You are a racist if you only kick out the African-Americans and not the equally loud white partiers.
^Was that what happened here? They were repeatedly asked to tone it down in consideration of others. It’s a bit like the boom box in the 80s. I hated them whoever was carrying it. I also hated the hair oil on my african american babysitters, often with sparkles. My baby’s face was drenched with oil and a few stray sparkles. Does that make me a hater?
Dry Creek area and Healdsburg are my favorites! Love to pick up picnic essentials at Dry Creek General store and stop at a winery to buy wine and lunch on their grounds. Had a beautiful day at Lambert Bridge!
If you would like an amazing drive (opposed to – eating/drinking)…Take the back road from Napa to Santa Rosa (up through Healdsburg, down through Calistoga, back to Napa). No car? Consider the wine train, which takes you to various wineries along Napa’s main thoroughfare.
I like Lambert Bridge for a picnic area too.
If taking 1andonly’s recommended back route from Napa to Santa Rosa, stop at the Jimtown Store, which is not so much a store as a deli. Mmm. No car? No problem, the route is better on a bike than in a car.
If you want to cross over and do both valleys it will take an entire day. So, it depends what you want to experience on your trip. If you are looking for fine dining/wine, stick to Napa’s main wine road (the farther away the more eclectic).
I’ll have a car but not sure if I’ll have a whole day, maybe 6-7 hours.
Do check the traffic on the roads to/from Napa, as they can get crowded. I concur that if you really don’t want to fog to any win derived, Healdsburg is a good alternative. Cute little town.
^Good point about the traffic. If we take the wine train which will offer the best view?
We always seem to end up in Napa on Mondays and Tuesday. Some things are closed, (including an art collection that’s been on our list of things to see forever), but the traffic is not an issue at least. Speaking of Art Collections we loved the art collection at Hess - you have to set up an appointment to see it, but we were it for the tour and loved having a real conversation about the stuff with the guy who took us around. (He’s not an art historian, but was very interested in modern art and would talk about what other viewers saw or didn’t see.) If you are an architecture geek, you might enjoy seeing Clos Pegase which was designed by Michael Graves at the height of his popularity.
I think our favorite winery in all our trips is Benziger. http://www.benziger.com/ (Not to be confused with Beringer.) It was started as a family run business that sold biodynamic wines. The tour was really interesting and the wine is terrific.
Another vote for The French Laundry. Put your name on the wait list for lunch and dinner --if you can’t get a reservation.
6-7 hours? Does this include the getting to/from Napa time? I can take 2 hours to get from Napa to SFO on some days. Jym is correct about the crazy traffic - not in Napa valley, but on the roads leading to it from SFO/Silicon Valley. If you can tell us where you are coming from, posters should be able to give you advice better tailored to your schedule.
Forgot to add–a fun winery to tour is Del Dotto in Rutheford. Tour includes the wine caves, which quite interesting, and ends in an over-the-top Tuscan-themed tasting hall. The wine (mostly Cabernet) is very good.
Maybe it is just assumed that “everyone” knows, but I think it is fair to warn the OP that dinner for two at The French Laundry runs to about $700 WITHOUT wine, easily $1000++++ with. Just for planning purposes.
Thank you for the warning for the price. I did look it up and saw the price. I also noticed their rating has gone down quite a bit. I’ll pass this time.
BB 6-7 hours in Napa Valley not counting the travel time. I am coming up from Sanfrancisco for the day.