Halloween, Wine and Shopping: Get Ready for a Margaritaville Bay Area Road Trip!

I love Halloween. Friends all make fun of my costumes and hokey decorations. My husband even said our house looked like Target yesterday. I’m just going to take that as a compliment.

What I really want to talk to you about, especially if you live in the Bay Area, is combining a beautiful fall day, Halloween costume hunting and the glory of wine country.

Snuggled on a side street just off the town of Sonoma’s town square is The Laughing Queen. This little shop is cluttered with all kinds of gag gifts, costumes and accesories. It’s truly worth its weight in gold if you’re searching for that unique item that will be the central anchor or accesory to your costume.

On our last visit we found a leather nurse’s dress, a silver metallic trench coat and jungle man pants. All of these items were one of a kind–no pre packaged halloween costume in a can! You will come away from this shop with something creative and fun.

If you need it, ask for help. Queen Linda has fabulous ideas and knows her shop from top to bottom. She will be able to help you put some kind of stellar pieces together that will make you your own king or queen of the costume ball.

You can go a little crazy in her store, but most things are priced reasonably. You definitely will save, if not spend the same, on a one of a kind costume at her store than you would get by buying costume in a bag at other places.

The trick is, before you arrive at the store, taste some delicious Sonoma County wine and have a picnic lunch on the square. You could even visit a few of the picturesque wineries. A few personal favorites are the Schug Winery and Gundlach Bundschu–both beautiful places to sample some fruits of the Sonoma harvest.

Take a road trip. Enjoy some scenery. Treat yourself to wine and a fabulous Halloween costume at the same time! After all, it’s all about the treats, isn’t it?

• The Laughing Queen
• 122 E. Napa St. Sonoma,
• CA 95476
• 707-935-6611