Sonoma Valley Picnic Day: Sonoma Plaza, Glen Ellen & Kenwood

A Sonoma Valley picnic day needs no reservations at all. Shop around Sonoma Plaza in the morning, picnic on the Plaza lawn once it's legal to open a bottle at 11:30 a.m., spend the afternoon at Jack London's old ranch in Glen Ellen, and finish with a glass in a Kenwood olive grove, where outside picnic food is welcome. Two rules catch visitors out: wine on the Plaza is allowed only from 11:30 a.m. to sunset, and dogs aren't allowed on the Plaza at all.

Hours, fees and rules below are as of September 2026.

The route at a glance

• 10:30 a.m. Shop for lunch around the Plaza.
• 11:30 a.m. Picnic on the Plaza lawn.
• 1:30 p.m. Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen, about 15 minutes' drive.
• 3:30 p.m. A glass at Hamilton Family Wines in Kenwood, about 10 minutes.

The whole loop is short, so there's time to add a Glen Ellen winery on the way; see the options below. Plan on a designated driver.

Morning: shop for lunch around Sonoma Plaza

The Sonoma Cheese Factory, across West Spain Street from the Plaza, is the one-stop option. It sells ready-made cheese and charcuterie platters to go in one-, two- and four-serving sizes, sandwiches from The Butcherman deli counter at the back, and bottles from the Sonoma's Best Wine Shop under the same roof. It's open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For bread, Basque Boulangerie Café on the Plaza's east side has baked baguettes and country loaves since 1994, opens at 7 a.m. every day, and makes lunch sandwiches (about $10 to $16) that you can order ahead online.

If you're organized, Sonoma Market on West Napa Street packs boxed lunches ($20 build-your-own, $22 specialty). Order online at least 48 hours ahead and pick up on your way in.

Late morning: lunch on the Plaza, wine from 11:30 a.m.

Sonoma Plaza is an eight-acre town square around the 1908 stone City Hall, with lawns under big old shade trees. There's a duck pond in the southwest quadrant, a rose garden and fountain in the southeast, and two playgrounds on the north side. The city counts only three picnic tables (in the shaded northeast quadrant), so bring a blanket.

The rules:

• Alcohol: allowed from 11:30 a.m. until sunset. City code bans drinking and open containers in parks outside those hours. There's no food requirement.
• Dogs: not allowed anywhere on the Plaza, even leashed (service animals excepted).
• No smoking, bikes or barbecues.
• Restrooms are in the Carnegie building at 453 First Street East, open until dusk.
• Small picnics are first-come and need no reservation.

With a dog? Walk two blocks north to Depot Park, which allows leashed dogs outside its playground, has bocce courts and restrooms, and follows the same 11:30 a.m.-to-sunset wine rule. One trap nearby: the picnic grounds at General Vallejo's Home, a few blocks west, are part of a state historic park that bans alcohol.

Afternoon: Jack London's ranch in Glen Ellen

Drive about 15 minutes up the valley to Jack London State Historic Park, the writer's former Beauty Ranch. Entry is $15 per vehicle, which includes the museum and cottage, and the park is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Picnic tables are scattered around the ranch: in the museum parking lot, near the Wolf House ruins, by the Londons' cottage and on a knoll above the ranch lot, most of them first-come.

No alcohol ban is listed for the park, and state park rules allow drinking unless a ban is posted, so check the signs when you arrive. Leashed dogs may go in the historic areas, including the Beauty Ranch and the trail to the Wolf House ruins, but not on the other trails. If you're a bigger party, the Oak Grove and Terrace group sites can be reserved for $150 plus $10 per vehicle.

Prefer a winery? Glen Ellen has several that welcome a picnic:

• Benziger Family Winery, just down London Ranch Road, has terrace tables from March through October for groups of six or fewer. Buy one bottle per two guests; tables are held for 90 minutes and reservations are recommended.
• Imagery Estate Winery on Highway 12 has a free first-come lawn. Its tables need one bottle per two guests on weekdays, plus a $50 table fee on weekends and holidays. Kids and leashed dogs are welcome.
• Mayo Family Winery invites you to bring a picnic to its courtyard with a glass or bottle. It takes walk-ins, welcomes kids and dogs, and stays open until 6:30 p.m., one of the latest closing times in the valley.
• Loxton Cellars sets its picnic tables among the vines. Each adult pays for a $20 tasting, walk-ins are welcome, and the last seating is at 4 p.m.

Late afternoon: a Kenwood olive grove

About 10 minutes on, Hamilton Family Wines pours Grenache and other Rhône-style wines in a relaxed tasting room with seating spread through an olive grove, cabanas and a patio. Outside picnic food and children are welcome, and dogs can join you in the outdoor areas. You don't need a reservation for a glass or bottle; seats are first-come. It's open daily from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and from Thursday through Sunday its Golden Hour glasses, poured from 3:30 to 5 p.m., start at $10.

Nearby alternatives:

• Muscardini Cellars, in a historic schoolhouse on Highway 12, lets you bring a picnic to eat with a tasting (from $40) on its patio or in the backyard.
• Kenwood Plaza Park is free and one of the few parks where the county's own page says alcohol is allowed. It has shaded lawns, a gazebo and a play structure, and it's open 7 a.m. to sunset, but there are no restrooms.

What to book ahead

Nothing in the main plan needs a booking. Reserve only if you want:

• Sonoma Market boxed lunches: 48 hours ahead.
• Benziger terrace tables: recommended, March through October.
• Imagery tables on a weekend: there's a $50 no-show fee on reserved tables.
• A group site at Jack London: for a larger party.

Rainy day or busy weekend

The Plaza, Jack London and Hamilton's olive grove are all first-come, so a full reservation book elsewhere won't stop you. Rain is harder: most picnic spots here are open-air. Basque Boulangerie has indoor tables, and Vineburg Deli, southeast of town on the road in from Carneros, has a covered patio that works on rainy days (it's closed Sundays). In Kenwood, the park's gazebo gives a little shelter.

Big-name wineries that no longer allow outside food

Many famous Sonoma Valley picnic lawns have changed. Chateau St. Jean now offers only a booked Estate Picnic ($70 per person, with food from its market), Kunde and St. Francis don't allow picnics, and B.R. Cohn, Ledson and VJB ask you to buy your food on site.