Actually, that is a very good idea. Here is a way to do the redwoods and the wine country, after San Francisco...a day trip.
My trip takes you to the town of Sonoma, but you can continue on for half an hour to the town of Napa if you prefer.
************************************************
There is a marvelous and large redwood preserve in the Russian River area not far north of San Francisco, called Armstrong Grove Redwoods National Preserve.
There is a circle day trip you can take to see them which will also take you on the Sonoma Coast and through some of the wine country.....easily.
Ready?
Cross the Golden Gate Bridge and drive to Petaluma on Hwy 101, less than an hour. Take the East Washington St. exit, drive through town and stay on course. This puts you on the Bodega Highway through some pretty pastoral countryside and to Bodega Bay, a small fishing village. Part of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" was filmed here. Stop and poke around the fish market at Lucas Wharf and the gift shop. This is maybe 45 minutes or so from Petaluma.
Now drive north on Hwy 1. You will pass several State beaches, all easily accessible. Not for swimming though, the water is COLD. They are nice to walk on. My favorite is just north of Bodega Bay, called Salmon Creek. Depending upon the tide, a shallow lagoon forms here where the creek comes into the ocean and the water can be warmed by the sun enough to wade in.
The last of these State Beaches is Goat Rock State Beach. Watch for the sign. If you drive down there you can watch the Russian River enter the Pacific and if the tides and wind are right it can be quite dramatic.
Back up on Hwy 1 the road shortly crosses the Russian River.
You have now come 10 miles from Bodega Bay.
After the bridge, leave Hwy 1 and turn right on Hwy 116. You will be following the Russian River. In just a few miles you will be in Guerneville. Stop and ask directions for Armstrong Grove. Depending upon the time of day you are here you might have picked up some picnic supplies in Guerneville. There is a large Safeway there with a deli.
After you have explored the park, stay on 116 going in the same direction until you get to Sebastopol. Then pick up Hwy 12 going east toward Santa Rosa and stay on it across Hwy 101. This is 22 miles.
Hwy 12 will take you through the Sonoma Valley, past many vineyards and wineries. You can stop and taste and tour if you like. One of the favorites is a slight detour to the village of Glen Ellen and the Benziger Winery which has interesting tram tours of its biodynamic vineyards.
Continuing on Hwy 12 you will come to the historic town of Sonoma, built during the Mexican occupation days of the early 1800's around an 11-acre Plaza, surrounded by historic adobe buildings, now housing a couple of hotels, lots of boutiques and restaurants and wine tasting venues, besides the historic remains of the barracks and the General Vallejo compound. It is only 20 miles from Santa Rosa to Sonoma, so you have time to explore on the way.
If you find yourself here in good time you can actually park around the Plaza and walk to Sebastiani Winery. Just walk east on Spain Street through a residential area, about four blocks, and you are at the edge of town and at the winery. Another winery close to town is Buena Vista, on Old Winery Road. It was here that the Hungarian, Agostin Haraszthy brought the first wine grape cuttings from Europe to California, thus starting the whole California wine industry. The winery is a small and charming stone building in a pretty setting under oak trees.
*********************************
(Here my tour suggests eating in Sonoma and going back to San Francisco....If you want to go on to Napa, as I said, it is half an hour or so.
*********************************
The town is known for its restaurants, and is less than an hour from the Golden Gate Bridge, so if you want to have dinner before returning to San Francisco, it would be a reasonable thing to do.
Recommended are The El Dorado Kitchen in the historic El Dorado Hotel on the Plaza on the corner of Spain Street and First Street West. Do not be put off by its name, it is not a "kitchen", but a classy restaurant. Across Spain Street, in the also historic Sonoma Hotel, is The Girl and the Fig which is smaller and has more of a bistro menu. A few doors up from that is the Swiss Hotel, also historic, and which has a traditional Italian restaurant. Some like Csfe La Haye, some say it is too small and crowded. There is a neat lunch place on, I think, First Street West called something like The Red Grape. It is a pizzeria but with a larger menu and a classy decor, for a "pizzeria".
The first three of these restaurants have patio seating as a choice.
*************************************************
Whatever you decide to do have a great trip.
