California
napa valley
North of San Francisco is Napa Valley, California’s most famous wine region. The scenery of vineyards, rolling hills and olive groves will make you second guess whether you are in the United States or in Tuscany.
a wine lovers paradise
One day we plan to go back to Napa, just the two of us. Our son is a great traveler, but sitting around while we taste wine would be very boring for him. Since we only had a little over a day there, this trip was more for driving around and taking in the beautiful scenery than for vineyard visits. There is a winery around every turn though and I highly recommend spending at least a few days if this is your focus. Even in the fall, most of these vineyards were booked while we were there and many of the tastings are quite expensive. I definitely suggest making reservations ahead of time so you are ensured a spot at your favorite places.
I do suggest two of my favorite California vintners though who are located not far from Napa. Kokomo Winery is located in nearby Healdsburg. The owner and winemaker is from my hometown of Kokomo (hence the name) and he specializes in Russian River, Dry Creek and Alexander Valley appellations. The second vineyard, Brassfield Estate Winery, is about an hour and a half north in Clearlake Oaks. My favorite of their wine is Eruption, a full bodied red wine blend whose grapes are grown on the fertile side of a volcano.
Just north of Napa in Yountsville is The French Laundry, one of the most famous restaurants in the United States. Owned and operated by three star Michelin chef Thomas Keller, the building used to be a steam laundry in the 1920’s. The classic French menu changes daily and much of it is sourced from their own farm and extensive gardens. This is definitely not a place I would go on a family trip with younger kids, but we hope to visit the next time Toby and I are in the area.
Driving north on the Golden Gate bridge toward Sausalito is a nature lovers paradise less than an hour away. Muir Woods is a redwood forest with trees up to 800 years old and has been been protected as a National Monument since 1908. Named for their brownish red bark, California redwoods are known to be the tallest trees in the world. Walking through this forest makes you feel tiny under the canopy of these massive and majestic evergreens. With six miles of trails, one and half miles of which are paved or boardwalked, it is an accessible park to all. We hiked the ninety minute trail, some of which was paved and other parts of it were just dirt trails. It was an easy hike with our then eight year old, but the shorter hikes are great for guests in wheelchairs or smaller children in strollers. Since we were there in fall, it wasn’t nearly as crowded as I imagine it is during the summer, which made it even more beautiful and serene. While it was a misty day, the weather was perfect for us at around 65°F. I highly recommend adding this to your itinerary if you are near San Francisco or Napa Valley.
Driving up to this park, you might wonder if you are in the correct place. From the outside, it looks almost like a petting zoo or small roadside attraction. Once inside, the vibe isn’t far off. We visited on a rainy day in October, so there were only a few other people there. I imagine during the Summer it is much busier, but it gave us a weird feeling that maybe this little adventure was not worth the admission price. There are horses, goats and alpacas on the property as well as flower gardens, though these weren’t in bloom when we were there.
The lady who greeted us upon arrival told us that the geyser would erupt every 15-30 minutes. While we waited more than an hour, we again wondered if we had been smart to purchase tickets. It did finally erupt after about 70 minutes and was cool to see, but I don’t think that I would pay to go back during the fall. I imagine it is a much better place to visit during warmer months when there are more things to do in the park.
Located in downtown Sonoma, this French-inspired bistro specializes in local and seasonal fare that highlights the bounty of Northern California. We visited in the height of fresh fig season, which was a huge plus for us since we rarely see them in Indiana. The menu boasts of classics like cheese & pâté, steak au poivre and cassoulet while also serving more West coast inspired dishes like the fig burger and pork belly with Brussels sprouts. They have an excellent craft cocktail list, many of which contain fig syrup. California grown Rhône varietals dominate the wine menu, which are the perfect accompaniment to the nouvelle cuisine flavors of this Napa Valley gem.
