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Sit, Stay, Healdsburg BY BRADLEY LINCOLN
A placid Lake Healdsburg surrounded by crisp autumn colors.
ONCE UPON A TIME, THE SLEEPY SONOMA TOWN OF HEALDSBURG BILLED ITSELF AS “THE BUCKLE OF THE PRUNE BELT.” VINEYARDS WERE REPLACED WITH PLUM TREES AFTER PROHIBITION, BUT BY THE 1970S MOST REVERTED TO GRAPES. TODAY WINE IS THE WORD, AND THE CHARMING CITY HAS BECOME A DESTINATION REVERED BY OENOPHILES, OUTDOORSMEN, AND WORLD-CLASS CULINARIANS.
T
he 1849 Gold Rush lured Harmon Heald to the rolling hills of Northern California from Ohio, but when that pipe dream didn’t pan out, he built a post office and a general store and settled down in what is now Healdsburg. The picturesque town is located 70 miles north of San Francisco, at the confluence of the Russian River, Dry Creek, and Alexander Valleys wine regions. It routinely lands on lists of best American small towns to visit, and it’s ideal for a getaway weekend.
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