Wine Country Swimming Fun at Morton's Warm Springs

Looking for a great family day trip this summer? Try heading to the Wine Country town of Glen Ellen for a day of swimming fun at Morton's Warm Springs Resort. Morton's Warm Springs is a family resort famous for its geothermally heated pools filled with natural mineral water. Long thought to have healing benefits, these spring waters have lent their name to numerous communities in Sonoma Valley, including Boyes Hot Springs, Agua Caliente, and Fetters Hot Springs.

Morton's Warm Springs is one of those places that looks like it's been around forever. It fact, it's been a Sonoma Valley institution for about a century, and was opened as a family resort by the Morton family back in 1946. Morton's truly has that old-school atmosphere that will probably take you back to your childhood; after all, who didn't spend time at a place like this?

At Morton's you feel like you've stepped back into a simpler, carefree time. With its pools, sprawling lawns, and picnic areas, it's a great place to bring lunch (or grab some locally sourced goodies from their Cafe 108°), swim, relax, and soak in that timeless Wine Country atmosphere. We always have a great time here whenever we visit.

When we visit, we always have a great time swimming in the mineral pools, where there's no chlorine to sting your eyes. The smallest pool is only a few inches deep, making it a perfect place for very young children to splash and play in the water. A second pool ranges from two to five feet in depth, which is ideal for beginning swimmers, and the third pool offers deeper water for adults and more advanced swimmers.

Bring your lunch and picnic on the lawn or at one of their non-reserved picnic spots (first-come, first-served). You can also grab treats from the on-site organic Cafe 108°; it's open Tuesdays through Thursdays for drinks and Straus Family Creamery soft-serve ice cream only and offers a full menu — featuring grass-fed beef hot dogs, grilled cheese sandwiches, salads, and more, all made with locally-sourced ingredients — Friday through Sunday.

Morton's also offers group picnic areas that are perfect for your event. Group picnic area rentals include all-day use of a shaded picnic area, parking, charcoal BBQs, and access to the resort's pools and facilities. Cafe 108° can even cater your event.

If You Go

Morton's Warm Springs is open Tuesday through Sunday from June through August and weekends and holidays in May and September from 10 am to 5 pm.

All-day admission to Morton's Warm Springs starts at $20 for all ages; children under 2 are free and a swim diaper is required. Season passes are also available and start at $400 (rates subject to change). Day passes may be purchased online in advance or at the gate. Parking is free.

Morton's Cafe 108º offers a wide variety of locally sourced, organic treats ranging from Straus soft-serve and fresh-squeezed Meyer lemon lemonade to Vella grilled cheese sandwiches and pasture-raised-beef hot dogs from Napa's Five Dot Ranch. They even serve their own sparkling mineral water, straight from the source!

Morton's Warm Springs is located at 1651 Warm Springs Road, just north of Glen Ellen in the Sonoma Valley. It's about an hour's drive from Marin County. To get there, take Highway 101 to Highway 37 east, then turn off on Highway 121 near Infineon Raceway. Head north on Highway 121 (AKA Arnold Drive) and follow it for approximately 17 miles into Glen Ellen. In Glen Ellen, turn left onto Warm Springs Road and follow it for 3.3 miles until you reach Morton's Warm Springs. 

Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult, and on-leash dogs are allowed everywhere but the pool area.

For more information, call Morton's Warm Springs at (707) 833-5511. You can also visit them online at www.mortonswarmsprings.com.