Sonoma Barracks — Local services in Sonoma

Great place for history buffs! There are many free displays and exhibits. Nice gift shop too. We spent 45 min. here walking around and learning some local history.

Did you know Vallejo was named after Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo? (He resembles President Milei of Argentina, but it could just be the tousled hair and sideburns.) Check out his statue across the street. He was supposedly the first to bring grapes for winemaking to the area. Benicia was named after Vallejo’s wife…So, how was Sonoma named? Gotta visit...

This place (known as "the Barracks") is worth a walkthrough (and a visit to the shop of course) to get a quick history lesson.

The reason that the STATE flag of California has the wording "California Republic" is that, yes, for a short time in history California was an independent republic, not longer part of Mexico and also not part of the United States. This is where it all happened: the "Bear Flag revolt of 1846" made the city of Sonoma essentially the capitol...

So neat! Great interpretive signage and a little movie. Interesting history that was well delivered. The condition of the building is very impressive for the age. The adjoining buildings, an old hotel and dining hall/kitchen, were very...