Sebastopol is a small, progressive town in western Sonoma County, about 20 minutes from the Pacific coast and an hour north of San Francisco. Once the heart of Gravenstein apple country, it has gradually shifted to wine grapes — but the apple heritage lives on in the annual Apple Blossom Festival and the Gravenstein Apple Fair.
The town has an appealing mix of farm stands, antique shops, art galleries, and good restaurants along its main drag. The surrounding countryside is vineyard and orchard in every direction, and Bodega Bay and the Sonoma coast beaches are a short drive west. Sebastopol makes a quieter, less polished alternative to Healdsburg or Sonoma as a base for exploring wine country.