Lighted marquee; Sebastini Theatre, Sonoma, Calif. RELATED LINKS Return to City Guide: Sonoma

The town of Sonoma got its start as the last in a chain of 21 Franciscan missionary outposts established on or near the California coast from 1769 to 1823. Mexican settlers laid out the expansive Sonoma Plaza in the 1830s, and today the area around the square retains many elements of the original Spanish-style architecture, along with a tranquil, small-town atmosphere that makes it a distinctly pleasant place to while away an afternoon.

A number of 19^th-century structures around the Plaza are open to visitors under the auspices of the Sonoma State Historic Park (www.parks.ca.gov), including the old Mission Chapel, army barracks built in the 1830s for the Mexican army, and a portion of the original Sonoma home of founding father Gen. Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo. A small admission fee ($2 for adults, $1 for children) covers access to several of the historic buildings on the north side of the Plaza, and to Gen. Vallejo's country estate, Lachryma Montis, about half a mile to the west.

In addition to these historical attractions, the Plaza harbors a pleasant community park, a selection of boutiques, cafes, hotels and restaurants, and a restored 1930s movie house, the Sebastiani Theatre (www.sebastianitheatre.com), which presents a mix of movies, concerts, dance recitals and live theater.