Before you go to Pennyroyal Farm in Boonville in Andersen Valley, read this review so you know what to expect. You’ll see farm animals (winery working sheep!) and big grassy lawns, taste amazing cheese, and wine, and learn about the Pennyroyal Farm and cheese-making operations! It’s the perfect stop between the Mendocino Coast and San Francisco. Don’t miss it if you are in the area!
Want to know more about what to do in Mendocino? Read more here:
- Guide to the Mendocino Botanical Gardens
- Things to do in Fort Bragg and Mendocino – Places to Eat, Play, and Stay
- Mendocino Seaside Cottages – Andiron Seaside Inn & Cabins
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Overview of the Pennyroyal Farm
Website: https://www.pennyroyalfarm.com/
Instagram:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pennyroyalfarm
Dog-Friendly: Yes!
Time Spent: If you take the tour, it’s about an hour total including the wine and cheese tasting. You wouldn’t want to leave with just that though – they have lawn games, amazing food, and of course, amazing wine.
Parking and How to Get to the Pennyroyal Farm
The best way (and the only way we know how) to get to the farm is driving. It’s located in Boonville, about 2 hours away from San Francisco, and 45 minutes from the Mendocino Coast.
Parking
There is free parking, and plenty of it right on the property. So leave your San Francisco parking anxiety and come here worry-free.
The front
Food Options at the Pennyroyal Farm
Come here hungry for amazing farm-fresh food! They have a pretty expansive menu option for meals, snacks, cheese, and wine. They also have “grab and go” type of food and drinks too, if you have hungry kids (or adults) on your hands. For the kids who want to drink fancy like their parents, they have fancy grape juice they can try!
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- Andrew checking out his tasting options (of grape juice)
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- Menu
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- High chairs at a winery – we love it!
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- Farm to table deviled eggs
The Cheese – Laychee and Boont Cheeses
We were able to taste these cheeses after we got to see how it was made right at the winery/farm! The Laychee cheese apparently is the “Boontling term for milk” and it’s so soft and creamy. The Boont cheeses are made in wheels (we got to see it sitting there aging) and flavors were more on the mild side. They were both delicious and paired perfectly with the wine. The kids even loved it and ate it all up! You can purchase the tasting separately, or if you do the farm tour, this tasting is included. Even more of a reason to just go for the farm tour!
Luckily, you don’t have to actually go to the farm to taste this cheese. You can purchase them from their online store! Yay!
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- Mmmm cheese!
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- Loving the cheese tasting
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- Cheese tasting selection with the coloring sheet and crayons courtesy of Penny Royal Farm
What to Bring to the Pennyroyal Farm
Food and Drinks
If you have picky eaters with you, bring your own snacks, but picky eaters Henry and Andrew both ate up the cheese and grape juice. They were so thrilled.
Grab-and-go food and drinks – plenty of options so may not need to bring any food with you!
Sunscreen/Sun Protection
There are seating options in the shade, but if you want to walk around, go on the tour, and have fun on the lawn, don’t forget sun protection! Our tour guide had a hat on, and we wish we brought some for the boys!
Stroller/Carrier
The tour is stroller-friendly and we are so glad we bought our City Mini. Andrew (14 months) did want to get out a lot to see the animals up close, but it was great to have for the other times. We love to have our carrier just in case, too, and that was nice when you need two hands (wine and cheese…) and a baby to sit still. 🙂
Highlights of What You Will See at the Pennyroyal Farm
There are many more things to see than what we list here, but here are our favorites!
Farm Tour
About an hour long, this kid-friendly tour will take you around the farm, showing you how their cheese is made, including the source – goats and sheep! We also got to see their winery guard dog (he was so big and friendly!) and a llama. The tour guide was knowledgeable and patient with our 3-year-old, Henry, asking all sorts of funny questions like “is that a llama or an alpaca?” She knew the difference and was so kind! It’s a farm tour for everyone. Highly recommend. You can book the farm tour here in advance.
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- Overlooking the farm from the winery
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- Milking station
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- Loving the farm tour
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- Coolest winery dog!
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- Hand-washing station
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- Look at all that hay!
Wine (Grape Juice) and Cheese Tasting
As mentioned above, this is part of the tour, but you can also do this separately. Don’t miss out on this! It really separates this winery from all the others. Their cheese is phenomenal. We loved it, and we aren’t goat cheese kind of people. Our kids absolutely loved it and they are usually don’t like anything.
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- Table set for the grape juice tasting
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- Grape juice tasting
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- Grape juice tasting – he loved it!
Lawn Games and Toys
When we went, they had corn-hole set up with a gorgeous backdrop of the vineyard. They also had a cool airplane that the kids can ride, a wagon, and a toy truck! Loved their kids’ table and seats too. We could’ve spent all day here.
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- Winery chat time
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- Wagon and toy truck
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- Outside tasting area
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- Airplane fun after the farm tour
“Working” Winery Sheep
Not only do you see animals on the tour, but you will see sheep roaming around the vineyard “eating” the grass too!
Sheep hard at “work” in the vineyards
Garden
Right by the vineyard, there is a vegetable garden! Makes you really appreciate what you’re eating there.
Events at the Pennyroyal Farm
Check out their events page here for specific events, but they also have special dinners and suppers on certain days. Lots of them include kids meals!
Near the Pennyroyal Farm
Pennyroyal Farms is perfectly situated between San Francisco and the Mendocino Coast. Boonville itself has so many other wineries and breweries – it’s a must to check out! It was a perfect place to stretch our legs to break up the drive. We loved the Anderson Valley Brewery, only a few blocks away.
Looking for a place to stay near Boonville? Check out the Andiron Inn and Cabins in Little River!
Looking for fun things to do in Fort Bragg and Mendocino? Check out our suggestions here.
Looking for fun things to do in San Francisco? Check out all of our suggestions (like 30 hikes in 49 square miles) on our San Francisco page!
If you are going to Mendocino with Kids, check out our video on what to do in Mendocino with kids!
There you have it!
Hope these were helpful for your next visit to the Pennyroyal Farm in Boonville. We really enjoyed this winery in the Anderson Valley, and absolutely loved that there is cheese pairing. The farm tour was simple and easy, we highly recommend it if you are there.
Have you been to the Pennyroyal Farms? Tell us your favorite activities and anything you recommend in the comments or contact us!
Guide to the Pennyroyal Farms in Boonville | Things to Do in Boonville and Mendocino | Henry and Andrew’s Guide (www.henryandandrewsguide.com)
Disclosure: Part of this post is considered sponsored content, which means we received a discount or free products. This post also contains affiliate links, which means, at no additional cost to you, I may receive a small amount of commission. Even with these sponsored content and affiliate links, all opinions are of our own, and none were provided or influenced by the companies or individuals that sponsored me and my family.
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