Things to Do in Napa Valley

California wine country is an amazingly beautiful place that everyone should experience. I recently went and although my trip was brief, I had an amazing time. We stayed in a quaint hotel in downtown Napa and our first stop was a cute wine tasting place called Uncorked. The owner of Uncorked really knew his stuff and the tasting was free and delicious!

The next morning we drove through the valley to visit the wineries. Our first stop was V. Sattui Winery. This place is awesome! They have lots of meats, cheeses, snacks, and wine to choose from and a wonderful outdoor area perfect for a picnic. I wanted to buy everything in the store, a great place to buy adorable European-inspired kitchen accessories.

Our next and most anticipated stop was Castello di Amorosa, a gorgeous castle that instantly transported me back to the France/Switzerland/Italy region. As we drove up to the castle, we passed rows of grape vines and were greeted by sheep! We entered the ornate castle and went into the cave to taste the most delicious wines and chocolates California has to offer. Our hotel gave us a buy-one-get-one-free coupon, so for two people to taste over 20 wines only cost $30. You can't beat that price and this awesome location.

There are many ways to see all that Napa has to offer, including a train, limo, and party bus that takes you around to all of the different wineries. Since we weren't traveling in a group, we decided to drive around because the price of these transportation types are pricey and better utilized with more people sharing the costs. But the shops inside the wineries offer a good way to sober up before you drive to the next location, which is right down the road. Just make sure you have someone responsible!

We could have stayed in Napa forever, but we wanted to make the trip complete by stopping at the Redwood Forest. There is so much to do in this lush area and if you plan ahead, your trip can be amazing and affordable!