Nestled amongst groves of ancient gnarled oak trees in Santa Rosa, CA, is a hidden gem of an art sculpture garden. Wine Country is known for it’s eclectic mix of tourist attractions along with it’s rolling hills of vineyards of course so it is no surprise.
At Paradise Ridge Winery, you can wander through 4 acres of simple footpaths down a gently sloping hillside. Interspersed throughout the pathways are “galleries” of art sculptures arranged around the natural landscaping of the land.
Named Marijke’s Grove and in 2012 through 2013 also named ‘The Spirit of the Man” exhibit is a favorite for me and my girls to visit during sunset hours.
Open daily, during normal tasting room hours for the winery itself, the winery is also nice to see during the morning hours.
Changing annually to showcase new works, the installation also has a plethora of favorite sculptures that remain on site like the Temple Of Remembrance. A project by internationally renowned Temple Builder, David Best, the Temple is his first permanent steel structure. He is also a temple builder at Burning Man each year.
To help celebrate their 20th year, the Voigt Family Sculpture Foundation is installing 20 works of art at the winery. The exhibition opens on June 22, 2014.
The last time that the kids and I visited was The Spirit of the Man sculpture exhibition featuring 44 major works all by artists based in Northern California and throughout the United States. This project honors artist and art patron Al Voigt who passed away in 2011. Al’s generosity was widely recognized for boosting the quality and quantity of public art around Northern California. Most works are for purchase.
I have included my favorite pictures throughout…Enjoy our journey and hope you get to visit soon. Don’t forget to stop in and grab a glass first of Paradise Ridge Wineries finest pours.
With a setting on a 156-acre wine estate in the middle of Sonoma County sitting hilltop, visitors can enjoy Sonoma wines from an indoor or an outdoor tasting bar, lounge on the expansive decks, enjoy the panoramic views and vistas below or the many vineyard landscapes.
I also enjoy visiting the Nagasawa historical exhibit which details the local history of one of my favorite stops in Santa Rosa, an old historic winery which burned down in the past and is now taken back over by nature. See my article on the Nagasawa Historical Thomas Lake Thomas Here.
They also host epic Wednesday Evenings Wines & Sunsets. On Wednesdays, from May through mid-October, they offer this event, great for #SonomaChat!!
They also do wine and cheese pairings and vineyard tours, etc.
The Paradise Ridge wines are so popular amongst tourists visiting Wine Country Sonoma County, that they also feature a tasting room in Kenwood, California for guests to sip and swirl their wine library.
See my article on Winter Wineland with Ken Wagoneer and Paradise Ridge for more details on tasting and photos of Paradise Winery itself Here.
As of May of 2014, the following were the hours, also check the Winery Website for more before visiting.
Santa Rosa Tasting Room Hours:
11am to 5pm Daily
Tasting Fee: $10.00 refundable with purchase
Groups of 10 or more must reserve in advance.
PARADISE RIDGE SCULPTURE GARDEN
4545 Thomas Lake Harris Dr
Santa Rosa, CA
Contact: (707) 528-9463
