Sonoma's best days start at the Sonoma Plaza — eight acres of park, farmers' market stalls on Tuesday and Friday mornings, and the surrounding ring of historic buildings that includes the Mission San Francisco Solano and the Sonoma Barracks, both part of Sonoma State Historic Park. The plaza also marks the spot where California declared itself a republic on 14 June 1846 — the brief Bear Flag Revolt that preceded American annexation by three weeks.
For wine, the Sonoma Valley and surrounding regions are the draw. The town plaza has tasting rooms within easy walking distance, but the more interesting experiences are at the smaller wineries in the hills to the north and east. Jack London State Historic Park, 13 kilometres north in Glen Ellen, preserves the ranch where the writer spent his final years and the ruins of the Wolf House he never lived in. The Vallejo Estate, a short walk from the plaza, tells the story of the Mexican general who founded modern Sonoma and watched it slip from his grasp.