Windsor (California)

Windsor is a town of 27,000 people (2019) in Sonoma County in the Bay Area of California, 9 miles north of Santa Rosa and 63 miles north of San Francisco. It may not be on the main tourist trail through California's Wine Country, but it will appeal to people looking for small, family-owned businesses, an eclectic mix of shops, and summertime entertainment.



Get in
Windsor is primarily accessible by car, although it is also a destination for those bicycling through California's wine country. California Route 101, a restricted-access highway, runs through the middle of the town, and Old Redwood Highway (formerly Route 101) runs roughly parallel to the highway. The main commercial district is just south of the town square, just west of the central Windsor exit for Highway 101.

Just south of Windsor is the Charles M. Schulz - Sonoma County Airport, which has direct daily commercial flights from Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Denver, and Phoenix; daily summer flights from Dallas-Fort Worth; and weekly flights (seasonally) from Minneapolis and Las Vegas. There are several rental car options at the airport, and a bus (line 62N/62S) to and from Santa Rosa, a much larger city about five miles south of Windsor.

The Sonoma County Airport Express has multiple daily buses between the Sonoma County Airport and the Oakland and San Francisco airports. Locally, Sonoma County Transit (SCT) provides two connecting bus lines: Route 60, between Santa Rosa, Windsor, and (to the north) Healdsburg and Cloverdale; and Route 62, between Windsor, the Sonoma County Airport, and Santa Rosa. (SCT's "NextBus" system provides real-time bus arrival information via shelter LED signs, PCs, and smartphones.) Mendocino Transit Authority also serves Windsor.

Get around
The town of Windsor is almost completely flat, and almost all streets have sidewalks, so walking is feasible to most places within town limits. The town has been modifying streets to add bike lanes, and plans to continue to add to them. The town is actually one of the best in California for getting around by bike, though not many locals do so.

Sonoma County Transit has one bus line, Route 66, that provides service within Windsor; that service is free, as of Apr 2022, as it is subsidized by the town. There is one local taxi company, Windsor Express Taxi, but Santa Rosa and Healdsburg are close enough for their taxi companies to provide service to addresses within Windsor. Windsor is also fully served by Uber (more than 600 drivers in Sonoma County) and Lyft.

If you're driving, note that the traffic lights will change quickly, for example if there is no traffic coming toward a green light - the traffic system is designed to be very responsive. And blinking, yellow left-turn arrows (left turn permitted if no oncoming traffic) are common.

See
Windsor was a small north coast community which experienced noticeable development after it was incorporated in 1992. Visitors will find a mixture of revival architectural styles, built to create a new small town, near the new Town Green. This development demonstrates aspects of new urbanism and the growth supported by expanding interest in tourism in California's wine country.



Do
Windsor's "do" activities primarily relate to "buy" and "eat", but strolling around the downtown, investigating the small shops and restaurants, and enjoying activities on the town green may also be experienced without buying or eating anything. Most notable are the summer music concerts on Thursday nights (June through September) and kids movies on Saturdays (June and July), on the town green. See website. Both are free, though a donation is requested.

Options for activities include:


 * Billiards at Racks-N-Cues Billiards and Brews, open Su-Th 11:30AM-11:30PM, and until 1:30AM on weekend nights.
 * Bowling at the Windsor Bowling Center, which also has an escape room and several indoor miniature golf holes.
 * Renting a bike from Ace It! Bike Tours, two blocks from the Town Green, at 367 Windsor River Road. (You can also book a brewery and/or winery tour through Ace It!)
 * Golf at the Windsor Golf Club, a beautiful 18-hole course (not really a "club"; no membership required); there is also a driving range, and, near the pro shop, three greens to practice on (two putting, one chipping)
 * Hiking in a regional park. There are three in or near Windsor (before hiking, best to print a map), which are open from dawn to dusk:

For more ideas, check out the town's Visitor's Center, operated by the Windsor Chamber of Commerce, at 9001 Windsor Road. Their hours are M-F 8:30AM to 4:30PM, and Sa Su 10AM to 3PM.

Buy
Windsor offers a variety of local shops, plus the usual chain stores.

Downtown Windsor features many small shops with offerings ranging from apparel to candy to a lifestyle general store. Oliver's Market, just north of the Town Green, is an upscale supermarket.

One large cluster of retail locations within Windsor is two adjacent shopping complexes (Lakewood Shopping Center and Lakewood Village Shopping Center) just east of Highway 101, close to the central Windsor highway exit. Another large shopping center, just east of the Shiloh Road exit off 101, is anchored by Walmart, Home Depot, and Grocery Outlet. [Grocery Outlet is a West Coast chain — if you've never been to one, it's definitely worth a visit to at least browse.]

