PRIOR's selection of ten things to do in Healdsberg that will keep you energized, engaged and excited to get out of your room.
LessThis “modern mercantile” sells everything from vintage prints of owls, candles shaped like birch branches and minimalist tableside mounts to turn branches, wasp nests or moss collected on hike into art.
This ice cream parlor and pie bar offers scoops of Sonoma County cooking, from Meyer lemon olive oil cake and peanut butter mousse pie to garden mint chip ice cream and dark chocolate cookies filled with vanilla buttercream.
By day, Troubadour HBG is a cult lunchtime spot selling sumac roasted carrot sandwiches and egg salad tartines. By night, it’s a thrilling prix fixe destination blending classic French cuisine with contemporary Californian cooking. Think asparagus chartreuse with trout roe and halibut à la Normande paired with lobster mousseline and light rum custard (baked in a copper tin lined with beeswax) for dessert.
Come early to this bakery from former Single Thread pastry chef Melissa Yanc. The wild-yeast bread, hearty walnut persimmon loaves and sourdough-and-pistachio Danishes sell out fast.
The name of this winery, “Marine Layer,” pays homage to the coastal fog across Sonoma that drifts in from the Pacific, which gives regional wines a distinct terroir. (Cooler temperatures and unusual weather conditions mean grapes require longer hang-time on the vine.) A visit to the tasting room offers a survey of the “nuanced flavors, bright acidity, and balance” of California’s coastline, sip by sip.
Having grown tired of catering to upper crust tastes, an anonymous group of Michelin-starred chefs and acclaimed oenophiles came together to create Blood Root, a vineyard producing great wine at moderate prices. Though members of Blood Root choose to remain in the shadows, the vineyard hosts plenty of under-the-sun fun, including “Operation Beautification,” a floral fair featuring bouquets, artisan vases, Japanese kokedama and dried hangings.
Founded in 1994, Flying Goat Coffee is the morning staple for Healdsburg’s caffeine connoisseurs. Owner Phil Anacker stocks single-origin roasts from Guatemala and Ethiopia that prove coffee isn’t just a pick-me-up, it’s a passion. After temporarily having to downsize, the coffee G.O.A.T. is back in a new location just down the block from the original.
Having led some of the area’s most beloved restaurants, chef Dustin Valette is a Healdsburg culinary hero of sorts. The Matheson, an ambitious project spanning a restaurant and Roof 106, a chic rooftop bar, is his latest contribution to the area’s wine-and-dine scene. The farm-to-watering-hole spot showcases what Valette does best: satisfying dishes and drinks that will please classicists and daredevils alike.
This gabled Victorian manse was built in 1881 during the Aesthetic Movement, which was all about “beauty for beauty’s sake.” It’s only fitting, then, that this eight-acre hilltop property in Healdsburg — with its wild oaks, mature gardens overlooking a guests-only saltwater pool, carriage house, and secluded bungalows lining its edge — is an aesthete’s fantasia.
All roads lead to SingleThread’s handsome corner abode in the heart of Healdsburg. Ever since opening its doors in 2016, the restaurant, inn, and farm — led by the husband-and-wife duo Kyle and Katina Connaughton, has been a world-famous destination, scoring multiple awards and winning critical acclaim.