Head up Adobe Canyon Road and Sonoma starts to change. The valley floor drops away, the air cools off, and Sugarloaf Ridge State Park opens into one of the wildest, most beautiful parts of Sonoma Valley. John Roney joins Tim to talk about what makes the park so special: nearly 5,000 acres of protected land, about 30 miles of trails, campsites, glamping tents, redwoods, waterfalls, wildlife, and the kind of views that make you forget you’re still only about half an hour from the Sonoma Plaza.

Along the way, John gets into the park’s partnership with the Sonoma Ecology Center, the volunteer energy that helps keep so much of it going, and the many ways people can experience Sugarloaf — whether that means a steep climb up Bald Mountain, a gentler walk through the redwoods, a first camping trip, a forest bathing session, or a night at the observatory under some very dark skies.

There’s also plenty of talk about the wildlife up there, including black bears, mountain lions, badgers, minks, rattlesnakes, and the very real science of tracking animals through trail cams and scat surveys. Add in the Planet Walk, park living rooms, full moon hikes, the Sugar Shuttle, and the Fourth of July Bald Mountain fireworks hike, and you’ve got a mountain-sized conversation about one of Sonoma Valley’s great outdoor treasures.

Learn more about Sugarloaf Ridge State Park at www.sugarloafpark.org.

The Sonoma Spiel is brought to you by the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, sharing the people, places, and stories that make Sonoma Valley such a special place to visit.

🍷 Save up to 25% on Sonoma wine tastings with the Sonoma Tasting Pass! Choose three great wineries in Sonoma Valley:

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Justin Wilson of MacArthur Place Hotel & Spa joins The Sonoma Spiel for a conversation about hospitality, local character, and what makes one of Sonoma’s best-known boutique hotels feel both elevated and genuinely welcoming. Justin talks about MacArthur Place’s roots as a historic ranch and vineyard, its evolution into a luxury property just off the plaza, and the philosophy behind making it feel like a place for both visitors and locals.

Tim and Justin also get into the Porch coffee shop, Leila restaurant, the spa, weddings, poolside events, Music Mondays, Burgers & Bordeaux, and the newer Som Saturdays classes that bring a little wine and cocktail education into the mix. It’s a good look at how MacArthur Place has built a distinct Sonoma identity by combining comfort, style, and a strong sense of place.

Along the way, Justin shares his own path through the hospitality world, from bussing tables at 15 to working with Four Seasons and Fairmont before landing in Sonoma Valley, where he and his wife decided they wanted to stay for good. It’s a warm, wide-ranging episode about service, community, and why genuine hospitality matters.

Learn more about MacArthur Place at macarthurplace.com.

The Sonoma Spiel is brought to you by the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, sharing the people, places, and stories that make Sonoma Valley such a special place to visit.

🍷 Save up to 25% on Sonoma wine tastings with the Sonoma Tasting Pass! Choose three great wineries in Sonoma Valley:

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Jeannie Perales returns to The Sonoma Spiel to talk about one of Sonoma Valley’s most fascinating places to wander: Sonoma Botanical Garden. Tim and Jeannie get into the garden’s old quarry history, its pools, waterfalls, winding trails, and why it feels a lot more like a woodland adventure than a formal stroll past flower beds. They also talk about the garden’s evolution from Quarryhill to Sonoma Botanical Garden, and how its mission now includes both rare East Asian plants and California native plants.

They also spend time on Spirit Guides, the colorful new outdoor exhibition of fantastical creatures from the workshop of Jacobo and María Ángeles, along with the garden’s Wednesday evening programs, sunset concerts, picnics, and all the reasons this place keeps giving people something new to come back for.

Along the way, the conversation heads into Jeannie’s Florida museum-and-garden background, orchids, circus history, tomatoes, and the very real truth that sometimes the person running the botanical garden does not have the best garden at home. It’s a fun, thoughtful, slightly wandering episode in the best Sonoma Spiel way.

Learn more about Sonoma Botanical Garden at sonomabg.org.

The Sonoma Spiel is brought to you by the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, sharing the people, places, and stories that make Sonoma Valley such a special place to visit.

🍷 Save up to 25% on Sonoma wine tastings with the Sonoma Tasting Pass! Choose three great wineries in Sonoma Valley:

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

In this episode of The Sonoma Spiel, Tim talks with Kim Jones of The Future Collective and Aaron Brown of Arable about storytelling, land, farming, housing, and the future of Sonoma Valley.

Kim shares how The Future Collective grew out of a desire to bring younger community members into deeper conversations about the big issues shaping local life, from housing affordability and food insecurity to labor, mental health, and what it means to build a community that can actually sustain the people who live and work here. Aaron talks about Arable, a storytelling project exploring natural wine, cider, farming, and the people who are rethinking the relationship between agriculture, place, and community.

The conversation also touches on Sonoma Valley Collaborative, the emerging Sonoma Valley Commons, heirloom apples, hybrid grapes, documentary storytelling, and the creative overlap between nonprofit work, agriculture, branding, and local identity. It’s a thoughtful, wide-ranging episode about what it means to care for a place — and how culture, land, and collaboration all shape Sonoma Valley’s future.

Learn more:

About The Sonoma Spiel

The Sonoma Spiel is brought to you by the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, sharing the people, places, and stories that make Sonoma Valley such a special place to visit.

🍷 Save up to 25% on Sonoma wine tastings with the Sonoma Tasting Pass! Choose three great wineries in Sonoma Valley:

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

This week on the Sonoma Spiel, Tim sits down with Amanda Doherty and Jason Palter from Sonoma Golf Studio to talk about Sonoma’s indoor golf scene and why it’s changing the way people practice, play, and connect.

