Page 49 - 2024-2025 Travel Guide to California

advance planning. Plenty of other
celebrated dining options are nearby,
including Bistro Jeanty and Ad Hoc—Chef
Thomas Keller’s other, more casual
comfort-food restaurant.
Simply exploring Yountville’s tree-lined
Washington Street is a pleasure, with its
lavish tasting rooms and inviting outdoor
patios for leisurely lunches or an afternoon
hangout. The V Marketplace is home to
Bottega and Coqueta, and 19th-century stone
buildings on the grounds are also home to
Kollar Chocolates—perfect for satisfying
any sweet-tooth cravings.
Insider’s tip: Consider picking-up a
rental bike in Napa and cycling to
Yountville via the seven-mile easy stretch
on the beautiful, safe, and paved
pathway—the Napa Valley Vine Trail.
Riding between Napa and Yountville is an
enjoyable way to get outdoors and
explore the beauty of this region, plus
there are several wine stops along this
portion of the Vine Trail, including Laird
Family Estate and Trefethen Family
Vineyards.
Downtown Yountville also happens to
be one of several launch points for
another outdoor thrill: flying high above
Napa Valley on a hot-air balloon ride,
an unforgettable experience available
through a premier ballooning outfit,
Napa Valley Aloft.
Strollable St. Helena
The town of St. Helena is full of charm. Art
galleries, wine-themed shops and chic
boutiques line its charming Main Street,
three blocks of which are on the National
Register of Historic Places. Be sure to
experience the hip tasting rooms and savor
lunch at Market. If burgers, fries, and
shakes are more your jam, don’t miss Gott’s
Roadside!
Heading just slightly north, the Culinary
Institute of America (CIA) at Greystone
features tours and cooking classes—all
housed in a grand 19th-century stone
building. Beringer, a handsome landmark
winery, is notable for its 146-year-old
history and caves, offering a fascinating
look into early California winemaking. And
at the northernmost end of town, a tall
water wheel and mill that date from the
mid-1800s are on display at Bale Grist Mill
State Historic Park.
Calming Calistoga
The northernmost town of Napa Valley
is Calistoga, with its renowned spas,
geothermal hot springs and famous mud
baths. Calistoga has pampered guests
since the late 1800s. Sam Brannan, one of
the first American settlers to arrive during
the 1860s, envisioned a spa town similar
to Saratoga, NY. Legend has it that
Brannan famously said he would develop
“the Saratoga of California” and, after a
few drinks, Brannan’s words came out as
“the Calistoga of Sarafornia.” The name
stuck.
The geothermal hot springs and famous
mud composed of volcanic ash have long-
provided a unique style of spa therapies
and treatments. Many of the area spas
create indulgent and relaxing experiences
with combinations of mud baths, mineral
soaks and aromatherapy. Relaxation is
definitely on deck in Calistoga.
Lincoln Avenue, Calistoga’s tiny main
street, is made for strolling with tasting
rooms, restaurants, boutiques, and art
galleries that are all one-of-a-kind. Outside
of town is the awe-inspiring Petrified
Forest where ancient redwoods and other
trees were preserved after a volcanic
eruption 3.4 million years ago.
Many wineries around Calistoga are well
worth a visit and the gorgeous stone castle,
Chateau Montelena, built in 1882, is a
stand-out. The Chardonnay from Chateau
Montelena is the famous wine that put
California on the wine map, winning the
1976 Judgement of Paris and stunning the
European wine world while cementing
Napa Valley’s position as a world-class
wine destination.
That famous moment during the
Judgement of Paris wine competition
may have put Napa Valley on the world
map; nevertheless, the passion and
commitment of the original farming
families and land stewardship remains to
this day. And, many of the same family-
owned and operated wineries from that era
are still producing world-class wines
today. The wine is still awesome and the
experiences that have sprung to life
around the wine in this little bucolic
region of California are unrivaled. Visit
Napa Valley and experience the laid-back,
relaxed vibe that, along with the wine, will
keep you coming back.
2024-25 TRAVEL GUIDE TO CALIFORNIA 47