Hailed as one of Oprah’s favorite things in 2016, Big Bottom’s biscuits are delicious enough to eat on their own, but also serve as the perfect vehicle for anything from honey and butter to salmon, crème fraiche, pickled onions, and capers. Grab a picnic lunch and hit nearby Johnson’s Beach (spots available by reservation), which has been a favorite among boaters and swimmers since the 1920s. Big Bottom also carries three exclusive wine labels, including a Perpetual Indulgence rose and pinot noir—a dollar per bottle is donated to the beloved Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence, the charity of drag queen nuns who raise awareness and funds for gender equality and sex education.

Mirroring its clean and simple aesthetic, Brot (German for bread) serves unpretentious German food done right. Teeming with purple cabbage and haus-made kraut, this might be the most beautiful hamburger in the county. Chef Crista Luedtke also slings classics like Bavarian pretzels, spatzle with speck, schnitzel, and wurst plates. Fresh salat with little gems or kohlrabi and apple nicely balance the meat, which is mostly organic and locally procured.

A trip to Guerneville is not complete without a stop at Stumptown, which has been keeping river folks fueled with Pale Ale and IPAs since 1997. Currently on tap are their Squirrel Tickler Cream Ale, Rat Bastard Pale Ale, and Donkey Punch Pils. Enjoy burgers and beers on the huge deck overlooking the Russian River, seven days a week. Patrons have access to their private beach and the still-swimmable water beyond.

Tucked into the redwoods just off River Road, the resort community of Rio Nido occupies just one tenth of a square mile, but the Roadhouse, with its big lawn, shaded picnic tables, swimming pool, and outdoor stage, makes it worth a stop. For 14 years, through flooding and fires, owners Raena and Brad Jones Metzger have continued to serve classic pub fare, craft cocktails, and 16 mostly locally brewed beers on tap. Nachos get an upgrade with pulled pork or tri tip, and the popular artichoke-jalapeno dip comes with house-made chips. The scene is laid back and super family friendly.

Newly renovated and opened, this bright, airy market and community space is housed in charming Occidental’s oldest building. The perfect spot to grab a quick nosh before heading out to the coast or the river, the Altamont also sells locally made jewelry, art, and novelty kitsch. Salads and sandwiches share the menu with hearty bowls like the Boho, a nourishing mix of stewed French lentils, roasted Brussels sprouts, arugula, chimichurri, kraut, and crème fraiche (rotisserie chicken or Kiawe smoked pork are also available for meat lovers). All manner of delightful pick-me-ups are available at their full coffee bar.

Math instructor turned DIY vintner Rick Moshin started making wine in 1989, and developed one of California’s first gravity-flow wine cellars to more gently treat his thin-skinned pinot noir grapes. Right in the heart of winery-rich Westside Road, the tasting room is open midday Thursday through Monday.

The quaint little town of Forestville is surrounded by towering redwoods and anchored by the delightful Canneti, the dream come true of Chef Francesco Torre, formerly of Fish in Sausalito. Seafood is well represented here — wild Alaskan salmon carpaccio, pasta with grilled Mediterranean octopus, and roasted sturgeon with Brussels sprouts and peas all grace the menu — as well as unexpected appetizers like the crispy beef heart tomato skins with house caper mayo. Save room for sugar cookie cannoli or tiramisu with espresso sauce, perfect with or without a sweet Vin Santo del Chianti on the shaded back deck.

Arguably the most visionary restaurateurs in Sonoma County, the Starks operate seven distinct, wildly popular restaurants— but the crown jewel just might be Bravas. One of downtown Healdsburg’s hot spots, here you’ll find a nice mix of chilled and warm tapas like roasted escarole salad, gazpacho, tuna belly salad, creamy chicken croquetas, crispy pig ears, and Dungeness crab–stuffed piquillo peppers, as well as a ham and cheese station, family-style paella, and perfectly fried rum balls for dessert. The cocktail menu is foolproof — from the kicky Feel the Bern (with habanero tequila, ginger agave, lime, orange, and mezcal) to the sublime Strawberry Fields Forever (with tequila, elderflower liqueur, strawberry agave, lime, and basil salt).

The food truck of celebrity chefs and also downright cool people Duskie Estes and John Stewart of Zazu restaurant (now closed), the Black Piglet features their award-winning pasture-raised pork, which cures for some three weeks with brown sugar before finishing with a 12-hour applewood smoking. The menu is short, and yet still it’s hard to choose between a BLT with Tabasco aioli or pulled pork with apple slaw and chicharron; when it comes to the kimchi fries and  bacon caramel popcorn, might as well try both. Find them Saturdays and Sundays at Davis Family Vineyards all summer long.

Right across from Veterans Memorial Beach, Amy’s Wicked Slush has almost always had a line (luckily swift-moving) since it opened in 2017. Sometimes called Italian ice, slush is creamy and lick-able, a friendlier version of a sno-cone, and pairs nicely with Straus Creamery soft serve (known as a “split”). With enough flavors to make your head spin, the combinations are endless, but you can’t go wrong with classics like root beer slush and vanilla soft serve. Try the Spumoni (cherry slush with pistachio soft serve) for a taste of owner Amy’s Bostonian childhood.

Winemakers Suzanne and Chris offer outdoor tastings on their pleasant two-acre garden property just off Highway 116 as it leads out of Sebastopol. In addition to a wide variety of wines, including their lovely organic dry rose of Carignane, their fermented ciders made with locally grown apples perfectly embody Sebastopol’s long history of apple production. Kick back to the live music on lazy Sunday afternoons.

If hiking the hills near old terraced vineyards sounds good to you, book a tasting with winemaker and artist Alice Warnecke Sutro at Warnecke Ranch and Vineyard, where she grew up and returned to raise her own children. The 45-minute hike includes an education about the volcanic terroir and “aromatic journey from soil to wine glass,” and is followed by a guided tasting of three wines under the shady oaks just up the road at Bell Mountain. Two appointment times are available daily except Sundays, limited to six people max.