Sip, Stay, and Give Back: A Kind Traveler's Guide to Sonoma County

Each of the hotels donates to one of three local charities. Farm to Pantry is based in Healdsburg, and they are helping to address the fact that 1 in 4 people in Sonoma County face food insecurity and that a lot of food is going to waste. What’s particularly great about this charity is that Sonoma County visitors (or anyone!) can sign up to help with gleaning; it takes about three hours, and you’ll be helping them collect surplus produce from around the region and donate to local food banks. 

Another popular charity is the Russian Riverkeeper. They’re dedicated to restoring and protecting the Russian River, which runs from Cloverdale through the county to the Pacific Ocean. They organize volunteer cleanups, scientific research, political advocacy, and citizen education.

Charlie’s Acres Farm Animal Sanctuary was founded by Tracy Vogt as a place where rescued farm animals can live their best lives. The sanctuary offers tours and vegan picnics throughout the year where visitors can meet some of the animals: goats, turkeys, cows, pigs, and more, and their seasonal activities include goat yoga and sheep meditation. For Vogt, she told me how she wants people to know they can come and check them out during their Sonoma County vacation:

“Our mission is not only rescuing these animals but also providing education to encourage compassion for other farmed animals not at Charlie's Acres. We believe gentle learning and encouraging compassion can lead to individual changes that inspire a better world.” - Tracy Vogt, Founder, Charlie's Acres

Another fantastic wellness destination in Sonoma County is the Boon Hotel + Spa. It’s an adults-only hotel with 14 rooms in Guerneville, designed to be a serene getaway. They have a saltwater pool, hot tub, and signature treatments at their spa, including a CBD-infused Swedish massage and Himalayan salt stone massage. Their ESGB charity is Farm to Pantry.

Also in Guerneville is Dawn Ranch. The 86-room hotel along the Russian River has spa services like a forest bathing body scrub, curated soaking bath rituals, and sound bowl healing. They’ve chosen to benefit the Russian Riverkeeper with every guest stay, and for good reason. 

Glamping: Boon Hotel + Spa and Dawn Ranch also have some tent rooms available, so they do double duty as great wellness and glamping spots. 

The Gables Wine Country Inn just south of Santa Rosa is a pink Gothic Victorian mansion, first built in the 1870s, and it has all the romantic charm you’d hope for in a Victorian inn. I was greeted warmly upon arrival with a glass of wine by Larry Willis, who bought the inn with his wife Pam in 2012, and he gave me a tour of the mansion before I got to settle into my room. There’s a mahogany spiral staircase up to some of the guest rooms, a living room on the main level with an intricate wood inlaid floor, marble fireplace, and upright piano, and a formal dining room where each morning, they serve their guests an impressive three-course breakfast of dishes like cloud souffle and baked pears.

The guestrooms are all uniquely decorated and full of character, complete with clawfoot tubs in the bathrooms. I got to stay in the Sunset Room, which features a comfortable vintage four-poster bed and an heirloom gas fireplace; it’s one of seven guestrooms in the mansion. They have a separate cottage if you’d like more space and privacy. On the grounds, guests can wander amongst the vines Larry and Pam planted in 2017. On the gate to their small vineyard (and on the entryway table), they have posted information about their chosen Kind Traveler charity, Farm to Pantry. With its on-site vineyards, The Gables Wine Country Inn could undoubtedly be considered an agritourism and historic destination.