Petaluma: poultry farm town with laid-back vibe

Easygoing Petaluma marches to its own old-timey drum, so far managing to preserving a past rich with Gold Rush, railroad, poultry and agricultural lore, while allowing creative merchants, artists, chefs, cheese-makers and brewers to do their thing. Downtown, loaded with cast-iron-front buildings, former hatcheries and grain elevators, galleries, antique stores, and dark, Hopper-esque bars, is designed for a day of exploring — and eating. Restaurants and brew pubs that showcase Sonoma County craft beers, and wines and produce from nearby vineyards and farms, are blossoming and welcoming. Start the day at Della Fattoria on the main commercial strip, Petaluma Boulevard, where plates of polenta and poached eggs, spring salads of strawberries and Pugs Leap goat cheese from White Whale Farm, are hearty. The cafe’s setting (originally a bakery, circa 1860), the array of desserts and artisanal breads, the communal tables, and the low-key vibe draw a mix of residents and regular visitors. At Petaluma Historical Library & Museum on Fourth Street, admire the stained-glass dome and exhibit on the 1906 earthquake through May 8. Meet at the museum steps at 10:30 a.m. Saturdays (beginning in May) for weekly walking tours given by in-character, costumed docents known as Petalumans of Yesteryear. Sightseeing segues into shopping, and while the city is dotted with stores selling antique and collectible treasures, Vintage Bank Antiques (a collective of 32 dealers) has three floors full of furniture and paintings, shelves jammed with ornate cobalt glass, crystal bowls, porcelain, bone china and bronze statues. There’s an abundance of heirloom everything in Petaluma, and gardeners rave about the choices of more than 1,800 varieties of non-GMO heirloom seeds such as orange okra, blue corn, green radishes, red carrots and scarlet kale sold at the Petaluma Seed Bank, housed in a historic Sonoma County Bank. Craft doesn’t only apply to beer, and StitchCraft on Kentucky Street, parallel to Petaluma Boulevard North, offers sewing classes for adults and children, besides fabric and notions. Lunchtime, toss a blanket amid the easels at Penry Park, before 2001 referred to as Hill Plaza, for a gourmet picnic purchased at Petaluma Market or the Saturday farmers’ market that starts May 14. For more goat cheese, this time in ice cream, walk back down to to the main drag (yes, “American Graffiti” was shot here and hot rods still cruise the street, only now with hybrids) and dip into Lala’s Creamery for chocolate chip “cookiewiches” of honey goat-cheese ice cream and luxuriously thick milkshakes. Hopefully you’re feeling more mellow now, and want nothing more taxing than strolling along Petaluma riverbanks or renting a kayak to skim the muddy waters. Even wine connoisseurs have to try a local draft, and Taps Beer Co., across the river via pedestrian bridge, is perfect for tasting (you’re allowed two) before you commit. Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball sounded scary and was indeed a “strong ale” at 9.1 percent alcohol. If it’s the weekend and you haven’t reserved ahead, you might have to queue up at Central Market to snag a seat at the marble counter for brick-oven pizza or a four-course prix-fixe meal. If you choose Petaluma Gap Pinot Noir from a wine list that’s half domestic, half imports, Najiola suggests pairing the lighter red with grass-fed lamb from Bill Niman’s BN Ranch. Live music is a big draw, especially concerts at the century-old, former vaudeville venue McNear’s Mystic Theatre, smaller acts at many of the rollicking bars, and edgier groups at alcohol-free Phoenix Theater (check out the teen art center’s graffiti wall and mural above the parking lot). If you need a nightcap, drop into Volpi’s Ristorante’s funky “speakeasy” for owner John Volpi’s accordion playing. Let your jaded, sophisticated self go, and relax ’round a red checkered tablecloth as you gaze up at walls crowded with antlers, dollar bills sticking to the ceiling.