Honeymoon - Napa/Sonoma
- Thread starter ISUCHIEF
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Headlsburg Inn on the Plaza in Headlsburg- In Sonoma County most of the wineries have free or discounted tasting (take a Visa Signature card). Lots of grape varieties in Russian River Valley, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley. On the Napa side- I'd recommend you stay in Yountville. Try the Maison Fleurie. If you want to spend big bucks get a reservation and go the the French Laundry. Most wineries on the Napa side require an appointment and have tasting fees, sometimes these are fairly steep. Do your homework before you go and look at various reviews on wineries on both sides of the mountains.
One more thing. Fly SW Airlines to Oakland or Sacramento (I prefer this airport) since two bags fly free. Both of you should pack lightly in one bag, then when you get to one of the cities in wine country hit up a UPS store and buy three wine shipper boxes. You can purchase various wines at your tasting visits and fill up the boxes. Each box holds twelve bottles. Seal up the boxes and check them as baggage back. Great way to get a variety of wine back and SW in both cities has experience handling the boxes.
I was just out there in August. We stayed in a VRBO in Napa that was very nice but the town itself isn't as good as Sonoma. Sonoma has a much better downtown with a lot more shopping and restaurants.
We went to Newton Winery, Domain Chandon, another I'm blanking on and a tiny family owned winery called Macleod winery.
By far and away the best experience was spending time at MacLeod winery with the family including the patron George MacCleod who started the winery decades ago. I can't recommend them enough.
http://www.macleodfamilyvineyard.com/
Newton winery was neat since it's up on the side of a mountain. Domain Chandon is highly recommended on a Saturday. Much younger crowd, lots of partying.
We went to Newton Winery, Domain Chandon, another I'm blanking on and a tiny family owned winery called Macleod winery.
By far and away the best experience was spending time at MacLeod winery with the family including the patron George MacCleod who started the winery decades ago. I can't recommend them enough.
http://www.macleodfamilyvineyard.com/
Newton winery was neat since it's up on the side of a mountain. Domain Chandon is highly recommended on a Saturday. Much younger crowd, lots of partying.
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I attended a wedding in Napa Valley this past September (further up into the valley in the Calistoga/St. Helena area). The weather was great, highs in the 80's mostly. I think it did get to 90 a couple times, but usually the average high is a bit lower I believe, you can look that up. We stayed in Calistoga at a hotel downtown. Downtown was pretty nice with a bunch of shops and restaurants.
Sterling Vineyards winery is built on top of a hill in the middle of the valley and offers amazing views you can find on a relatively cheap self-guided tour that includes a gondola ride up and down the hill.
Hall Wines in St. Helena has a bunch of nice views and places to sit outside (or inside at their wine bar) and enjoy a bottle of wine on a nice day.
The wedding I attended included a welcoming party that was held one evening at Mumm Napa. The guided tour we went on there was very cool as the guides did a great job of explaining the wine making process there.
Calistoga Ranch is where this wedding was actually held. The winery is tucked up into a small valley on the east side of the main valley around Calistoga. This place was top notch. I didn't go on a tour there, but everything at the wedding was amazing and the views were gorgeous in the evening. The ranch offers cabins and more that you can check into if you're interested. I'm sure it's very very pricey.
The Old Faithful Geyser of California is a neat place on the north side of Calistoga to visit if you've never seen a geyser before. It erupts regularly about every 5-15 minutes and is about 15-30 feet high. It's a touristy/kids place that includes a petting zoo, but I thought the geyser was worth the price of admission. An hour here is plenty but I thought it was fun.
Be prepared for traffic. The weekends are horrible with only about two 2-lane roads going up and down the valley. It might take you an hour to go 15 miles during peak traffic. Weekdays are much more manageable aside from rush-hour.
Sterling Vineyards winery is built on top of a hill in the middle of the valley and offers amazing views you can find on a relatively cheap self-guided tour that includes a gondola ride up and down the hill.
Hall Wines in St. Helena has a bunch of nice views and places to sit outside (or inside at their wine bar) and enjoy a bottle of wine on a nice day.
The wedding I attended included a welcoming party that was held one evening at Mumm Napa. The guided tour we went on there was very cool as the guides did a great job of explaining the wine making process there.
Calistoga Ranch is where this wedding was actually held. The winery is tucked up into a small valley on the east side of the main valley around Calistoga. This place was top notch. I didn't go on a tour there, but everything at the wedding was amazing and the views were gorgeous in the evening. The ranch offers cabins and more that you can check into if you're interested. I'm sure it's very very pricey.
The Old Faithful Geyser of California is a neat place on the north side of Calistoga to visit if you've never seen a geyser before. It erupts regularly about every 5-15 minutes and is about 15-30 feet high. It's a touristy/kids place that includes a petting zoo, but I thought the geyser was worth the price of admission. An hour here is plenty but I thought it was fun.
Be prepared for traffic. The weekends are horrible with only about two 2-lane roads going up and down the valley. It might take you an hour to go 15 miles during peak traffic. Weekdays are much more manageable aside from rush-hour.
