Santa Rosa
The biggest city in the county of Sonoma and the area's business hub, Santa Rosa is often bypassed by travelers in a hurry to get to smaller wine country towns. But Santa Rosa offers visitors many popular attractions, such as the Charles M. Schultz museum, where you can see original art by the famous cartoonist, and a historic downtown with many restored Victorians and "Wild West" style storefronts. Some of Sonoma's best shopping and antiquing is in Santa Rosa, and the eastern edge of town where it begins to slope up into the mountains offers gorgeous country drives, wine tasting, and excellent hiking in parks such as Sugarloaf Ridge State Park.