Windsor (California)

Windsor is in Sonoma County in the Bay Area of California.

Windsor Town Green

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 (STS ^IATA), which has one or more direct daily commercial flights to and from Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, and Phoenix, and weekly flights (seasonally) to Minneapolis and Las Vegas. There are several rental car options at the airport, as well as 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 provides bus service (on Route 60) between Santa Rosa, Windsor, and (to the north) Healdsburg and Cloverdale. (SCT's "NextBus" system provides real-time bus arrival information via shelter LED signs, PCs, and smartphones.)

Get around

Street view near downtown Windsor

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 through at least June 30, 2020. There is one local taxi company, Windsor Express Taxi, but both 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 as of mid-2015) and by Lyft.

If you're driving, note that the traffic lights will change quickly if there is no traffic coming toward green lights - the traffic system is designed to be very responsive.

See

Pacific Coast Air Museum

Windsor was a small north coast community which experienced noticeable development after it 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 as well as the growth supported by expanding interest in tourism in California's wine country.

• Windsor Historical Society & Museum, 9225 Foxwood Dr, ☎ [phone]. F-Su 9:30AM-4:30PM. A charming, small museum. A pleasant walking path along Windsor Creek is nearby (cross the bridge located to the northeast of the museum). Free. (updated Jun 2017)
• 🌍 Pacific Coast Air Museum, One Air Museum Way, Santa Rosa, ☎ [phone]. Tu Th Sa Su 10AM-4PM, closed major holidays. It's near the airport, so it is not in Windsor (but is close by). PCAM is definitely worth a visit for those interested in airplanes, or those with children old enough to be interested in the wide variety of (mostly) military planes, helicopters, and aircraft-related displays.  

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 actually buying or eating anything. Most notable are the summer music concerts on Thursday nights (June 9 through September 1, 2016) and kids movies on Saturdays (June and July), on the town green. Both are free, though a donation is requested.

Options for activities include:

• Golf at the Windsor Golf Club
• Bowling at the Windsor Bowling Center, which also has indoor miniature golf and an escape room.
• Renting a bike at the Windsor Bicycle Center
• Feeding some goats (alas, "Panther", the local Brahma bull, died in June 2015)
• 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:
  • Riverfront Regional Park. The easiest (flat), but lacking in longer hiking opportunities. The complete trail around the lake, which takes less than an hour to walk, is problematical in the months during and immediately after heavy rains. (updated Jun 2017)
  • Foothill Regional Park. Relatively easy trails, and some great views 
  • Shiloh Ranch Regional Park. With the least-developed trails, and more elevation changes (updated Jun 2017)
• Mystery dinner theater. At Charlie's Restaurant, near the golf course, on select Friday and Saturday nights 
• Golden Nectar Farm, 6364 Starr Road, ☎ [phone]. Tours are by appointment only, but fresh produce is available (without an appointment or taking a tour) eight months a year. Tours: $15/person, $30 minimum, children under 18 are free. (updated Aug 2018)

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. Downtown Windsor features many little shops with offerings ranging from apparel to candy. Elsewhere in the town, travelers will find essentials and the usual small-town businesses for groceries, gas, and other basics. 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 Office Depot. Most other 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 restaurants that range 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 to 1PM), just off the town square. From June through August, it is also held Thursday evenings from 5 to 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 are (listed alphabetically):

• Himalayan Restaurant, 810 McClelland Dr, ☎ [phone]. Tu-Su 11:30AM-2:30PM, 5PM-9PM. A wide variety of really good food; the top-rated restaurant in Windsor. 
• KC's Downtown Grill, 9501 Duvander Ln, ☎ [phone]. Daily 7AM-9PM. Facing the town green, the restaurant aims to "capture the exciting times of the post-modern late 50s and early 60s, when Elvis was King and The Jetson's was the coolest show on television!" There is a covered patio, so diners can eat outside year-round. 
• KIN, 740 McClelland Dr, ☎ [phone]. Daily 11AM to 10PM. Opposite the town green, featuring fresh food with interesting flavor combinations. Try the sweet potato fries or tater tots. 
• Tisza, 8757 Old Redwood Hwy, ☎ [phone]. Daily 6:30-10:30 AM, 11AM - 2PM, 5:30-10PM daily. Well-prepared, upscale, but not expensive New American food, located (somewhat incongruously) in a Holiday Inn hotel. For those taking highway 101, convenient location just off exit to downtown Windsor; free parking in hotel garage. Opened September 2017. (updated Oct 2017)
• Tomi Thai Restaurant, 426 Emily Rose Circle, ☎ [phone]. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. It's small, and tucked away two blocks from the town green, but worth searching out (and making reservations for) if you like Thai food. (updated Oct 2017)
• Ume Japanese Bistro, 8710 Old Redwood Highway, ☎ [phone]. M-F 11AM-2:30PM; M-Sa 4:30PM-9:30PM. Good Japanese food, just east of the central Windsor exit off Highway 101. 

