Our one night getaway this summer was Sonoma. With a tween and teenager to please, yummy dining, pool access, and novelty and thrill seeking activities were central on our agenda.

Getting out in nature away from screens for all member was another goal. We managed to pack in as much activity and relaxation as we could in two days.

The Lodge at Sonoma Resort

The Lodge at Sonoma Resort where we stayed is near Sonoma Plaza, which I to me, is really Sonoma Square. We stayed in a cottage with two double beds. The amenities, including the bathroom and outdoor fireplace were great. However, come overnight time, the double beds were troublesomely small for each adult sharing with a teen and tween. Also, we should have opened a window to allow for ventilation overnight, as my spouse woke up in the wee hours panicking over the room’s stuffiness. We didn’t think air conditioning was a good idea, for environmental reasons. It gets cool at night anyway around the Bay Area.

Sonoma Overlook Trail

When we arrived, we started with a hike at the Sonoma Overlook Trail, right by the plaza. As it was in the 80s temperature wise and arid, we made a quick loop to justify our upcoming high caloric intake. It took about an hour so was perfect timing for us to check in at the Lodge. After checking in, we beelined for the pool. Considering we only had a two-day outing, we weren’t going to waste our vacation time.

The pool was medium sized comfortable for the number of guests staying and shallow enough for us to stand throughout with adequate coverage. There was a complementary wine tasting, which I did swiftly, as no one was masked indoors.

Night at the Tavern

We dined at Wit and Wisdom, which happened to be on the premises of the Lodge. Actually, the restaurant is what added to our decision to choose the Lodge, rather than vice versa. We had the Night at the Tavern Tasting Menu, which was just the right amount for all of us. Our kids are really getting close to our size. My 14 year old being taller than me; my 11 year old just an inch shorter. So pretty much adult portions for all. Oysters were additional. We’re still getting used to dining indoors unmasked. There was adequate spacing and ventilation with doors open, so we felt at ease.

The salmon dish was my favorite with the perfect crisp on the outside.

At our kids age, it’s fun to be challenged by their prowess at strategy and games. So after dinner, we settled in our cottage to Isle of Skye, to conclude our screen free bonding.

The next morning, I prodded my daughter to take on the complementary bikes with me for a spin while the others tried to catch up on their sleep. We were pretty close to the square but it seemed a bit of a trek and rather large bikes for an 11 year old and half our party. It was quite residential and safe. We found a short path and otherwise stayed close to the lodge grounds. Traintown was right across the way and reminded me of the small scale amusement park next to the Oakland Zoo and the steam train at Berkeley’s Tilden Park.

Tapas for Brunch

Late morning to noon as it was, we made our way to Tasca Tasca, a family owned Portuguese tapas restaurant. I’m a light weight at drinking. The bit of red wine tasting and partially consumed 5 oz Riesling I had at Wit and Wisdom was enough to give me a pleasant buzz, then a slight bit of panic. Folks like me don’t do alcohol for leisure. Besides, it usually puts me to sleep and disrupts my sleep cycle. But that aside, the wine bar and cocktails seemed to have a 50/50 presence on the menu. We just went for iced tea and Portuguese soda to go with the tapas, which were quite good.

Tapas are snack sized dishes. At Tasca Tasca, you can order in sets 3, 5, or 7. Since the pork sliders were quite small and only came in twos, I ordered an extra dish but outside of a set. When we asked to add 2 desserts to the one dish, they wouldn’t let us make it into a set, so we ordered another dessert. That was the only issue we had. Otherwise the waitstaff were helpful in making suggestions and prompt.

The most attractive sounding dish to me was the Dungeness crab empanadas and who doesn’t love Bacalhau, a cod croquette. I did wish they had a little more seasoning. And I was a bit disappointed because my last memory of these type of dishes was at a tapas restaurant run by a Top Chef contestant in the Lower East Side in Manhattan when we lived there a decade and a half ago. But it was quite good overall. My favorite dishes were the goat stew and squid salad with white beans.

Sonoma Plaza

We had time to kill until our 3pm zipline tour, an hour west of Sonoma Plaza in the redwood forest. Actually, before tapas, the first shop we really hit was the Socks on the Square shop. It had such a breadth of novelty socks from art to pop culture to irreverent, including one about dad jokes, that we couldn’t help perusing then buying.

In the age of online shopping, my Gen Z kids have such little patience for in person window shopping. The most they have patience for are the art galleries. There’s even a modern art museum I had looked up but never got to with them. They do have a couple more minutes patience each year to go see art. After brunch we hit the galleries and the rest of my party waited for me in the park at the center of the square. I did a quick jaunt of some novelty shops such as Sign of the Bear, a landmark kitchen shop, we never fail to stop by with its variety of novelty designed kitchen gadgets and ceramics. At Tiddle E Winks, I got obsessed with the glasses representing different cities and universities and got gifts. I also liked the concept of Global Heart Fair Trade with it’s llama dolls from Peru and dream catchers, with proceeds going to the artisans of various countries. Then it was time to jet off with my somewhat crabby companions.

Forest Flights at Sonoma Zipline Adventures

We drove an hour west for our Forest Flight Tour with the Sonoma Zipline Adventures. I’m glad I drove, which allowed for my companions to catch up on their sleep.

In all honesty, this was the centerpiece of the vacation. As former wine drinkers that no longer consume, Sonoma was not the first choice for short distance destinations. The first choice had been Santa Cruz, with its prospects of ropes course, resorts, and UC Santa Cruz botanical garden, and beach boardwalk.

Sonoma Zipline Adventures reviews were unanimously five stars, with a tour that included zip lining and a sky bridge. Our guides, Bryan and Mark, engaged us right off the bat with their humor and care in safety instructions. Bryan was a particularly masterful punster that immediately matched the dad humor wavelength of my partner. Not only did they guide us compassionate to our initial fears, they taught us about the various trees in the redwood forest and their history.

My partner hasn’t been able to get any weeks off since quarantine has been lifted. When you’ve had little time away, having a cathartic and thrilling experience was this perfect antidote to routine stress. Within nature steeped in dad jokes and bonding with the couple that joined us, he had such a great time. I was so relieved to see such a change of heart about this planned adventure.

Screaming Mimi’s in Sebastapol

I cannot forget to mention Screaming Mimi’s, a homemade ice cream shop, we stopped over on our way home. Bryan had recommended this place and we all love ice cream! What set this place apart was the number of scoops you could have in any size. You could order from a window and seating was all outside and casual. Also the flavors and quality of the ice cream was divine. I also got a lovely tie dye Tshirt I will post here shortly.