by John C. Frémont. The flag later became the basis for California’s official state flag.

Blue Wing Inn

The Blue Wing Inn is one of California’s earliest hotels north of San Francisco. It began as a simple adobe residence after the first property transfer in the new Pueblo de Sonoma. Additional rooms were later added, transforming the building into an important local landmark.

The inn became particularly significant during the California Gold Rush. Miners traveling to and from the gold fields stayed there, as did United States Army soldiers stationed in Sonoma. After passing through many owners and uses, the property was purchased by the State of California in 1968. It is now being studied for its best use as part of Sonoma State Historic Park.

Vallejo Home, or Lachryma Montis

Vallejo Home, also known as Lachryma Montis, is one of the six sites that make up Sonoma State Historic Park. The historic house offers a glimpse into the life of General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a Californio military leader and landowner.

Vallejo began acquiring the land after returning from California’s constitutional convention in Monterey in 1849. He lived at the estate from 1852 until his death in 1890. The name Lachryma Montis means “mountain tear,” a rough Latin translation of Chiucuyem, the Native American name for the free-flowing spring on the property.

Depot Park Museum

Depot Park Museum explores the story of Sonoma Depot, a railway station in Sonoma, California. Its connection to the former depot makes it a useful stop for anyone interested in the town’s railway history and the role of rail travel in Sonoma’s development.

Sonoma Valley Museum of Art

The Sonoma Valley Museum of Art, also known as the SVMA, presents modern and contemporary art by regional, national and international artists. Founded in 1998, the museum connects Sonoma’s local art scene with wider artistic perspectives through its exhibitions.

Orange Lawn

Orange Lawn, also known as the Young Mansion, is a historic residence built in 1870 by Daniel and Maria Young. Its Italianate design makes it a notable example of nineteenth-century architecture in Sonoma.

The mansion was restored in 1996 and added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 9, 2008. These milestones reflect the effort to preserve the building as part of Sonoma’s architectural heritage.

Explore Sonoma with a Self-Guided Audio Tour

A Sonoma self-guided walking tour is an easy way to connect the town’s landmarks into one historical route. Neywo’s walking tour, The Bear Flag Trail: Sonoma’s Revolt, Rails and Vallejo’s Estate, covers 3.3 km in 87 minutes and includes 8 narrated stops: Vallejo Home, Depot Park Museum, Sonoma Plaza, Bear Flag Monument, California Republic, Blue Wing Inn, Sonoma Valley Museum of Art and Orange Lawn.

Neywo also offers a bike route, Vallejo’s Lachryma Montis to the Sonoma Depot by Bike. It covers 0.6 km in 3 minutes and includes 2 narrated stops: Vallejo Home and Depot Park Museum.

The app tells the story of each place as you reach it, at your own pace, with no group and no schedule. In total, Neywo offers 1 walking tour and 1 bike route in Sonoma, with narration available in 11 languages.

Download Neywo and Explore Sonoma at Your Own Pace

Download Neywo to explore Sonoma with its free audio guide and 9 narrated places. Choose the 3.3 km walking tour or the 0.6 km bike route, then let the app guide you from one landmark to the next as you arrive.

For more ideas across the region, discover California or continue exploring the United States.