HEALDSBURG

Healdsburg (which was in recent memory a sleepy little town) has also been transformed. The locals sometimes refer to it as "Beverly Healdsburg," due to an influx of high-end restaurants, shops and wineries. But despite the hype and excitement, the town has managed to hold onto its farm-centric, artistic charm.

Single Thread Farms Restaurant-Inn: This Healdsburg restaurant is famous before it has taken a single order. The national press has it that chef Kyle Connaughton and his wife Katina are cooking up something super special just off the Healdsburg Plaza. The two-story building on the site of the city’s former post office (lost to fire) will house a boutique hotel and high-end restaurant. The exact date is a moving target, but when it opens this fall the food and the lodging are expected to reflect the couple’s life as a famed chef (him) and skilled farmer (her). 131 North Street, Healdsburg, singlethreadfarms.com

428collective: This group of 11 artists has taken the farm-fresh idea of CSA (consumer-supported agriculture) and applied it to art — as in, community-supported art. Subscribers get a regular shipment of artworks sourced from the members of the collective — all women who live in Sonoma County. They also host salons and events, everything from a pie social to live music by the Russian River. 428collective.com

Duke’s: This is both the newest and the oldest watering hole on the Healdsburg Plaza. The building bears the words “Since 1933” because that’s how long a bar has been operating in this spot. Duke’s is the latest incarnation, and it serves up drinks that are described as culinary and herb-centric. Locals Laura Sanfilippo, Tara Heffernon and Steven Maduro are behind the effort, after previously opening Spoonbar around the corner. In addition to drinks like the Paterson Soral and the Daily Tot, they serve obscure wines and beers, as well as small bites. 111 Plaza St., Healdsburg, drinkatdukes.com