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Echo that... We recently did a tour in Sonoma. We hired a guide (GREAT idea - specialized trips, guides know the vintners, no "wasted" trips, built-in designated driver AND they will ship your wine for you!) and did Sonoma as Napa from where we were was over an hour drive. With our guide, we hit 4-5 wineries over the day which is plenty (for me anyway). We actually stayed at a Worldmark timeshare right there...
The coolest thing we did on our visit was a guided bike tour. The are several outfits primarily offering road bike trips, but the one did was Mountain Bike option. We road country roads, but also off road actually riding in the vineyards.
The riding is very relaxed, 2-3 miles at a time. You ride a couple of miles, visit a tasting room drink wine, rinse and repeat. I think we visited 4 or 5 different wineries during our tour. The trip included support services and gathered up any wines purchased at each of your stops.
We visited mostly smaller vineyards and the guide provided incredible insight into the industry and region. All in all a great change of pace and an awesome way to see some of the operations and still get in some tastings.
It was a few years ago, but I think this is the outfitter we used.
http://sonomavalleybiketours.com/sonoma-bike-tours/cycling-in-the-vineyards/
The riding is very relaxed, 2-3 miles at a time. You ride a couple of miles, visit a tasting room drink wine, rinse and repeat. I think we visited 4 or 5 different wineries during our tour. The trip included support services and gathered up any wines purchased at each of your stops.
We visited mostly smaller vineyards and the guide provided incredible insight into the industry and region. All in all a great change of pace and an awesome way to see some of the operations and still get in some tastings.
It was a few years ago, but I think this is the outfitter we used.
http://sonomavalleybiketours.com/sonoma-bike-tours/cycling-in-the-vineyards/
As someone said, the tour at Sterling Vineyards between Calistoga and St. Helena in Napa County is really good for the views. The Mediterranean style buildings sit atop a knoll overlooking the valley. You take an aerial tram to the top and the tour is self-guided. Use vinovisit.com to make reservations ahead and skip the lines to wait to go up. The wine is ok (the Malvasia Bianca is great!), but the location is what makes that tour memorable.
In general, the wineries in Sonoma County will be less busy than those in Napa, sometimes less expensive as well. Wineries exist all the way to the coast and then a good distance to the north as well into Mendocino County. Calistoga has a nice downtown with shops and restaurants, as does St. Helena. It has become much more 'high-end' than it ever was when I lived there (late 80s), so don't be surprised at the prices of some places.
My personal favorite spot, which is away from the riff-raff tourist area, is The Sea Ranch, in far northwest Sonoma County. It's about two hours from Santa Rosa - 45 minutes to the coast, then 1:15 or so up Pacific Coast Highway. You can use VRBO to rent a house there with a beautiful view of the ocean. The town of Gualala (wa-la-la) is right next door and has grocery stores, shops, post office, restaurants, etc, but is very low key. I will post more of what to do in the area later.
This is The Sea Ranch:
In general, the wineries in Sonoma County will be less busy than those in Napa, sometimes less expensive as well. Wineries exist all the way to the coast and then a good distance to the north as well into Mendocino County. Calistoga has a nice downtown with shops and restaurants, as does St. Helena. It has become much more 'high-end' than it ever was when I lived there (late 80s), so don't be surprised at the prices of some places.
My personal favorite spot, which is away from the riff-raff tourist area, is The Sea Ranch, in far northwest Sonoma County. It's about two hours from Santa Rosa - 45 minutes to the coast, then 1:15 or so up Pacific Coast Highway. You can use VRBO to rent a house there with a beautiful view of the ocean. The town of Gualala (wa-la-la) is right next door and has grocery stores, shops, post office, restaurants, etc, but is very low key. I will post more of what to do in the area later.
This is The Sea Ranch:
Ok, more to do in Napa/Sonoma...
If you like hiking, there is Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, which encompasses Mount St. Helena, the tallest peak in the Bay Area at 4341 feet above sea level. A five mile trail will take you from the highway to the summit where you can see all the way to Mt. Shasta on a clear day (not as likely in summer months).
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=472
There are a few places which offer hot air balloon rides over Napa Valley. A quick google search will find the different locations. Here are a couple links:
https://www.adrenaline.com/napa-val...e-breakfast/?gclid=CKG4gtDmgNICFQULaQodwcAMKQ
https://www.calistogaballoons.com/
Another winery tour that is interesting is Beringer at St. Helena. The tour takes you into the caves that are carved into the hillside where they store the barrels for aging. The grounds are beautiful as well.
http://www.beringer.com/
Sonoma County is much larger in size and population compared to Napa, and the communities are much more spread out. This makes it a little easier to play 'tourist' and not feel like you're getting run over by others. Santa Rosa is the largest city in the North Bay (175,000 just within city limits), so there will always be traffic. But it is the hub of the northern Bay Area counties. Santa Rosa has a nice downtown with a lot of restaurants (most reasonably priced), including Russian River Brewing Company, and shops, plus a large indoor mall on one end of downtown.