They get into TrackMan simulator technology, lessons with PGA pros, memberships, beginner-friendly practice, and how the studio creates a low-pressure space to improve your game without the long drive to a course or range. The conversation also covers private events, corporate outings, wedding weekend activities, and why Sonoma Golf Studio is a great fit for both locals and visitors looking for something active and social to do in Sonoma Valley.

Plus, Tim and his guests answer a few classic visitor questions covering quirky Sonoma sights, local history, and community creativity.

In this episode of The Sonoma Spiel, Tim talks with Ronnie Cotter of West Wine Tours about one of the most memorable ways to explore Sonoma Valley: riding through wine country in a vintage Volkswagen bus.

Ronnie shares what makes West Wine Tours special, from its fleet of colorful classic VW buses to its focus on family-owned wineries, boutique tasting experiences, and a more laid-back, off-the-beaten-path feel. They talk about some of the stops guests might enjoy, including Bartholomew Estate Winery, Winery Sixteen 600, and Anaba, along with the stories, scenery, and local flavor that make the ride part of the experience.

The conversation also covers Ronnie’s path into hospitality, growing up in Sonoma, learning to drive stick, working as a farmer before becoming a tour guide, and why he enjoys helping visitors see what Sonoma Valley is really all about. Along the way there are detours into deli sandwiches, music playlists, local golf, pizza memories, and visitor questions about burgers, hostels, mashed potatoes, and hot springs.

It’s a warm, funny, local episode about classic vehicles, Sonoma hospitality, and the joy of taking the scenic route.

In this episode:

Learn more:

About The Sonoma Spiel

The Sonoma Spiel is brought to you by the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, sharing the people, places, and stories that make Sonoma Valley such a special place to visit.

🍷 Save up to 25% on Sonoma wine tastings with the Sonoma Tasting Pass! Choose three great wineries in Sonoma Valley:

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Spring has arrived in Sonoma Valley, and in this episode of The Sonoma Spiel, Tim sits down with Kenneth “Kenny” DeAlba of Songbird Parlour in Glen Ellen for a wide-ranging conversation about food, hospitality, cocktails, community, and what makes Sonoma Valley such a special place to gather.

Kenny shares the story behind Songbird Parlour, the cozy and beautifully designed restaurant located in historic Jack London Village, and talks about its evolution into a full restaurant known for seasonal, farm-forward cuisine, warm hospitality, and memorable special nights like Prime Rib Wednesdays and Epic Fried Chicken Sundays.

Along the way, Tim and Kenny talk about Kenny’s background in hospitality and bartending, his years working in Sonoma restaurants, his upbringing between Mexico and Sonoma, and his passion for creating experiences that make people feel at home. The conversation also takes a few fun detours into cocktail culture, motorcycle rides through Wine Country, local history, and even Napa’s mysterious “reebobs.”

It’s a fun, local, heartfelt episode full of great stories and plenty of Sonoma personality.

In this episode:

Learn more:

About The Sonoma Spiel

The Sonoma Spiel is brought to you by the Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau, sharing the people, places, and stories that make Sonoma Valley such a special place to visit.

🍷 Save up to 25% on Sonoma wine tastings with the Sonoma Tasting Pass! Choose three great wineries in Sonoma Valley:

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

What do beer cruises, Sonoma theater, travel planning, and UFOs have in common? Chelsea Smith.

Gretchen Schoenstein returns to The Sonoma Spiel for a third appearance—host of the Finish Line Moments podcast and a key part of the team behind the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country Half Marathon + Rosé 5K.

Tim and Gretchen talk about what makes this race weekend feel like a true Sonoma Valley celebration (not a “fly-in, fly-out” event), including the popular Show Your Bib program that encourages runners to explore local businesses, wineries, and neighborhoods throughout the weekend. Gretchen also shares what Finish Line Moments is all about—how running stories (and life stories) connect us—and what she’s covering next in the running world.

In “We Get Questions,” they answer quick visitor FAQs about the Sonoma Valley Wine Trolley, what to do with a 20-year-old in Sonoma, wine tasting costs for groups, where to find hot cross buns, when the Plaza roses bloom, and fun nighttime ideas (speakeasies, shows, stargazing, and more).

Race info: runnapatosonoma.com

 🍷 Save up to 25% on Sonoma wine tastings with the Sonoma Tasting Pass! Choose three great wineries in Sonoma Valley:

👉 https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.

It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b

Think you know Sonoma Valley? Sonoma podcast host Tim Zahner will be the first to tell you… he’s “expert-adjacent.” 😄

On this episode of The Sonoma Spiel podcast, Tim hangs out with two pros from The Lodge at Sonoma who 'actually' know how the magic happens:

We talk concierge myths (“Do I have to pay extra?” “Is it fancy?” “Can they really get me in?”), how travelers plan trips now (spoiler: a lot of people arrive with zero reservations), and what the Lodge at Sonoma offers—from cottage-style rooms and spa vibes to on-site dining and an easy shuttle to the Plaza.

Then we jump into "We Get Questions” with quick, super-local tips on:

More info:

The Lodge at Sonoma: thelodgeatsonoma.com

 🍷 Save up to 25% on Sonoma wine tastings with the Sonoma Tasting Pass! Choose three great wineries in Sonoma Valley:

👉 https://bit.ly/SonomaTastingPass

Got questions about Sonoma Valley? You can email us at [email protected], text us at 707-996-1090 or contact us through Facebook, Instagram, TikTok or just walk into one of our two visitor centers.

It's Sonoma Valley's top podcast and you find it wherever you find fine podcasts, including

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLiSa7rAVobsI8O_3xp7hIDPKRO9nBuvNF

Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-sonoma-spiel/id1634467429

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4UuskGhmJ3EkWQk8DObR9b