Sonoma, Beer County

Many folks may consider Sonoma County as just wine country, but that just is not true. Sonoma county is also home to some amazing micro-breweries!

Here in Healdsburg, we have the Bear Republic Brewing Company, home of the Racer 5 IPA, and an award winner at the 2011 Great American Beer Festival.

Santa Rosa is home to 3^rd Street Aleworks and Russian River Brewing Company. Russian River is already infamous to the beer snob for their Pliny the Elder double IPA, and it’s harder to find Pliny the Younger (which will be released on February 3, 2012 and available for 14 days on draft at the brewery only, so mark your calendars!). They are also home to some very tasty pizzas, calzones and beer bites (pizza dough with various toppings). Don’t forget though, this is still Wine Country, and you can find Seghesio Zin and La Crema Pinot at Russian River as well!

3^rd Street Alworks offers an array of locally named beers, from Annadel Pale Ale to Bodega Head IPA and Goat Rock Dopplebock, as well as pool tables and lots of TVs for your game viewing pleasure.

One of my favorites for atmosphere is Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma. A long drive from Healdsburg, but a great stop on your way into the area. They have a fun, casual beer garden and feature a local band every evening. Here, try their most well known IPA, or for something a little different go for A little sumpin’ sumpin ale, or the hairy eyeball for something a little darker!

So, next time you’re wine tasting in Sonoma, don’t forget to take a break from all that wine sipping, and grab a beer!

Early 2012 local events!

Today I was perusing upcoming Wine Country events, and have to admit I’m pretty excited about the first weekend of February. Not only is it Super Bowl Weekend (and with the way the season is going, I’d be excited to see either Green Bay or San Francisco go all the way!), but it’s also the weekend of Silver Oak’s bi-annual release party (always a blast!), AND the 23^rd annual crab festival at the Sonoma County fairgrounds!

But let’s not forget about January, which features one of my favorite Wine Road events, Winter Wineland. This economically priced event is an excellent way to visit local wineries, but what really makes this event stand out is that each winery features either a local artist, or an educational display, and really showcases Sonoma County. The event happens the weekend of January 14^th, and tickets are already on sale! Discounted, advanced ticket sales end January 9^th, so don’t forget to get yours ahead of time!

Goodbye to our Magnolia Tree

We were heartbroken recently to have to say goodbye to our Magnolia Tree that has graced the front yard of the Honor Mansion for more than 130 years! It was actually planted before the house was built in 1883. Unfortunately, as it was very old and dying, it had become a hazard and had to be removed.

It was hard to watch it go, not only for us, but for the neighborhood. We had several phone calls of condolences for the loss!

Our Magnolia Room, which had faced out on this tree, will keep it's name as an honor to the old tree. We are in the process of re-landscaping the front yard. While still in the works, I'm sure the result will be something beautiful and relaxing, in keeping with the look and feel of the Honor Mansion Resort.

Honor Mansion Wins 2 Traveler Choice Awards!

The Honor Mansion, A Resort Inn HONORED AS BEST SERVICE AND ROMANCE IN THE

2011 TRIPADVISOR TRAVELERS’ CHOICE AWARDS

Healdsburg, CA, January 19, 2011 –The Honor Mansion, A Resort Inn was chosen as a Best Service Hotel and Best Romance Hotel by TripAdvisor® in its 2011 Travelers’ Choice® awards. Now in its ninth year, the annual TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice awards honor the world’s best hotels, earning their distinction from those who know them best – real travelers.

Unlike any other hotel awards programs in the world, TripAdvisor® Travelers' Choice® winners are based on the millions of real and unbiased reviews and opinions about hotels on tripadvisor.com™ and content from across the web.

“With the help of millions of travelers around the globe, TripAdvisor is thrilled to recognize the world’s most outstanding hotels for the ninth year of the Travelers’ Choice Awards,” said Karen Drake, senior director of communications for TripAdvisor. “From the best bargain hotels to best luxury hotels, remarkable service, value and quality are the hallmarks of our Travelers’ Choice winners.”

For reviews on the Honor Mansion, A Resort Inn, go to http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g32482-d113721-Reviews-Honor_Mansion_A_Resort_Inn-Healdsburg_Sonoma_County_California.html

For the complete 2011 Travelers’ Choice list, go to www.tripadvisor.com/travelerschoice.

