Touring Southern Sonoma County: Sebastopol, Occidental, and Petaluma

In the southern tip of the county, off U.S. 101, historic Petaluma is loaded with Victorian and turn-of-the-century homes---it has one of the highest such concentrations in the region.

Sebastopol, which is situated at the intersection of Hwys. 12 and 116, is a town of about 8,000. It's blessed with a plethora of pick-your-own farms, plus several good restaurants. On weekends, carloads of folks, including more than a few gays and lesbians, head down here to browse through Midgley's Country Flea Market. For more serious pieces, and still plenty of affordable bric-a-brac, try the Sebastopol Antique Mall.

Over two weekends in late May and early June, you can get a great sense of the town's creative vibe during the Art at the Source festival, when local studios of more than 100 artists open their doors to the public. The Gravenstein Apple Fair in mid-August is another fun time to visit town.

From Monte Rio, a trip along the meandering Bohemian Highway leads to tiny Occidental, an old redwood-logging village that's now a haven of turn-of-the-century homes as well as antique dealers, galleries, and two legendary, homestyle Italian restaurants, the Union Hotel and Negri's. This small town also sponsors a fine chamber music and arts program, through the Redwood Arts Council.

In the southern tip of the county, off U.S. 101, historic Petaluma is city of about 55,000, and it's loaded with Victorian and turn-of-the-century homes - it has one of the highest such concentrations in the region. Boating and kayaking are popular activities along downtown's Petaluma River, testimony to this small city's early history as one of the state's major river ports. Walking through it's Americana-infused streets you'll think you could be just about anywhere in the country: sure enough, the neighborhood scenes in American Graffiti, Mumford, Pleasantville, and Peggy Sue Got Married were filmed here. The city has a nice little clutch of .noteworthy attractions