Feed your spirit on Sunday

Along with candy-filled baskets and brunches, Easter Sunday is a day to feed the spirit. Sonoma County is filled with opportunities to get close to the fresh air and green earth of spring, from farm visits to hikes through the wild and walks through gardens and manicured landscapes, wine glass in hand.

Back to the farm

Baby goats and lambs, piglets and chicks will greet families today at SucherNova Farm in Cotati. The 8-acre family farm will serve a brunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., with an egg hunt at 1 p.m.

“You can show up before or after the egg hunt,” said farmer Melissa Casanova. “The kids will get to see almost every kind of baby animal.”

The brunch costs $55, $35 for kids, and children under 6 are free. Reservations are required: 992-0056.

If you miss the brunch, you can sign your child up for the farm’s Barnyard and Book Club, held at noon on the last Saturday of each month. During the monthly meetings, the club reads an eco-friendly children’s book, then offers a tour of the farm or a craft related to the book, such as felting. Monthly membership is $20 and includes the book and all the activities.

Families also can subscribe to the farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program, which offers meat, vegetables, honey and eggs. suchernovafarm.com. 921 West Sierra Ave., Cotati.

Tara Firma Farms in Petaluma offers free, kid-friendly tours at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. every Saturday and Sunday, and you don’t have to make a reservation.

“It’s a fun, family version of wine-tasting,” said Rob Hohne, operations manager. “We do some sampling of our products at the end, such as bacon, pastrami and ham.”

From spring through fall, the farm also showcases its grass-fed beef, pastured pork and chicken with a picnic lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Cost is $10 a plate.

Tara Firma Farms is at 3796 I Street Extension, Petaluma. tarafirmafarms.com. 765-1202.

Full House Farm in Sebastopol, a small family farm three miles west of Sebastopol, launches its seasonal tours next month. At 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays between May and November, kids can sit on a horse, feed chickens and look for eggs, pet the baby goats and lambs, and taste foods such as jams and jellies made from farm products.

“We teach them about every animal, and we talk about what role they play in our lives,” said owner Christine Cole.

The tours cost $20, $10 for kids under 12, with a maximum of 15 people per tour. If you stay overnight at the farm as part of its farmstay program, the tours are free. Full House Farm is located at 1000 Sexton Road, Sebastopol. 829-1561. fullhousefarm.com.

A garden stroll

Sometimes we take for granted attractions under our noses. The Luther Burbank Home and Gardens for many locals is one of those spots, a daily drive-by you might see so often it becomes almost invisible. But the historic site is a sweet spot for a spring stroll.

Easter marks the opening weekend for Burbank’s Victorian home and greenhouse, which have been closed since late autumn. Tours are available every half hour between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The gardens are the main event. In early April expect to see calla lilies and azaleas in bloom, as well as the first blush of roses. Visitors also can catch the last of the lilacs and dogwoods, as well as Burbank’s signature Shasta daisies, which have been valiantly in bloom all winter.

A fresh new fence will greet visitors, along with other improvements like the new birdbath in the wildlife garden contributed by the Santa Rosa Garden Club in memory of Helen Gregory and Sally Joy, both club members who were volunteers at the Burbank Gardens.

Tours are $7, but there is no charge to walk through the gardens or visit the gift shop and small museum. Located at the corner of Sonoma and Santa Rosa avenues. 524-5445. Lutherburbank.org.

Quarryhill Botanical Garden is somewhere between a manicured garden and nature in the wild. Paths lead through 25 acres of densely packed plantings of intriguing trees, shrubs and perennials, all planted from seed collected in remote areas of the temperate zone in Asia.

A living museum dedicated to preserving and conserving the rare and threatened Asian plant life, the gardens make for a satisfying stretch of the legs without being too taxing.

The garden paths go over charming curved bridges and past tranquil ponds - vestiges of the old quarry - dotted with lily pads. The sheer size of the gardens offer plenty of opportunities to feel alone with nature. Walks are self-guided. Maps are located at the Visitor’s Center and Gift Shop, where you also check in. $10 adults, $5 students 18 and over and free for anyone under 18. 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. 12841 Hwy 12, Glen Ellen. 996-3166 or quarryhillbg.org.

Regal winery with a view

Domaine Carneros was built in the style of an 18th-century French chateau, and this cream and terra-cotta chateau overlooks the rolling hills of the Carneros District. Bubbly and appetizers pair well with the view. Inside there’s also plenty to admire - marble floors and a maple interior crowned with ornate chandeliers. This regal chateau is an irresistible place to sip a sparkler.

If you want to pamper yourself, the top of the line is the Le Reve and its definitely worth the splurge. The tasting room is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily, and the tasting fee ranges from $30 to $40. The winery is located at 1240 Duhig Road, Napa. domainecarneros.com.

Sunset sipping

Medlock Ames Tasting Room offers the best patio sunset sipping. It’s a great spot to relax and take in the view. The winery makes tasty wine across the board, but its racy sauvignon blanc is a standout. The tasting room is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, with a $15 tasting fee. Just off the patio is a garden filled with planter boxes, beds of broccoli, leeks and lavender, with even larger plantings of Meyer Lemon and Mandarin Orange trees under burlap canopies.

The tasting room is housed in the former Alexander Valley Store, which has an industrial farmhouse feel. It’s barn chic with gray-washed walls, dark wooden plank flooring and a square-shaped bar that dominates the room. Many of its visitors are what the staff calls Bay Area “day-cationers,” people who pack a vacation into one day of wine tasting. There’s typically a bustle indoors, which is what makes the patio all the more appealing … especially at sunset. Medlock Ames is at 13414 Chalk Hill Road, Healdsburg. medlockames.com.

On the trail

There’s nothing quite like looking out across the landscape from a hilltop on Easter morning. Sonoma County hikers can readily recommend a number of favorite vistas, including the views from Taylor Mountain, Sonoma Mountain and Sugarloaf Ridge.

One of the most popular places for a Sunday hike is Taylor Mountain Regional Park in southern Santa Rosa, with entry at 2080 Kawana Terrace. Open since 2013, it offers 1,100 acres of rolling hills overlooking the Santa Rosa Plain, with a planned 17 miles of trail already in development. Park hours are 8 a.m. to sunset daily. Parking fee: $7. Ranger phone: 539-8092.

You can enter North Sonoma Mountain Regional Park at 5297 Sonoma Mountain Road in Santa Rosa. Open daily from sunrise to sunset, the 820-acre park offers sweeping views of the county and beyond and includes a four-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail connection to Jack London State Historic Park in Glen Ellen. Parking fee: $7. Ranger phone: 789-9644,

On a clear day, the views from the top of Bald Mountain (elevation 2,729 feet) in Sugarloaf Ridge State Park include the Sierra, San Francisco Bay, Mount Diablo and Mount Tamalpais. Park hours are 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily. Enter at 2605 Adobe Canyon Road, Kenwood. Entry fee: $7-$8. Information: 833-5712.

Staff writers Meg McConahey, Peg Melnik, Diane Peterson and Dan Taylor contributed to this story.