Town Guide · Sonoma County · Modern Love Living
Jack London's town. Smaller, slower, leafier.
A creek, a few inns, a Michelin-recognized restaurant in a converted general store, and a state park named after a writer. Glen Ellen is what Sonoma was before Sonoma got busy.
The brief
Glen Ellen is what people mean when they say wine country. Two creeks, a covered bridge, an inn with a porch you don't want to leave. Jack London State Historic Park starts where the town ends. Benziger and Imagery are five minutes apart. The Olive Press still presses olive oil. Glen Ellen Star is the kind of restaurant you build a weekend around. There's nothing to do here, which is what people who have been working too hard come here for. Bring a paperback and the partner you don't need to entertain.
What to do
Experience 01
The trail to the Wolf House ruins is the only one you need.
Experience 02
A French bakery on the creek. The almond croissant, full stop.
Experience 03
Tour, tasting, a bottle of Sonoma estate-pressed to take home.
Experience 04
Martini bar, two leather chairs, a fire, the rest of the evening.
Experience 05
Up the road in Kenwood — the high meadow, the hawks, no cell service.
Where to stay
The legacy stay
1892 yellow ranch house, six rooms, breakfast on the wraparound porch.
The inn
Eight ryokan-style suites, garden soaking tubs, the quietest stay in the valley.
The inn
Three secluded cottages with private patios behind the restaurant.
The private rental
For the longer trip. Pool, kitchen, no neighbors.
Where to eat
Les Pascals
French bakery on the creek. The almond croissant.
Glen Ellen Village Market
The deli counter assembles the picnic you've been thinking about.
Glen Ellen Star
Wood-fired everything. The only reservation in town that matters.
The Fig Café (in Glen Ellen Inn)
Rustic Cal-French, garden tables, the flatbread.
Auteur Cellars Tasting Room
Single-vineyard pinot in a residential cottage. A pour, then dinner.
The tasting list
Sonoma Valley
Biodynamic farm tour, tram through the vineyard, the most accessible serious tasting in the valley.
Sonoma Valley
Five minutes from town. Garden tasting, picnic-friendly, art-forward.
Sonoma Valley
By appointment. Estate-grown Rhône blends. A jewel-box experience.
From the magazine
Weekend Guide · Sonoma
The weekend that remembers why you picked each other.
Read · 8 min →
Intimacy · An Essay
The Tuesday evening that becomes the one you remember.
Read · 7 min →The honest answers
Smaller, leafier, slower. Sonoma has a plaza and a hundred restaurants. Glen Ellen has a creek and three you'd cross a bridge for.
Yes. Glen Ellen rewards short drives — Jack London Park, the Olive Press, Kenwood wineries are all five-minute hops.
Better for second-timers. First wine country trip should be Sonoma or Healdsburg. Come back to Glen Ellen.
Barely — and that's the point. Two restaurants, a bakery, a market, an inn. You came to be off-grid in walking distance of a tasting room.
A Sunday-evening dispatch — one story worth reading in bed, one Tuesday idea, and the occasional very good bottle. Intimate, not noisy. Unsubscribe whenever.
One letter a week. Your inbox stays yours.
Keep reading
