Giants & Grapes: Sonoma Redwoods & Russian River Escape

The ‘experience’ began with an on-time pickup in a very clean, comfortable vehicle with guide/driver Steven Schwenka, a San Francisco native. His knowledge of the city led us to wonderful unique stops for amazing and unusual vistas as we began our journey. Steven shared interesting tid bits about the architecture, the earthquake/fire damage, the Presidio and, of course, The Golden Gate Bridge. Before arriving at the glorious Armstrong Woods, he played a video to give us perspective on how the preserve developed with archival photos and historic commentary. Steven gave us detailed guidance including time allotment at each of our three stops. The plan gave us ample time at each. The two vineyards were delightful and very different in atmosphere: Hook and Ladder was easy, like visiting family that happened to have a vineyard, Kendal Jackson reminded us of French provincial vineyards with a more elegant presentation at the tasting. Each provided tastes of beautiful, distinct wines. With just a few minutes remaining, Steven guided us through the garden at KJ for a very personal experience with fruits and vegetables grown on the property. This tour provides the perfect combination of the natural wonders and the signature agriculture of this area.

What a great, fun day! Trevor was fantastic! The walk in the Armstrong woods was amazing, trees are just incredible! The temperature was just right. Next having lunch at Kendal Jackson winery did not disappoint! Over all we had a great time! Definitely try this one!

We had an amazing day with our guide, Alex. He was super knowledgeable and easygoing, which made the tour really enjoyable. The weather couldn’t have been better, and the walk through the forest was so peaceful. The wine tasting was a lot of fun, and our picnic lunch was absolutely delicious. We even got to meet some fellow travelers and shared a bottle of local wine together. Truly a wonderful day — thank you!

We did the Russian River Valley Wineries and Redwoods Day Trip with Best Bay Area Tours, and it was outstanding. The tour was intended to be small, but we ended up being the only two participants after a last-minute cancellation, which made the experience even more special. Our guides, Kurt and Derek, were excellent - friendly, knowledgeable, and a joy to spend the day with. They even recommended restaurants to try in the area. We started at Armstrong Redwoods State Park in the morning, which was incredible: peaceful, awe-inspiring, and completely empty. It was a far more serene experience than the often crowded Muir Woods. Afterward, we visited two wineries, Hook & Ladder and Kendall-Jackson. Both were quiet on a Wednesday afternoon, allowing us to enjoy the wine with personalized attention from the staff, and we purchased bottles at both locations. The tour ended with a stop at a stunning, perfectly empty Golden Gate Bridge viewing spot. This was easily the highlight of our week-long trip to San Francisco. Highly recommended!

We had a great day with Brian our tour guide. He was full of information and just a nice chill kind of guy. The weather was perfect, the walk through the Redwoods pleasant and the wine tasting a fun experience. Our tour included a delicious picnic lunch. We made friends with some of the tour group and shared a bottle of wine we bought from Hook & Ladder at lunch time. Overall a beautiful day. Thank you!

The guide was wonderful and knowledgeable. We were picked up right on time from the hotel. The Armstrong Redwoods were amazing and the wine tasting was lovely. The other group on our tour with us were also very nice company. We would absolutely choose Best Bay Area Tours again if we were back out in San Francisco!

This was an amazing intimate experience and Kurt our tour guide was incredible. Loved the whole day!

The drive to Armstrong forest was worth the time! Amazing trees and the scenery along the way was lovely too. The Russian River Valley is a must see!

Excellent tour. Our tour guide, David, was very knowledgeable, accommodating, and super friendly. The picnic was a nice touch and very good. We were very pleased with our day and would recommend this tour if you’re looking to get a lot into one day.

We had a brilliant day with Phil as our guide today. Started off with a great photo opportunity of the Golden Gate Bridge then headed to the Armstrong Redwood park for a walk around in the woods. The vineyards we then visited were both very different but fantastic in their own ways and we all really enjoyed the wine and experience. Phil was extremely helpful and friendly and we couldn’t have asked for a better guide. Would highly recommend