Almost all other retail businesses within Windsor are on Old Redwood Highway, which is roughly parallel to Highway 101, or on Conde Lane, also along Highway 101, south of downtown.

Eat
Visitors have their pick of several dozen restaurants, mostly not chain restaurants, ranging from pub fare to higher-end dining. Many are found just south or east of the town square, on McClelland Drive or on Windsor River Road.

The Windsor Farmers Market takes place Sundays, April through December (10AM-1PM), just off the town square. From June through August, it is also held Thursday evenings from 5-8PM; the Thursday version is oriented toward those listening to evening music on the town green (selling food to be eaten out) rather than toward those looking to buy produce.

The best restaurants in the town, listed alphabetically, are:



For dessert, consider these places:



Drink
Quite a few wineries with tasting rooms are located five to ten minutes drive outside Windsor's town limits, primarily to the north (along Old Redwood Highway) and south (on River Road or nearby) - too many to list. Below are wine, beer, and other tasting opportunities within town limits, or just outside them.

In the downtown Windsor area, you'll find these drinking opportunities within a block of the Town Green:


 * Wines: on Windsor Road, near the train station, at #9050, is Mutt Lynch Winery, a dog friendly hound lounge, tasting room, and gift shop; at #9058 is The Tasting Lounge for Baldassari Wines; at #9071 is Bellacana Vineyards; at #9086 is Tonti Family Wines (check out their Sunday jazz and other events). Around the corner, closer to the Town Green, at 834 McClelland Dr., is a combined tasting room for Mengler Family Wines; and [https://www.jcage.com/ J. Cage Cellars.


 * In Oliver's Market, at 9230 Old Redwood Highway, the Tavern Off The Green, with local beers on tap and an affordable tavern-style menu. Anything in the adjacent grocery store can be brought into the pub space. Open daily 11AM-8PM, with happy hour all day Sunday and 4-6PM on other days.
 * In Oliver's Market, at 9230 Old Redwood Highway, the Tavern Off The Green, with local beers on tap and an affordable tavern-style menu. Anything in the adjacent grocery store can be brought into the pub space. Open daily 11AM-8PM, with happy hour all day Sunday and 4-6PM on other days.

Clustered together, about 1.5 miles south of downtown, is a small beverage district. On weekends, there is a free shuttle service from the Airport station of the SMART train system.


 * Four producers, at Artisan Alley, are open to the public on Saturdays, 11AM to 4PM: Colagrossi Wines, at 7755 Bell Road; Sonoma Brothers Distilling, 7759 Bell Road; Tilted Shed Ciderworks, at 7761 Bell Road; and Two Shepherds Winery, at 7763 Bell Road. (Other days are by appointment only.)
 * Part of Artisan Alley, at 7765 Bell Rd, is Barley & Bine Beer Cafe, with 38 taps offering mostly craft beer, but also cider and wine. The cafe's food includes grilled sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, a cheese plate, and nachos. Open M 3-9PM, W Th noon-10PM, F Sa noon-11PM, and Su noon-9PM.
 * Zouzounis Wines (formerly Deux Amis), at 7680 Bell Rood, is open for tastings Sa and Su 1-4 PM.
 * Part of Artisan Alley, at 7765 Bell Rd, is Barley & Bine Beer Cafe, with 38 taps offering mostly craft beer, but also cider and wine. The cafe's food includes grilled sandwiches, flatbread pizzas, a cheese plate, and nachos. Open M 3-9PM, W Th noon-10PM, F Sa noon-11PM, and Su noon-9PM.
 * Zouzounis Wines (formerly Deux Amis), at 7680 Bell Rood, is open for tastings Sa and Su 1-4 PM.

Continuing south, you'll find a huge brewpub and brewing facility just off Conde Lane, completed in late 2018:

Just a short distance further south, around the corner from the Russian River Brewing Company, is another production facility opened in 2018:

In a commercial area off Shiloh Road, east of Highway 101, is a tasting room (plus production facilities) for a local brewery: Just south of town:



Sleep
There are three regular hotels in Windsor:

Besides the usual options for renting a private properties (via Airbnb or similar), there is also a timeshare complex where units can be rented:

Go next
By resisting the temptation to get back on Highway 101, and instead taking Old Redwood Highway (or other alternate routes), travelers will find many local spots of interest, from tamales vendors to wineries.