Windsor (California)

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), which has one or more direct daily commercial flights to and from Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Orange County, San Diego, Denver, and Phoenix; daily summer flights to Dallas-Fort Worth; and weekly flights (seasonally) to 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 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.)

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 until June 30, 2020. 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 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.

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.

• Windsor Historical Society & Museum

  phone: +1 707 838-4563
  address: 9225 Foxwood Dr
  A charming, small museum. A pleasant walking path along Windsor Creek is nearby (cross the bridge located to the northeast of the museum).

• Pacific Coast Air Museum

  phone: +1 707 575-7900
  address: One Air Museum Way, Santa Rosa
  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.

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 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:

• Golf at the Windsor Golf Club, a beautiful 18-hole course (not really a "club"; no membership required)
• Bowling at the Windsor Bowling Center, which also has indoor miniature golf and an escape room.
• Renting a bike, either at the Windsor Bicycle Center, off the town green, or from Ace It! Bike Tours, two blocks away on Windsor River Road. (You can also book a brewery and/or winery tour through Ace It!)
• 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 ParkThe 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.

• Foothill Regional ParkRelatively easy trails, and some great views

• Shiloh Ranch Regional ParkWith the least-developed trails, and more elevation changes

Mystery dinner theaterAt Charlie's Restaurant, near the golf course, on select Friday and Saturday nights

Golden Nectar Farm

phone: +1 707 838-8189

address: 6364 Starr Road

Tours are by appointment only, but fresh produce is available (without an appointment or taking a tour) eight months a year.

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.

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/suburban 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.

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:

• Ana’s Cafe and Espresso

  phone: +1 707 837-0680
  address: 10333 Old Redwood Hwy
  It's small; it's in a strip mall; the decor is nothing to write home about. But the breakfast burrito gets near-universal raves, as does the Mexican mocha. And Ana herself.

• Barley & Bine Beer Cafe

  phone: +1 707 657-7774
  address: 7765 Bell Rd
  Tucked away in the beverage district about a mile south of downtown, the cafe offers simple but creative food, plus 38 taps with a rotating section of craft beer, cider, and wine (four options). For families, there is a "Kids Corner " for the young ones.

• Cocina Mana

  phone: +1 707 657-7701
  address: 9238 Old Redwood Hwy, Ste 128
  Handmade, slow-cooked Mexican comfort food; a great place for those who say "I don't like Mexican restaurant food" to find out that it in fact can be both tasty and healthy.

• Himalayan Restaurant

  phone: +1 707 838-6746
  address: 810 McClelland Dr
  A wide variety of really good food; the top-rated restaurant in Windsor.

• KC's Downtown Grill

  phone: +1 707 838-7800
  address: 9501 Duvander Ln
  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 Jetsons was the coolest show on television!" There is a covered patio, so diners can eat outside year-round. The diner-style breakfast menu is epic; try the Famous Potato Pancakes.

• Khum Koon Thai Cafe

  phone: +1 707 892-2997
  address: 186 Windsor River Rd
  The food may not be quite as flavorful as that Tomi Thai, but it may be slightly fresher. In any case, it's a lot easier to get a table here (where Chinois used to be), and what's offered is very good Thai food.

• KIN

  phone: +1 707 837-7546
  address: 740 McClelland Dr
  Opposite the town green, featuring fresh food with interesting flavor combinations. Try the sweet potato fries or tater tots.

• Skillets Cafe

  phone: +1 707 657-7599
  address: 8776 Lakewood Dr
  A breakfast/brunch/lunch restaurant at the end of a shopping center, the large menu includes sandwiches, burgers, and wraps, as well as breakfast food served at any time.

• Sweet T's Restaurant + Bar

  phone: +1 707 687-5185
  address: 9098 Brooks Rd S
  Southern-style cuisine, wine country version. Reservations strongly recommended.

• Tisza

  phone: +1 707 838 5100
  address: 8757 Old Redwood Hwy
  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.

