The Complete Dog Friendly Guide to Sebastopol, Sonoma County (California)

Looking for dog friendly things to do in Sonoma County? Then let me entice you with this dog friendly Sebastopol guide where you’ll find plenty of dog friendly activities to indulge in on a weekend getaway in this small, under the radar western Sonoma town. Keep on reading to discover how cool this town really is and why you should definitely take your dog to Sebastopol.

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DOG FRIENDLY SEBASTOPOL: WHY VISIT THIS WESTERN SONOMA TOWN WITH YOUR DOG?

Sebastopol is a small liberal, primarily agrarian community focused city in wine country (Sonoma county) tucked in between Santa Rosa and Bodega Bay. A tiny place packed with great restaurants, lots of wine tasting locations (being in the heart of wine country has its advantages) and a retreat from the hustle bustle of downtown Sonoma or the glamorous Healdsburg, Sebastopol is the place to go in Sonoma county if you’re craving a relaxing weekend.

 

Being on the western side of Sonoma County, Sebastopol is also much closer to the spectacular Sonoma Coast (which has some of the best stops between San Francisco and Mendocino that you must check out) and is also near the Bohemian Highway, which is one of the most scenic drives in wine country. It is also home to the open air food and shopping emporium, i.e. the Barlow and hiking trails connecting to Santa Rosa, all of which are dog friendly. So taking your dog to explore Sebastopol is a no-brainer.

 

Psst…. If you are interested in other Sonoma guides, read my posts on Gualala and Geyserville right here.

 

BEST TIME TO TAKE YOUR DOG TO SEBASTOPOL

I recommend all three seasons except summer (June-September). Sebastopol is inland and gets terribly hot in the summer, with mercury soaring up to 100F! That is definitely not an enjoyable time to be outside or go hiking.

 

DOG FRIENDLY HOTELS IN SEBASTOPOL

During our very first trip to Sebastopol with our first fur baby Babu, we found a great dog friendly Airbnb who not only accepted pets but lived on the property and were the most gracious hosts ever! Nancy and Tom (the hosts) are pet parents themselves (doggie Elsa, two cats and several pigeons) and they had set up an excellent place for us and Babu.

 

It was a section of the house completely separated from their main residence and was surrounded by acres of lush green garden with a patio and a fireplace (we city folks were so J seeing so much space around). The unit also has a kitchen, microwave and mini fridge (in case you want to cook) and a grill outside. We were very happy with the arrangements and Babu had a ball sniffing and exploring the garden.

 

 

DOG FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS IN SEBASTOPOL

Sebastopol has no dearth of dog friendly restaurants. We were famished upon arrival (around 12 noon or so) and immediately went up to a “Slice of Life”, a renowned vegetarian cafe with plenty of vegan choices in Sebastopol. The food was really good (my favorite tofu scramble was on the menu) but what was life altering was the chai-coconut ice-cream float!  Be sure to grab some if you ever visit dog friendly Sebastopol.

 

Next day, we had breakfast at  A Hole in the Wall, another popular spot in Sebastopol based on Yelp reviews, but really were not too excited about the food. It was too heavy for breakfast with all its egg and cheese (there were some vegetarian choices but it is definitely a no-no for my vegans).

 

Lunch in Sebastopol was at a charming Mediterranean restaurant named East West Mediterranean cafe with plenty of vegetarian/vegan options . Although there was outdoor seating, dogs were not allowed on the patio for some reason. Thankfully, they had an equally well shaded spot where we kept Babu with plenty of water and chose the table nearest to it. The food and service were impeccable and I had my best thirst quenching homemade lemonade to date there! 

 

Dinner was at the Hopmonk Tavern, a great dog friendly restaurant in Sebastopol to get a bite in a beautiful beer garden with live music (dogs are allowed in the garden). The food was eclectic American with some Indian inspired fares such as Hopmonk samosa (more like cross between tempura and wonton) and chicken philly on Naan (we had both plus a salad).

 

Next day started with a late breakfast at Viva Mexicana, the friendliest restaurant possible on earth with the best vegan coconut Horchata and Mexican tofu scramble. Plus we had a great secluded dog-friendly outdoor spot to us. Highly recommend this place for vegans and dog owners if you are visiting Sebastopol.

