Healdsburg: a true hidden gem. Some say it’s better than Napa Valley

ATTENTION all wine lovers & food connoisseurs.

THINK: wine bar hopping –> NOT bar hopping & NOT club hopping.

I mean, there’s practically a wine tasting bar on every street & corner of Healdsburg –> all are walking distance from each other.

… which can either be a really good thing, or a bad thing for lightweights like myself.

When most people think of wine country, they think of Napa Valley. And don’t get me wrong, I loved my last visit to Napa (especially since I had the most AMAZ meal of my life at French Laundry). However, over the years it has gotten too touristy, with too many party buses, and is too over-priced with huge tasting fees.

Healdsburg feels more like a hidden gem with an old school charm. 

As you enter the central town square, you’ll notice a huge park filled with people roaming around art displays, you’ll hear music coming from live jazz bands, and you’ll smell the aroma of food coming from nearby picnickers.

Pretty awesome already, right?

Yeah. I thought so too.

Here’s a recap of my day trip:

We arrived in Healdsburg and went to Oakville Grocery Co to grab sandwiches for our picnic in the park.

Well, at least that’s what we intended to do.

Instead, we grabbed our sandwiches and immediately went to the nearest wine bar (everything is walking distance).

Stonestreet

And left with a bottle of Chardonnay.

Next, we stopped by Mustache Baked Goods for a mid-day dessert (featured on the food network & cooking channel)

You can even watch them make it fresh from the kitchen!

 Next stop is another wine bar down the street: Portalupi, a local boutique winery owned by husband & wife.

They’re known for their hospitality and wine displayed in milk jugs

Most of the places and wine bars in Healdsburg are pet-friendly!

Next, we headed over to the Healdsburg SHED for some coffee and ice cream.

And since we were craving oysters for dinner, it’s only obvious that we headed to Willi’s Seafood & Raw bar

After dinner, we headed up a miles north to catch the sunset at Lake Sonoma. The views are a serious breath-taker.

Peace out Healdsburg! It’s been real : )

That’s all folks.

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