We were in studio doing our night show in the fall when Anthony came across AutoCamp. We both gasped and knew we had to check one out. Fast forward to now and we got to team up with this innovative company!! We visited AutoCamp's Russian River location in Sonoma County, specifically Guerneville, California it was one of the most exciting, yet random weekends, ever.
Upon checking in to AutoCamp you are greeted by a gorgeous wall made out of firewood that houses the clubhouse. This is a common area that was pretty quiet the entire time we were there. It was semi closed in but you still felt as if you were outside. People gathered around the most perfect fire to play board games or enjoy a snack. You can purchase local beer, wine, snacks, and merch! This also housed the common showers for those staying in tents during warmer months. Saying "common shower" doesn't do it justice, they were GORGEOUS. There was free yoga in the morning AND breakfast. There were warm biscuits from Big Bottom Market (more to come) and you could make your own fresh squeezed OJ. I was in my glory.
I've always known Airstreams were cool but could have never imagined the inside of an AutoCamp Airstream would look like #ApartmentGoals. I have showed this picture to everyone as my way to explain how awesome this place is but... THIS WAS THE SHOWER
The inside of the AutoCamp airstream was way trendier than my Seattle apartment. This is the PERFECT way to explore a new city yet get the outdoorsy camping vibe while sleeping in something that feels like a 5-Star hotel and not on the floor of a poorly pitched tent.
I could have probably stayed at AutoCamp the entire weekend and relaxed by the fire with a book but I did the exact opposite. Anthony and I connected with Michael Volpatt, the owner of Guerneville's local go-to breakfast and lunch spot, Big Bottom Market. He's also the creator of the biscuit's that were featured on Oprah's Favorite Things in 2016. Michael is basically Guerneville's guru. He set us up with the best wine-tasting, food, and adventures.
Michael took us to the Islands in the Sky Vista hike. Although it was extremely steep and I was sweating my butt off, it was GORGEOUS.
After the hike we showered, picked up lunch from Big Bottom Market and set out to explore everything wine country had to offer. I'm definitely a fan of wine and have done plenty of wine tastings but before this trip Anthony had no interest in wine. We started off at Paul Mathew Vineyards. Where met the owner, founder, wine maker himself, Mat! His wife, Barb, gave us the story of the winery as we tasted their wine and it felt like we had been old friends!
Next up was Marimar Estate Vineyards. This place was gorgeous! We had a wine tasting paired with incredible food. Anthony's view on wine changed forever as did my view on chocolate. For the first time, Anthony found a white wine he loved, it was the Acero. And since I love ALL wines, I found the greatest chocolate sauce of all time. They sent me home with the recipe, so stay tuned for my recreation!
Next up on our wine tasting stop was Iron Horse Vineyards! While we loved loved loved our experience at Marimar Estate this had a completely different vibe. It was almost like an outdoor beach bar! There were palm trees everywhere! We tried a TON of sparkling wines , specifically the 2015 Ocean Reserve! Each bottle sold donates $4 to the National Geographic's Ocean Initiative. After out tasting at Iron Horse we headed back to AutoCamp where we did a cribs style tour of our AutoCamp Airstream. I may or may not have been wine-drunk.
Next up was a tasting in Guerneville at Equality Vines in Guerneville and it was incredible. Not only does the wine taste great but it gives back in the most epic way. There are several series of wines that donate to different organizations like The League of Women's Voters, YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, and more!
After our tasting we had dinner at Boon which I HIGHLY recommend. Yes, I'm fully aware there is food in my teeth in this photo. I had been tasting wine ALL day. Give me a break! We both had steak and order a bunch of sides like brussel sprouts and mac & cheese!
On our final day in Russian River we visited the Sonoma Land Trust. I'll be honest, before this trip I really didn't know what a land trust was, and now I'm so happy to know they exist. In 1976 a group of people came together to preserve a big chunk of land in Sonoma County. By big chunk, I mean over 50,000 acres of land preserved to be restored to it's natural state and protected from development forever. We visited The Jenner Headlands and up until this fall you could only hike the land via guide but now it's open to the public. It's 14 mile round trip hike. We didn't have the time to do the full hike but we met with David Koehler, the Executive Director of the Sonoma Land Trust who took us to the property where we met with Shanti Edwards, the Stewardship Project Manager who lives on the property with her husband Brooke who also oversees day-to-day maintenance of the land. Shanti and Brooke live on the Sonoma Land Trust with their son!
Next up was lunch at Rivers End in Jenner, CA where many people go after a long hike at Sonoma Land Trust. We ended our day with a walk through Armstrong Redwoods State National Reserve to see some awesome redwoods! Below is a full list of every place we visited when staying at AutoCamp in Russian River! Save this list to your Google Maps or follow it! For logistics, flew into Santa Rose airport and rented a car at the airport! It was a super quick drive to AutoCamp but the car is useful to have and it was super cheap!
Thank you to AutoCamp for letting us stay the weekend! Make sure you're following them because their Yosemite location opens this spring! I visited Yosemite last fall and AutoCamp is going to completely change the game for visiting this National Park and I can't wait!