Take a tour of the 400-acre preserve with 700 animals, including rhinoceros, giraffes, cape buffalo, cheetahs and enough various cute furry things to fill a Disney boxed-set.

Here Leslie takes you on a tour of wine country’s largest animal park:

Be sure to check out the hot deals section for more great values in Sonoma Country!

Hear Gideon’s interview with Mike Cleary! Press the “Play” button above..

I’m Mike Cleary with a Postcard from Sonoma Country. Listen to this Postcard.

When promoting a location, the travel industry tries to target specific audiences to whom that region would appeal. There’s family-friendly travel, eco-tourism, multi-generational travel, romantic getaways, recreational travel for outdoor enthusiasts…. The list goes on.

Well, the wonderful thing about Sonoma Country is it appeals to everybody no matter your interest or situation. For example, golfers will love the challenge of Windsor Golf Course, one of the toughest in Northern California. They’re all tough for me. One of the best values in golf is Rooster Run in Petaluma. I love the name.

Speaking of Petaluma, tomorrow there are two Holiday events the whole family will love. There’s an antique wagon and horse procession. And, Santa and Mrs. Claus arrive by riverboat. I know Mrs. Claus loves the town’s antique stores and Santa always finds a great place to dine.

Last year, the biggest crowd of the week-long Amgen Tour of California was in the city of Santa Rosa. It’s really no surprise when you consider that Sonoma Country is a cyclist’s dream. The good news for race fans is the Amgen Tour is returning.

This year many of the world’s best cyclists will tackle 650 miles of California roads from San Francisco to Long Beach. On Monday, February 19th the first stage departs Sausalito. Eventually they will roll through Bodega Bay, climb from the bay on Colman Valley Road, descend into Occidental and finish in Santa Rosa. You’re going to want to be there. In future postcards we’ll tip you off to places to stay and dine.

If you promised yourself a little extra exercise after all that Thanksgiving feasting, I have a tip for you. You can leave your calories in any number of places in Sonoma Country. Here you’ll find exciting outdoor locations to hike, bike, jog, kayak or even surf. There are a number of state parks including Sonoma Coast State Beach, Armstrong Redwoods and adjacent Austin Creek near Guerneville, Jack London State Park in Sonoma Valley, to name a few. Regional parks include Doran Beach just south of Bodega Bay and way up north the Gualala Point Regional Park. Wouldn’t you rather lose those calories amidst the redwoods and coastline of Sonoma Country than on a treadmill?

This postcard is brought to you by the Sonoma County Tourism Bureau celebrating Sonoma Country; America’s Premier Wine, Spa and Coastal Destination.

If you still haven’t made Thanksgiving Day plans, I have an idea. Imagine dining in the company of playful lemurs, fascinating giraffes and speedy cheetahs. Nancy and Peter Lang and the friendly staff of Safari West in Santa Rosa invite you to join them for their annual Thanksgiving on the Sonoma Serengeti.

I’ll bet you didn’t know Sonoma Country had a Serengeti? Well, they do.

This is one of our favorite places to visit and stay as they have these luxury safari tent accommodations on the property. If Thanksgiving doesn’t work for you, make a mental note to add Safari West to your list of things to do in Sonoma Country.

There aren’t enough adjectives to truly describe the awesome beauty of the 76 mile-long Sonoma Coast.

It’s home to rugged headlands, charming sea villages, secluded coves, an historic fort and a community called Sea Ranch which lets its natural surroundings do all the talking. Part of that community is Sea Ranch Lodge, a fabulous place to stay when visiting the coast.

There’s a challenging golf course at Sea Ranch and the Lodge has a good-looking golf package. You might want to be there December 21st for a winemaker dinner featuring Schramsberg Vineyards. Sea Ranch Lodge is just one of many worthy attractions along the Sonoma Coast. In future postcards, we’ll put the spotlight on many of them.

I wish I could have been at the Schwab Cup Championship at Sonoma Golf Club a couple of weeks ago. Sonoma Country has 20 golf courses, including the course where Tom Watson won the Championship.

Listen! This is Mike Cleary with a postcard from Sonoma Country. Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here. I just wanted to do that once. Now it’s out of my system. Actually, I wish I could have been at the Schwab Cup Championship at Sonoma Golf Club a couple of weeks ago. Winner Tom Watson and the other senior pros are downright inspiring to watch. That said, why not reserve a tee time for yourself at any one of the 20 Sonoma Country golf courses including the one they played. Most courses are public and, hey, around here golf is a year round sport. Many lodgings offer golf packages or they can make arrangements for you to, how shall I put it, let the inner Watson in you come out. And if the round goes in the tank, there’s always wine-tasting.

I’m Mike Cleary with a Thanksgiving week postcard from Sonoma Country. One of our very favorite places to visit in Sonoma Country is Safari West, a 400 acre wildlife preserve that truly is the spirit of Africa in the heart of the wine country.

We love staying overnight in one of their luxury safari tents, taking a tour through the preserve and having dinner with Nancy and Peter Lang, their enthusiastic crew and the other guests. If you haven’t made Thanksgiving plans, their chef is preparing a festive menu.

Imagine dining with cheetahs, lemurs, giraffes and the other exotic mammals and birds who call Safari West home. I assure you it will be a Thanksgiving Day you’ll never forget.