What It's Actually Like to Travel Sonoma County as a Wheelchair User

I'm not going to sugarcoat it. When you travel with a wheelchair, there's always a version of you that's quietly waiting for something to go wrong. The restaurant aisle that's too tight to get through. The "accessible" room that turns out to be anything but. The activity that looked completely fine on the website and then absolutely wasn't when you showed up.

Sonoma County surprised me. Not because everything was perfect, but because almost nothing went wrong. And on the few occasions where something could have, someone was already there to help before I even had to ask.

So here's what the trip was actually like.

The city itself

Before I get into the days, I want to say something about Sonoma as a place to actually get around, because this matters before you decide to take your own trip here.

Accessibility

Around Sonoma County towns, the sidewalks are flat and if there are slopes, I found them to be manageable as a manual wheelchair user. There were curb cuts basically everywhere I needed them. At pretty much every single place we went to, including nature trails, there was an accessible restroom. I cannot think of one exception. Parking was sometimes street-only in the main areas but it was never a real problem. The towns themselves were very easy to move through and I kept waiting for the moment where I'd hit a wall, but I never really did.

The only honest caveat is a couple of spots where the surface got a little rough. There were some grass patches and a short stretch of dirt trail at Armstrong Redwoods where I needed help. It was nothing that stopped me, but if you're in a manual wheelchair without a power assist, having someone with you for those sections makes a real difference. I had Cam, my boyfriend, for the moments I needed a push and I was really glad he was there.

Day one

We started at Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Preserve and I wasn't sure what to expect from a forest trail in a wheelchair. The parking lot is huge and accessible, the staff greeted us right away and pointed us toward the accessible route, and the map actually showed where it was, which sounds like a basic thing but it isn't always the case at places like this.

Most of the trail was really smooth and easy to navigate. You could get deep into the trees and close enough to actually touch them, and there is something rare about that because most "accessible" nature experiences kind of keep you at a polite distance and let you look at the thing from far away. This one didn't do that. We went far in and spent a solid amount of time there and I was really impressed that an accessible path even existed, let alone one that went that far in. A few sections had some rocks and uneven patches and that's where I needed Cam to help steer me, but it never felt like a situation that was unmanageable.

If you're a strong self-propeller in a manual chair you can probably handle most of it. If not, having someone with you can really help, or think about bringing a power assist. But I would really recommend going here, you cannot miss these trees!

After the forest we went to Tides Wharf for lunch. The parking was a short distance from the entrance, the tables were a little close together but completely workable, and the views were incredible. If you like seafood this is a great spot to add to your list. We tried a lot of things there, but the pasta dishes were my favorite.

Then we went to the Fishetarian Fish Market in Bodega Bay and I think that was actually one of my favorite spots of the whole trip. It's this cute little casual seafood place right on the water and it just had really good energy. Everything felt real and handmade and the people working there seemed genuinely happy to be there. I would have spent twice as long there if we'd had time.

Day two

We got up super early on day 2, which was super worth it, because we did hot air ballooning!

The tour was through Wine Country Balloon. I did not know what to expect from a hot air balloon as a wheelchair user, but it ended up being an incredible experience.

We parked in a grass lot right next to the launch area so the distance from the car to the balloon was short. The grass made it a little harder to push but the staff was right there and they were very, very helpful. I have zero doubt that they would work with you on parking closer or setting up a drop-off situation if you needed it. They have experience assisting people with disabilities so I felt in safe hands.

Getting into the basket was pretty straightforward. There was a small gap, maybe about five inches, where I needed to lift my casters over, and then I was in. The basket itself had plenty of room. The staff helped through the whole process and they made it feel easy.

Once we were up it was so peaceful and quiet and I really, really did not want to come down. The views were incredible. Our guide was funny and knowledgeable and told us all these great stories the whole time. We had champagne after we landed and then sat down for breakfast at a little restaurant nearby and he came and hung out with us and we all just kept talking.

The one thing I want to flag is that the basket sides come up pretty high. If you are on the shorter side or if you're seated in a wheelchair the whole time, you might want to bring a small cushion to sit on so you can see over the edge more easily. I was able to stand which helped me, but if you can't, keep this in mind.

One very important thing: bring a warm layer for the morning and something lighter for later in the day. It was cold when we launched and genuinely warm by the time we landed. You need both and I forgot this, so I ended up borrowing Cam's sweatshirt.

After the balloon we went to the Museum of Sonoma County. It was rock and roll themed which was a fun concept, and there was a little activity where we made buttons, and the whole place went over two floors with an easy elevator. The ramp to get in from outside was a little on the steep side but totally manageable. The floors were easy to roll on and the staff were really nice. Museums are not for everyone, so if you had to skip something on this itinerary, the museum is probably the one I would let go just because everything else was so exceptional and you might want that time somewhere else.

Day three

We had breakfast at our hotel, DoubleTree by Hilton Sonoma, which is what we did every single morning. Then we headed to St. Francis Winery and Vineyards and it took the idea of a winery visit to a whole other level.

Everything was concrete, which made it easy to roam. The ramps were simple and easy. The space was open and easy to move through. We sat on the patio and the views were incredible. You'll see mountains in the distance and vineyards stretching out in front of you.

St. Francis Winery has excellent food pairings with their wine, so keep that in mind if you want to have an experience like that. They brought out this whole spread of hummus and different sauces and bread and pita and crackers and you mix and match everything and then try the wine and it actually changes how the wine tastes. The staff walked us through all of it and were incredibly knowledgeable and you could tell they genuinely loved what they were doing.

After that we walked around Sonoma Plaza and I kept thinking I might actually want to move there. There's a rose garden in the middle, a little square that felt like a park, stores all around, turtles in a pond. Everyone seemed to know everyone, like that little-town feel. You have to do street parking here, but it wasn't bad at all. The actual plaza itself was beautiful and very easy to get around.

That evening we went to Songbird Parlor for dinner and the vibe in there was really great. Green walls, cool lighting, the kind of place that could exist in LA or New York but feels more special because it's here in this smaller town. The owner or chef came out and told us about the food and one of the cheeses they were using was only sold to two places in the entire world, made by one woman. The beets were genuinely on another level and I say that as someone who thinks beets are fine and nothing special. It's on the more pricey side, but it's worth it. The food was just really, really, really good.

Then we had a little downtime before our last night out.

For our last night, we did dinner at The Matheson, which was a super cool trendy spot. It was a little tight on space but the food was incredible. I had a lamb dish that might honestly have been my favorite meal of the whole trip. Then we went upstairs to Roof 106 for drinks to end the night. I was hoping for more of a sunset view but you couldn't quite see it from where we were. That said it was still a really fun spot and they lit one of the cocktails on fire!

What you absolutely cannot miss

Mostly everything on this itinerary I would recommend you don't miss:

• The trees at Armstrong Redwoods
• Hot air ballooning
• The Fishetarian Fish Market
• Tides Wharf if you like seafood
• St. Francis Winery
• Songbird Parlor
• The plaza

More than any specific place, the people here are amazing. I keep coming back to this when I think about the trip. The thing I noticed on the very first day at the first restaurant we went to was that everyone working there actually liked being there. Not fake friendly, just really warm people who loved what they were doing and loved being from where they were from. At the winery, a couple of the employees mentioned they had moved away and then came back. The guide from the balloon just sat down with us at breakfast and kept talking because he wanted to. On the last day we were in this little park and talked to a group of locals who were just loved this place – where they were from. You can't say that about many places, but you can certainly say it about Sonoma County.

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