Most people who hear the word “Graton” think of the casino that’s actually in Rohnert Park. But if you want real Sonoma County cool, you need to head for the town of the same name. Here are just three reasons to make the trek.

Underwood Bar and Bistro: It’s as if someone took a great New York City bistro, added some touches from a similarly cool place in Paris, and dropped it into the middle of downtown Graton (near Sebastopol, about a 10-to-15-minute drive from Santa Rosa). Amazing small and large plates, wonderful desserts, an incredible bar with incredible bartenders, almost everything local-to-table (including lots of local wines, some by the glass).

You can nosh for not much money, spend more time and money for a truly memorable fine-dining experience, or even host an intimate private party. However you experience the place, the food, I’m betting the bar, the service, and the space will combine in ways you and your companions will remember and discuss fondly for some time to come.

Willow Wood Market Café: Across the street from and owned by the same people who own the Underwood. Serving breakfast (which the Underwood does not), lunch, dinner, and Sunday brunch. Worth getting there first thing in the morning just for the cambozola toast. Don’t ask or look it up. Just order it. You’re welcome. Later in the day, feel free to swoon over the little gem salad or the market plate (sautéed spinach & coppa, creamy polenta, roasted tomatoes, hard boiled egg—and that heavenly cambozola toast). Delicious drinks. Exceptional coffees and teas. Outdoor seating when the weather’s amenable. And indoor seating adjacent to an incredibly whimsical market and gift shop.

Mr. Ryder and Company: Just one of the best, most personal and intimate collections of art, antiques, and curios anywhere in the Bay Area. Some are personally selected and imported by the owner. Others are offered by a hand-picked group of local dealers. All are lovingly displayed in a space that’s not large, but that can keep you delighted and amused for hours if you let it. And if you’re lucky, you can meet and pet Willy, the store mascot.

Graton has more to offer, but the best way to learn more is to go there. Park downtown, walk around, and be enchanted. As the Grateful Dead sang about Shakedown Street, “You just gotta poke around.”

(Featured Image above: Graton Road, downtown Graton, from Wikimedia Commons.)