The Charles M Schulz (Snoopy!) Museum is there, which is a fun place to visit along with the gift shop and ice rink.
http://schulzmuseum.org/
This is a website for visiting Santa Rosa. Some people find a ton of things to do there, others only look outside the city - guess it just depends on your interests.
http://www.visitsantarosa.com/30-things-to-do
Healdsburg is similar to the town of Sonoma, with many wineries and a great downtown area (population about 11,000). The town square was used in the original "Scream" movie and may look familiar to fans of the film.
http://www.healdsburg.com/
Bodega Bay is on the coast about 40 minutes west of Santa Rosa. It's a small fishing village made famous by the Hitchcock film, "The Birds." There are many beaches north of town on Hwy 1, including Goat Rock.
http://www.bodegabay.com/
http://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/goat-rock-beach/
At The Sea Ranch, mentioned in my previous post, there is a small nondenominational chapel that is known for its unique architecture. It's right on the highway and is worth a stop to check it out. If you stay at Sea Ranch at all, there are trails along the bluffs which offer amazing views while hiking. There are spots to park and walk to beach areas along the highway for those who are not physically staying at TSR.
http://www.thesearanchchapel.org/
North of TSR and Gualala, is Point Arena which has a light house. It is the closest point in North America to Hawaii. Tours are available to climb up the lighthouse. Also includes a museum and gift shop. I really enjoy taking people here.
http://pointarenalighthouse.com/
Farther north (by about an hour) is the town of Mendocino, which has small shops and restaurants on the coast, and Fort Bragg, which is known for Sea Glass Beach.
http://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/glass-beach/
If you like hiking, there is Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, which encompasses Mount St. Helena, the tallest peak in the Bay Area at 4341 feet above sea level. A five mile trail will take you from the highway to the summit where you can see all the way to Mt. Shasta on a clear day (not as likely in summer months).
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=472
There are a few places which offer hot air balloon rides over Napa Valley. A quick google search will find the different locations. Here are a couple links:
https://www.adrenaline.com/napa-val...e-breakfast/?gclid=CKG4gtDmgNICFQULaQodwcAMKQ
https://www.calistogaballoons.com/
Another winery tour that is interesting is Beringer at St. Helena. The tour takes you into the caves that are carved into the hillside where they store the barrels for aging. The grounds are beautiful as well.
http://www.beringer.com/
Sonoma County is much larger in size and population compared to Napa, and the communities are much more spread out. This makes it a little easier to play 'tourist' and not feel like you're getting run over by others. Santa Rosa is the largest city in the North Bay (175,000 just within city limits), so there will always be traffic. But it is the hub of the northern Bay Area counties. Santa Rosa has a nice downtown with a lot of restaurants (most reasonably priced), including Russian River Brewing Company, and shops, plus a large indoor mall on one end of downtown.
The Charles M Schulz (Snoopy!) Museum is there, which is a fun place to visit along with the gift shop and ice rink.
http://schulzmuseum.org/
This is a website for visiting Santa Rosa. Some people find a ton of things to do there, others only look outside the city - guess it just depends on your interests.
http://www.visitsantarosa.com/30-things-to-do
Healdsburg is similar to the town of Sonoma, with many wineries and a great downtown area (population about 11,000). The town square was used in the original "Scream" movie and may look familiar to fans of the film.
http://www.healdsburg.com/
Bodega Bay is on the coast about 40 minutes west of Santa Rosa. It's a small fishing village made famous by the Hitchcock film, "The Birds." There are many beaches north of town on Hwy 1, including Goat Rock.
http://www.bodegabay.com/
http://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/goat-rock-beach/
At The Sea Ranch, mentioned in my previous post, there is a small nondenominational chapel that is known for its unique architecture. It's right on the highway and is worth a stop to check it out. If you stay at Sea Ranch at all, there are trails along the bluffs which offer amazing views while hiking. There are spots to park and walk to beach areas along the highway for those who are not physically staying at TSR.
http://www.thesearanchchapel.org/
North of TSR and Gualala, is Point Arena which has a light house. It is the closest point in North America to Hawaii. Tours are available to climb up the lighthouse. Also includes a museum and gift shop. I really enjoy taking people here.
http://pointarenalighthouse.com/
Farther north (by about an hour) is the town of Mendocino, which has small shops and restaurants on the coast, and Fort Bragg, which is known for Sea Glass Beach.
http://www.californiabeaches.com/beach/glass-beach/
^^ Bodega Bay is awesome. This place has the best clam chowder on the planet:
http://www.spudpointcrab.com/
http://www.spudpointcrab.com/
Another place in Sonoma County: if you are looking to experience redwood trees, but don't want to drive all the way up to Humboldt County (for the tallest ones), there is Armstrong Woods, near Guerneville, west of Santa Rosa.
http://www.sonomacounty.com/articles/armstrong-redwoods
http://www.sonomacounty.com/articles/armstrong-redwoods
Randomly updating in this thread. Just came across an article with tips for touring around Sonoma/Napa wineries. It explains different options that are available, including a couple that I didn't really think about before. Always good to think ahead and plan what might work best for your plans.
https://simplydrivennapasonoma.com/...ting-guide/getting-around-napa-valley-sonoma/
https://simplydrivennapasonoma.com/...ting-guide/getting-around-napa-valley-sonoma/