The Russian River Valley wine region is anchored by the funky riverside town of Guerneville. Though it’s a good 20 minutes west of the Highway 101 thoroughfare, it offers relatively easy access to the region’s wineries. However, this town of around 2,600 residents, which was explored by the Russians in the 1840s and became one of the busiest logging centers in the West in the 1880s, is now known for its casual cabinlike resort communities flanking the Russian River and its summertime popularity among the gay and lesbian community, who flock here and spend their days idling on inner tubes, canoeing, car camping, or hiking redwood trails.

Accommodations here tend to be old and funky, like the town and homes around it, but the relaxed summertime feel is pure old-fashioned fun. (Think scorching afternoons, cut-off shorts, and popsicles.) That said, if it’s the ultimate Wine Country vibe you’re after, you won’t find it here, except at the town’s eastern entrance, which is home to Korbel Champagne Cellars.