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Eateries

Dry Creek General Store

Located in the heart of the Dry Creek Valley vineyards this is the only place in the area to grab some victuals if you neglected to pack some. The deli and sandwich counters wrap around display cases sporting all manner of general store type items for sale. The choices seemed endless though my bank account limited my selections that day. Order your sandwich at the counter and then spend time browsing the racks. On busy days you’ll have plenty of time to look through everything since it can take a while to get your sandwich. They have a great selection of chips, side salads and bottled drinks to accompany your yummy sandwich.

The whole process feels a bit unorganized but relax and enjoy rubbing elbows with the bikers (both the pedal and leather kind), tourists, wine snobs and vineyard workers that all mingle here. They have a small bar and sell beer and wine too, in case you haven’t had enough of that already. Hint: Instead of eating at one of the communal tables inside or out on the wooden porch take your meal over to Dry Creek Vineyard just down the road and picnic on their great green lawn. Caution: It is a bit on the spendy side but it is the only thing available without driving back to Healdsburg. The parking lot fills up quickly but you can also park in the dirt along Dry Creek Road.

Phone: (707) 433-4171
Address: 3495 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg CA 95448

DiVine Pizza

After a week in wine country we were looking forward to sharing a good pie and a microbrew. When we drove by their old location and found it empty we were disheartened. Thankfully, a random conversation put us on the right path to find DiVine’s new location. They specialize in home-made ingredients for their pizzas, calzones, salads, and pastas (and desserts too but we never have room for them). We can only vouch for their pizza which is quite tasty. They offer a nice variety of micro-brews and sell local wines too. The place is family run and is quite popular, it can get crowded and therefore a bit loud. In a nod to children they have a create-your-pizza bar for the kids. There are several large TVs in the bar area for the sports fan.

Phone: (707) 433-3660
Address: 20 Dry Creek Rd, Healdsburg CA 95448

Drinkeries

Bear Republic Brewing Company

Healdsburg is in the middle of the Sonoma Valley wine country so wine is king there but sometimes a person needs to escape from the snooty “wine-iness.” It happened to us and we were relieved to find this brewery and restaurant located just off the quaint but at times pretentious plaza. The casual atmosphere, nice patio, fun music, friendly, young staff, and good beer made for a relaxed evening. We didn’t eat there though there were a few things on the menu that were tempting. We heard it can get crazy busy in there and that service suffers but we didn’t experience any problems during our visit.

Phone: (707) 433-BEER
Address: 345 Healdsburg Ave, Healdsburg CA 95448

Adventures

Rodney Strong Winery

The Tasting Room looked a bit imposing from the outside but once inside their interpretive panels and 360 degree view into the wine making process put us at ease. Though it was quite busy in there we enjoyed our tasting, our pourer was friendly and the wines were approachable. Overall, it was a positive experience. They also offer tours, check their website for more information. Hint: Feel free to share a tasting, it will save you money and keep your senses intact. Stop in at the Healdsburg Visitor Center and pick up wine brochures and free tasting coupons before heading out to the vineyards, RS had a free reserve tasting coupon that we used.

Phone: (707) 431-1533
Address: 11455 Old Redwood Hwy, Healdsburg CA 95448

Ridge Vineyards – Lytton Springs

The tasting room at Ridge has a great vibe to it. The focus of the eco-friendly building is the huge windows that look out over the vines. For a small tasting fee you can sip your way through their impressive collection of red wines, mostly zinfandels. They have amazing Zins though our fave one was not grown at the Lytton Springs vineyard but from their Dusi Ranch vineyard in Paso Robles. Ridge specializes in big wonderful wines, most with a price tag just out of our reach but we enjoy getting to know them. It was our second visit to Ridge and both times we were treated with respect by their attentive and helpful staff. Hint: Feel free to share a tasting, it will save you money and keep your senses intact.

Phone: (707) 433-7721
Address: 650 Lytton Springs Rd, Healdsburg CA 95448
Drive north on Hwy 101, past Healdsburg. Exit at Lytton Springs. Drive west half a mile on Lytton Springs Road. The winery is on the corner of Lytton Springs and Chiquita Road.

Dry Creek Vineyard

They have been named as one of California’s best wineries, which is a good thing for them and bad for us since it seems to have gone to their heads. Though we had a great experience here two years ago this time our pourer was rude and dismissive (yet extremely attentive to a well-dressed, older woman). Perhaps we didn’t look like money? Fumé blanc is their flagship wine and though they bottle other varietals, after tasting them, our favorite was still their fume. Another sour note, our tasting fee was not waived even though we purchased a couple bottles. On the plus side they have beautiful grounds with picnic tables scattered on the lawn under the trees. Hint: They have a two-for-one tasting coupon on their website.

Phone: (707) 433-1000
Address: 3770 Lambert Bridge Rd, Healdsburg CA 95448