The Honor Mansion is not just the only AAA 4 diamond property in Healdsburg, but has been awarded this prestigious honor 13 consecutive years. In addition, the Honor Mansion has maintained a #1 rating on Tripadvisor and has also been awarded a perfect quality inspection 2 consecutive times by Select Registry, Distinguished Inns of North America.

The Honor Mansion is a resort inn located in the beautiful Sonoma Wine Country of California. The Honor Mansion is an intimate resort with thirteen, unique, luxurious rooms spread over a four acre property. Registered guests enjoy a full gourmet breakfast buffet each morning in the dining room and after a day of exploring wine country, enjoy wine and appetizers every afternoon and a plethora of amenities the guest rooms and property offers. While the beautiful wine country offers endless possibilities of activities, don’t forget to save some time to spend on the property to enjoy the lap pool, competition croquet and bocce ball courts, PGA putting green, tennis, basketball and spa services! Are all those games leaving you hungry? Help yourself to the endless cookies, fruit, candy, coffee or soda always available in and around the property.

The Honor Mansion is less than a mile from downtown, just a short walk. Because of this our 4 acres can seem like a peaceful oasis, away from the hustle and bustle of the Square, but close enough to easily walk into town for wine tasting, shopping, and dining at the numerous award winning restaurants. Due to our quiet location, the fact that our insurance prohibits children under the age of 16 on the property, and our long list of complimentary amenities, you can rest assured that your stay at the Honor Mansion will be restful and rejuvenating, the perfect escape.

About TripAdvisor

TripAdvisor® is the world’s largest travel site, enabling travelers to plan and have the perfect trip. TripAdvisor offers trusted advice from real travelers and a wide variety of travel choices and planning features (including Flights search, TripAdvisor Mobile and TripAdvisor Trip Friends) with seamless links to booking tools.

TripAdvisor® Media Group, operated by TripAdvisor LLC, attracts more than 50 million unique monthly visitors* across 17 popular travel brands**. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 40 million unique monthly visitors***, 20 million members, and over 40 million reviews and opinions. The sites operate in 27 countries worldwide****, including China under daodao.com. TripAdvisor also operates TripAdvisor for Business, a dedicated division that provides the tourism industry access to TripAdvisor’s millions of monthly visitors. The division includes Business Listings, which allows hoteliers to connect directly to millions of researching travelers, and Vacation Rentals, which helps property managers and individual home owners list their properties and showcase hotel alternatives.

TripAdvisor Media Group websites have been recognized as top travel resources in 2010 by Condé Nast Traveller, Good Housekeeping, TIME magazine and Travel + Leisure.

TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Group are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. (NASDAQ: EXPE).

TripAdvisor and the TripAdvisor logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

©2010 TripAdvisor LLC. All rights reserved.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Media Group Sites, Worldwide, August 2010

** In addition to TripAdvisor, The TripAdvisor Media Group of websites includes: www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.familyvacationcritic.com, www.flipkey.com, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.sniqueaway.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com, www.virtualtourist.com and www.kuxun.cn.

***Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Sites, Worldwide, August 2010

**** TripAdvisor sites operate in 27 countries worldwide: www.tripadvisor.com, www.tripadvisor.co.uk, www.tripadvisor.ca, www.tripadvisor.it, www.tripadvisor.es, www.tripadvisor.de, www.tripadvisor.fr, www.tripadvisor.jp, www.daodao.com, www.tripadvisor.in, www.tripadvisor.se, nl.tripadvisor.com, www.tripadvisor.com.br, www.tripadvisor.com.tr, www.tripadvisor.dk, www.tripadvisor.com.mx, www.tripadvisor.ie, www.tripadvisor.com.au, www.tripadvisor.com.sg, www.tripadvisor.co.kr, no.tripadvisor.com, pl.tripadvisor.com, th.tripadvisor.com, www.tripadvisor.ru, www.tripadvisor.com.gr/, www.tripadvisor.co.id and www.tripadvisor.com.ar.

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Contacts:

Amelie Hurst TripAdvisor (consumer media) P: 415-829-8158 F: 617.670.6301 ahurst@tripadvisor.com www.tripadvisor.com

Kevin Carter TripAdvisor (business media) P: 617.795.7577 kcarter@tripadvisor.com www.tripadvisor.com

The Honor Mansion, A Resort Inn Healdsburg, California p. 707-433-4277 innkeeper@honormansion.com www.honormansion.com