• Tomi Thai Restaurant

  phone: +1 707 836-1422
  address: 426 Emily Rose Circle
  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.

• Ume Japanese Bistro

  phone: +1 707 838-6700
  address: 8710 Old Redwood Highway
  Good Japanese food, just east of the central Windsor exit off Highway 101.

For dessert, consider these places:

• Cravin's Candy Emporium

  phone: +1 707 836-0808
  address: 720 McClelland Dr
  An incredible variety of candy and other sweets, plus ice cream. Ideal for kids and for those looking for memories of being a kid.

• Mango's (Flavor Fiesta)

  phone: +1 707 517-0096
  address: 8499 Old Redwood Hwy, Ste 108
  A diverse dessert and refreshment shop serving excellent Boba, coffee, drinks, and ice cream; next to Round Table Pizza in the Palms Shopping Center.

• Two Dog Night Creamery

  phone: +1 707 837-5965
  address: 9240 Old Redwood Hwy, Ste 100
  Fresh, organic, locally sourced ingredients in their gelato-style ice cream, using liquid nitrogen.

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

• 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 (new, 2019)
• 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

  phone: +1 707 838-8336
  address: 275 Windsor River Rd
  Barbeque/Cajun/Southern; the attraction for drinkers is the beer garden (two dozen craft options on tab) and fire pits. Some people love the food, but quality - and service - can be very inconsistent.

East of downtown, in a shopping center, is the newest brewpub in Windsor:

• No Quarter Brewing

  phone: +1 707 529-1870
  address: 8786 Lakewood Dr
  Serving small-batch craft beers, produced onsite, along with sausages from Healdsburg's Journeyman Meat Company. Mondays you can bring your own vinyl record(s) to play.

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

• Tap Room of St. Florian's Brewery

  phone: +1 707 838-2739
  address: 7704A Bell Road
  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

  phone: +1 707 953-7956
  address: 7724 Bell Road
  The wine tasting room opened December 2016.
• Four producers, at Artisan Alley, are open to the public on Saturdays, 11AM to 4PM: 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 W-M at 11AM and closes Su at 9PM, M W Th at 10PM,and F Sa at midnight.

• K Squared Cellars

  phone: +1 707 687-3300
  address: 7975 Cameron Dr., Bldg 1500-A
  New in Windsor as of 2018.

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

• Russian River Brewing Company

  phone: +1 707 545-2337
  address: 700 Mitchell Lane
  An 85,000 square-foot, 195-seat brewpub, with patio and a one-acre, pet-friendly beer garden. The beer is exceptional, the quality of the food and service a bit inconsistent. Free guided tours are available by reservation. The original RRBC location in downtown Santa Rosa is still open.

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

  phone: +1 707 687-0905
  address: 1200 American Way
  By appointment, can taste wines made by around a dozen boutique wineries. Tours are also available.

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

  phone: +1 707 696-9487
  address: 399 Business Park Ct, Ste 506
  The tasting room opened July 2016.

There are three regular hotels in Windsor:

• Hampton Inn and Suites

  phone: +1 707 837-9355
  address: 8937 Brooks Road South
  If you're staying here, avoid the Applebee's restaurant nextdoor, unless you really like eating at that chain. There are four much better restaurants within two blocks.

• Holiday Inn Express

  phone: +1 707 837-0808
  address: 8865 Conde Ln
  For those who want to walk around downtown Windsor, the closest hotel, five or so blocks to the Town Green. It features an indoor heated pool, and the bowling alley is next door.

• Holiday Inn

  phone: +1 707 838-8800
  address: 8755 Old Redwood Hwy
  Opened September 2017; underground parking and an excellent restaurant (Tisza) on the ground floor.

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

  phone: +1 707 836-2420
  address: 1251 Shiloh Rd
  A Wyndham property, almost next to the Windsor Golf Club's 18-hole golf course. If you're disinclined to drive, Charlie's Restaurant - an easy walk - isn't bad.

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.