Day trip to Sebastopol

1. Worth-a-drive produce

The Sebastopol Farm Market isn't huge, but it falls squarely in the "worth a drive" category. Some of Northern California's best growers show up with the goods you'll need to eat absurdly well all week. Woodleaf Farm has peaches like you remember them, and Middleton Farm's strawberries are so sweet, you'll swear every other you've had was a fake. 10–1:30 Sun through Nov 29; Sebastopol Town Plaza, Petaluma Ave./State 116 at Weeks Way; 707/522-9305.

2. A backroads drive

If you've only seen Sebastopol from State 116, a cruise up into the less-traveled hills gives you new reasons to love the place. Our favorite is a 14-mile route that starts at Florence Avenue, which acts as a neighborhood-wide outdoor gallery of the madcap sculptures fashioned by local artists Patrick Amiot and Brigitte Laurent out of bits of junk. Outside town, you'll climb up, up, up, then plunge into a pastoral valley and pass 
over trickling Atascadero Creek. 

3. The best ice cream around

Local institution Screamin' Mimi's serves seriously good, all-natural ice cream that's priced by weight ― 62 cents per ounce ― so mix and match as you like. 6902 Sebastopol Ave.; 707/823-5902.

4. The dinner rez to get

The buzz surrounding the year-old Restaurant Eloise has reached a fever pitch. Fans make the pilgrimage from the Bay Area and beyond for beauties like egg-yolk ravioli with peas, black truffle, and local butter. After peach ice cream with almond madeleines, step into the gardens, where produce for the kitchen is grown. $$$; 2295 Gravenstein Hwy. S./State 116; 707/823-6300.

Next: 3 more markets worth a stop