For dessert, consider two places on the south side of the Town Green:

• Cravin's Candy Emporium, 720 McClelland Dr, ☎ [phone]. M-F 11AM-9PM, Sa 10AM-9PM, Su 10AM-8PM. An incredible variety of candy and other sweets, plus ice cream. Ideal for kids and for those looking for memories of being a kid. (Formerly Powell's Sweet Shoppe.) 
• Dave's Gourmet Ice Cream, sold at Café Nōtō, 630 McClelland Drive (open until 5PM daily)

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).

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

• A tasting room for a local brewer, Old Redwood Brewing Company. On the same block (at #9050) is Mutt Lynch Winery, a dog friendly hound lounge, tasting room, and gift shop.
• In Oliver's Market (new, May 2016), 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 Su-W 11AM - 8PM, Th-Sa 11AM-10PM.
• Jaded Toad, 275 Windsor River Rd, ☎ [phone]. Daily 11AM-10PM. Barbeque/Cajun/Southern; the attraction for drinkers is the beer garden and fire pits. Some people love the food, but quality - and service - can be very inconsistent. (updated May 2018)

Clustered together, about a mile south of downtown, is a small beverage district:

• Tap Room of St. Florian's Brewery, 7704A Bell Road, ☎ [phone]. Th 4-8PM, F-Su noon-8PM. Food is available from a food truck on Thursday through Saturday; snacks are sold inside; includes a patio and game room (with a sandbox on the patio) 
• Guerrero Fernandez Winery, 7724 Bell Road, ☎ [phone]. F-Su 11AM - 5PM. The wine tasting room opened December 2016. 
• Four producers, at Artisan Alley, are open to the public on Saturdays, 11AM to 4 PM: Tilted Shed Ciderworks, at 7761 Bell Road; Colagrossi Wines, at 7755 Bell Road; Sonoma Brothers Distilling, 7759 Bell Road; and Two Shepherds Winery, at 7763 Bell Road. (Other days are by appointment only.)
• Also part of Artisan Alley, opened January 2018, 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. It opens at 11 a.m., Wed thru Mon, and closes at 9 p.m. (Su), 10 p.m. (M,W,Th), or midnight (F,Sa).
• K Squared Cellars, 7975 Cameron Dr., Bldg 1500-A, ☎ [phone]. F 1-6 PM; Sa noon-6 PM; Su noon-5PM; M-Th 10AM-6PM by appointment only. New in Windsor as of 2018. (updated May 2018)

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

• Russian River Brewing Company, 700 Mitchell Lane, ☎ [phone]. The beer is exceptional, the quality of the food and service yet to be definitely determined. The original RRBC location in downtown Santa Rosa is still open. (updated Oct 2018)

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

• Grand Cru Custom Crush, 1200 American Way (off Conde Lane), ☎ [phone]. By appointment, can taste wines made by around a dozen boutique wineries. Tours are also available. (updated Feb 2018)

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

• Barrel Brothers Brewing, 399 Business Park Ct, Ste 506, ☎ [phone]. Th-F 4PM - 8PM, Sa Su 1PM - 8 PM. The tasting room opened July 2016. 

Sleep

There are three regular hotels in Windsor:

• Hampton Inn and Suites, 8937 Brooks Road South, ☎ [phone]. 
• Holiday Inn Express, 8865 Conde Ln, ☎ [phone]. 
• Holiday Inn, 8755 Old Redwood Hwy (just east of highway 101, off the central exit to Windsor), ☎ [phone]. Opened September 2017 (updated Oct 2017)

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

• WorldMark Windsor, 1251 Shiloh Rd, ☎ [phone]. (A Wyndham property) 

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.

Routes through Windsor

Eureka ← Healdsburg ←

N  S

→ Santa Rosa → San Francisco