 

 

 

 

DOG FRIENDLY THINGS TO DO IN SEBASTOPOL

a) Visit The Barlow

The Barlow, a popular outdoor spot for food, wine tasting and shopping is one of the main attractions in Sebastopol and is dog friendly. This open space utilizes a repurposed apple tannery for arts, music, restaurants and other stores in Sebastopol. A very nifty, albeit pricey place to hang out we got some juice, a pie (very expensive again) and then I indulged in some wine tasting  as well since doing anything else in wine country would be a travesty.

 

There are several wine tasting rooms in that single street of the Barlow, but we chose the Macphail Tasting Lounge with proper outdoor seating where people seemed to be having a really good time and the  servers seemed pretty attentive.

 

Sriram is a teetotaler but I love me some good reds and this tasting room specializes in just that! Our server, a young guy, was extremely knowledgeable and I had a great time learning about the 6 different Pinot Noirs that I tasted (including a very strong Rosé that knocked me off a bit).

 

The tasting was$ 20 for five but he was generous to let me taste a 6th one since I professed my love for Oregon Pinots! Babu was especially patient through his Mom’s shenanigans with the grapes.

 

PS: If you’re visiting Sonoma county for extensive wine tasting, check out my list of dog friendly Sonoma wineries here.

 

 

 

b) Go on a dog friendly hike

Sebastopol’s most famous hiking trails are perhaps the West County and Joe Rodota trails (dog friendly, need to be on leash) which criss cross and meet the now abandoned Santa Rosa railroad further up.

 

We arrived at the trailhead and were really disappointed to see a paved road meant for bicyclists (my notion was circling more around a romantic scenario of rail tracks and dirt road) and so decided to just drive three miles up the Historic railroad square in Santa Rosa. That was the best decision ever made since the mercury was soaring with a whooping 95F!

 

 

c) Check out the historic railroad square in Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa is just south of Sebastopol and makes for a nice half day exploratory venue. The historic railroad square at Santa Rosa is a great place to start off if you’re visiting this town for the first time.

 

The Minnesotan in me leapt with joy when I saw several statues of the popular comics strip Peanuts erected everywhere and soon found out that this was a tribute from the city of Santa Rosa to its creator Charles Schulz. There were quite a few charming stores (thrift, antique and gift stores) in that block along with the Santa Rosa tourist information center, a small park, art galleries and some restaurants.

 

d) Visit Ragle Ranch Regional Park 

Howard regional park, a short driving distance away from Santa Rosa, was recommended to us by the Santa Rosa tourism office since it has shaded dog friendly hiking trails and a lake. We arrived there only to find a giant picnic area completely occupied by lots of families and major geese feeding at the lake. Lots of people? Not our scene. Scary looking geese? Not Babu’s scene. So a quick walk and we left ASAP for lunch.  

 

Post lunch,we drove to Ragle Ranch regional park, which is dog friendly and has an off leash area for non-aggressive dogs to play. Although there is a parking fee since it is a county park, we parked on the adjacent street and that turned out free and fine!

 

We arrived at the park around 6 PM (park is open till sundown) and loved the peace and quiet. We discovered a beautiful trail, hiked quite a bit and then started our return, only to stop and take in the beauty of the woods in the golden light of the dusk, not to mention a quick photo-shoot at a bench with a plaque saying “dogs are not our whole life but make our lives whole”. Sigh! dog lovers are the best!

 

 

 

e) Stroll down Main Street

Sebastopol’s downtown, i.e. Main Street is filled with lots of boutique stores for shopping, many of which are dog friendly. When in downtown, I recommend checking out the delicious chocolate truffles and caramels at Sonoma Chocolatiers.They have a small outdoor seating area where you can enjoy their tasty treats with your dog.

 

 

f) Check out the street art on Florence Avenue

Love art, but museums won’t let your precious pup in? No worries, just get your art fix by walking down Florence Avenue in Sebastopol to admire local artist Patrick Amiot’s junk art lining the street on either sides. Patrick welds these whimsical figures literally from metal scraps and junk while his wife Brigitte paints them to life. Their creations were such a delightful addition to an otherwise ordinary residential part of town!

 

 

 

This brings me to the end of this post on dog friendly Sebastopol. Hope you enjoyed reading it and got some good ideas on where to take your pet next! You can follow all our dog friendly adventures here so as not to miss out on any fun.

 

 

 

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