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Park · Glen Ellen, Sonoma County

Sonoma Botanical Garden picnic guide

Picnics welcome$17 admission

Can you picnic at Sonoma Botanical Garden?

Yes — Sonoma Botanical Garden has picnic areas open to the public. No reservation is needed for the picnic area. Fee: Garden admission $17 adults, $14 seniors 65+, $8 youth 5-17, teachers and active military.

Checked September 2026 from sonomabg.orgStated on the venue's own website

Lily pond, autumn foliage and a picnic table below the hillside plantings at Sonoma Botanical Garden (formerly Quarryhill)
Photo: Daderot · CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Picnic rules at a glance

Picnicking
Picnics welcome
Bring your own food
Allowed
Alcohol
Not confirmed
Purchase required
No
Reservation
Not required
Fee
Garden admission $17 adults, $14 seniors 65+, $8 youth 5-17, teachers and active military; free for ages 4 and under and members; parking free
Food on site
No food service mentioned; bottled water is sold at the Welcome Center (no drinking water on the trails).
Groups
Picnic spots are first-come, first-served; no picnic reservations are mentioned. The garden can't accommodate buses.
Dogs
No pets; service animals only (leashed dogs are allowed at the Acoustic Sunsets evening concerts).
Hours
Daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; arrive by 4:30 p.m.
Season
Open year-round except New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and the day after Christmas; closes early (2 p.m.) on New Year's Eve, the day before Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve. Closed Saturday, Oct. 3, 2026 for the Garden Gala.
House rules
Alcohol: Not addressed. The garden's visitor information encourages picnicking but says nothing about alcohol either way, so ask before bringing wine. Other rules: check in and pay at the Welcome Center; pack out all trash, including food waste; no pets (service animals only; leashed dogs are allowed only at the Acoustic Sunsets evening concerts); no smoking, biking or personal drones; stay on designated paths; no collecting seeds or cuttings; ticket sales are discouraged after 4:30 p.m.

What the picnic area is like

Picnic tables cluster by the parking lot and are scattered along the garden's paths, set among woodlands, seasonal blooms and valley views on a hillside off Highway 12. It's a hushed, museum-like place (a documented living collection that includes rare and endangered plants), best for a quiet lunch before or after a walk on its steep, gravelly trails.

  • Picnic tables
  • Gardens
  • Restrooms
  • Parking
  • Hiking trails

Good for: Quiet · Romantic · Views

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About Sonoma Botanical Garden

The former Quarryhill Botanical Garden in Glen Ellen actively encourages picnicking, with tables by the parking lot and along its hillside paths. At $17 per adult and with no stated alcohol policy, it suits a quiet garden lunch more than a wine picnic, and dogs must stay home.

  • Picnicking encouraged; tables near the lot and throughout the garden
  • Admission $17 adults; free parking
  • No pets (service animals only)
  • Restrooms by the parking-lot picnic area and near the Arbor
  • Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

More free spots in Sonoma CountyMore best views spots in Sonoma County

Make a day of it

Stock up at a deli nearby, then picnic close by — a short, easy loop.

  1. Glen Ellen Village Market

    Deli & market · Glen Ellen · about 1.6 mi away

  2. Sonoma Botanical Garden (this park)

    Park · Glen Ellen

  3. Mayo Family Winery (Glen Ellen Tasting Room)

    Winery · Glen Ellen · about 0.7 mi away

Pick up picnic food nearby

More picnic spots nearby

Winery

Mayo Family Winery (Glen Ellen Tasting Room)

Glen Ellen· 0.5 mi

Bring your own foodPurchase requiredNo reservationDogs OK

The Mayo family's walk-in tasting room at the south edge of Glen Ellen openly invites guests to bring a picnic to its courtyard and buy wine by the glass or bottle. Its 6:30pm closing is one of the latest in the valley.

Mayo Family Winery (Glen Ellen Tasting Room)

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine purchase
Required
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Outside
Fee
No fee listed

Nearest picnic food: Glen Ellen Village Market · 0.7 mi

Details: Mayo Family Winery (Glen Ellen Tasting Room)
Paved path winding through a grove of oaks, with a picnic table in the distance, at Sonoma Valley Regional Park in winter
Park

Sonoma Valley Regional Park

Glen Ellen· 0.8 mi

Bring your own foodNo reservationWine allowedDogs OK

A shady oak-woodland park on Highway 12 at the edge of Glen Ellen, with a grassy picnic and barbecue area at the entrance and an easy paved trail for an after-lunch stroll. Wine is allowed under county rules, and the off-leash dog park next to the lot makes it one of the valley's best picnic stops for dog owners.

Sonoma Valley Regional Park

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine allowed
yes
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Yes
Fee
$8/vehicle

Nearest picnic food: Glen Ellen Village Market · 0.7 mi

Details: Sonoma Valley Regional Park
Rows of leafy grapevines under a clear blue sky in the estate vineyard at Imagery Estate Winery
Winery

Imagery Estate Winery

Glen Ellen· 1 mi

Bring your own foodPurchase requiredNo reservationDogs OK

An art-driven small-lot winery on Hwy 12 known for its artist-designed labels and on-site gallery, with one of the easiest bring-your-own-picnic setups in Glen Ellen. Weekday picnic tables just need a bottle purchase; weekends add a table fee.

Imagery Estate Winery

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine purchase
Required
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
Outside
Fee
not confirmed

Nearest picnic food: Glen Ellen Village Market · 1.2 mi

Details: Imagery Estate Winery
Winery

Loxton Cellars

Glen Ellen· 1 mi

Bring your own foodPurchase requiredNo reservationVineyard views

A tiny, hands-on Glen Ellen winery run by Australian-born winemaker Chris Loxton, where tastings happen at picnic tables in the vines. Bringing your own food is openly encouraged, and the $20 tasting makes it one of the best-value picnic stops in the valley.

Loxton Cellars

Bring your own foodChecked Sep 2026
Own food
yes
Wine purchase
Required
Reservation
Not needed
Dogs
not confirmed
Fee
No picnic fee

Nearest picnic food: Glen Ellen Village Market · 1.8 mi

Details: Loxton Cellars

All picnic spots in Sonoma Valley →

Frequently asked questions

Can you picnic at Sonoma Botanical Garden?

Yes — Sonoma Botanical Garden has picnic areas open to the public. No reservation is needed for the picnic area. Fee: Garden admission $17 adults, $14 seniors 65+, $8 youth 5-17, teachers and active military.

Can you bring your own food to Sonoma Botanical Garden?

Yes. Outside food is allowed at Sonoma Botanical Garden.

Do you need a reservation to picnic at Sonoma Botanical Garden?

No reservation is needed to use the picnic area. Picnic spots are first-come, first-served; no picnic reservations are mentioned. The garden can't accommodate buses.

Is there a fee to picnic at Sonoma Botanical Garden?

Garden admission $17 adults, $14 seniors 65+, $8 youth 5-17, teachers and active military; free for ages 4 and under and members; parking free.

Are dogs allowed at Sonoma Botanical Garden?

No pets; service animals only (leashed dogs are allowed at the Acoustic Sunsets evening concerts).

Sources & accuracy

We last checked this listing in September 2026 (freshest source: Visit page updated Sept 2026; 2026 brochure (May 2026)). Policies change — especially for groups and holidays — so confirm with Sonoma Botanical Garden before you go. How we verify.

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