WHAT’S NEW IN SONOMA COUNTY MAY 2023

Safari West

With awe-inspiring views, trees that are older than most buildings, and countless opportunities to immerse oneself in nature, the natural surroundings of Sonoma County will literally stop you in your tracks and cause you to pause. And it is within this pause that the magic happens. Because in that extra moment, that breathtaking beat where time catches in midair, mindfulness has space to do its work. Pausing yields big effects that can be felt and seen all throughout Sonoma County, making your visit—and your life—more meaningful in many ways. In Sonoma County Life Opens Up and offers endless opportunities to practice mindfully pausing and the effects can be felt long after one has departed. One of the best parts about mindfulness is that it’s portable—and you can take that Sonoma County feeling with you wherever you go.

New Sonoma County Accolades

• The Donum Estate has achieved Regenerative Organic Certified status for its four estate vineyards as recognized by the Regenerative Organic Alliance (ROA). Considered the highest level of organic certifications, Donum is one of the first wineries in Sonoma County to receive this milestone recognition.
• Travel + Leisure magazine announced its 18th annual “It List” of the best new and renovated hotel properties in the world. Among the 100 properties on the prestigious 2023 list is The Madrona in Healdsburg.
• Healdsburg also appears on Travel + Leisures list of “Best Places to Travel in May 2023.”
• Condé Nast Traveler has included The Madrona on their Hot List Winners of 2023.
• The city of Sonoma was ranked as one of the top “trending destinations” to visit in the United States in 2023 by TripAdvisor as part of the travel website’s annual Travelers’ Choice awards.
• Voted on by readers of USA Today, Safari West was rated #5 in USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers' Choice travel award contest for Best Safari Park in the United States.
• TravelPulse.com, the most visited travel trade website in the world, has named Sonoma County Tourism’s CEO, Claudia Vecchio as one of 2023’s Most Influential Women in Travel. Each woman on the list was named by peers as a leader, change maker, and visionary in her own way.
• USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice named Sonoma Raceway among the top 10 NASCAR tracks in the US in 2023.
• Petaluma’s Della Fatoria was included in Mashed magazine’s “Where to Get the Absolute Best Bread in America.”
• Eric Asimov, wine critic for the New York Times picked the Glen Ellen Star in Glen Ellen, The Mathison in Healdsburg, and Valley Bar + Bottle in Sonoma as his favorite Sonoma County restaurants. According to Asimov his picks combine intriguing, good-value wine lists with “terrific food” and “a welcoming, relaxed ambiance.”
• Jordan Winery was named 2022 Monarch Sustainer of the Year by Pollinator Partnership, the world’s largest nonprofit dedicated to the protection and conservation of vital pollinators. The award recognizes the winery’s leadership and action in providing habitats for monarchs along their migratory corridors.

New in Outdoors

Safari West

Safari West recently announced the birth of a Southern white rhinoceros on the Sonoma Serengeti. This historic birth is the first calf of Eesha, a female rhino, and the first rhinoceros ever born in Sonoma County. The birthing process has a level of risk for every animal. Safari West is especially cautious, because while it is very common for female white rhinos to have babies at Eesha’s age, it is uncommon for female white rhinos to have their first calf at Eesha’s age. She is 18 years old. Given the challenges rhinos are currently facing in the wild, a pregnant rhino anywhere in the world is reason to celebrate. Safari West is humbled by the opportunity to contribute to the growth of rhino populations and aid in the conservation of this protected species.

Armstrong Redwood State Natural Reserve

Armstrong Redwood State Natural Reserve

Armstrong Redwood State Natural Reserve in Guerneville has been incorporated into the nationwide Old-Growth Forest Network, a project aimed at protecting and promoting old growth forests around the country. The 805-acre reserve has become one of more than 185 forests in 32 states to receive the designation from the 11-year-old nonprofit network. The designation is an acknowledgment that gradual aging of forest habitat provides critical habitat and nourishment for plant and animal species that share the space, generates new topsoil, and produces oxygen while storing carbon.

Sonoma County Tourism

Sonoma County Tourism is the region’s destination stewardship organization. Inspiring travel to the region through a variety of sales and marketing programs aimed at consumers, meeting and event planners, the travel trade, and media, the organization strives to ensure responsible tourism helps create a robust economy for the Sonoma County region. For more information visit sonomacounty.com.

*Source: Birgitt Vaughan, Director, Public Relations, Sonoma County Tourism Bureau publicrelations@sonomacounty.com