Would like to visit Napa Valley & I have some questions (Los Angeles: hotel, cinema)

[TeamHobbes]

I know very little about Napa & I may be staying in Calistoga. I was hoping to get suggestions from people who live there or who have visited.


Are there any bad areas to avoid? if so which?
Best places to dine
Things to do other than wine tasting
Any interesting attractions to see?
Can this be an affordable vacation or is this an area that caters more to wealthy people? Too expensive? Too upscale?
In general, how is Calistoga?
Any important info that a visitor should know? I would like to have a safe and pleasant vacation.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

[djzuehlke]

I wouldn't say there are any bad areas or anything to avoid. There are some areas that aren't very nice but I wouldn't say they're unsafe. Everything in Napa and up through the valley revolves around tourism and going for more of an upscale feel, even if the hotel and such really aren't upscale. It's just the cost of doing business in the Napa Valley. As far as things to do, if it isn't wine tasting it will still surround wine and food. The wine train is a pretty standard issue thing to do where you eat a nice dinner and drink.....well......wine. It was a job that brought me here and I'll just say I now know what it's like to live in an area supported by tourism.

[Adriatica]

It is an expensive place to vacation, but very lovely.

Calistoga is nice--no bad parts to speak of. I prefer to stay in St. Helena within walking distance of Main Street/Hwy 29, but you can't go wrong in Calistoga.

Wineries are a big thing to see, of course. Try to mix in both the popular big ones (like V. Sattui) with some smaller, off-the-beaten-path wineries (like Robert Sinskey). I also love Grgich Hills, Silverado, and Frog's Leap.

For non-winery action, walk around downtown St. Helena. Stop and see a movie at the Cameo Cinema there (Welcome to the Cameo Cinema). Stroll around the Old Pioneer Cemetery near Calistoga. Check out the Old Faithful Geyser (Old Faithful Geyser of California). Visit the Culinary Institute at Greystone (Visit the CIA at Greystone in Napa Valley California-The Culinary Institute of America). Drive over to the town of Sonoma and visit the Mission and other historical sites.

There are so many great places to eat. Check out Taylor's (Taylor's Automatic Refresher), eat at Greystone, put together a picnic lunch at the deli at V. Sattui and eat it somewhere lovely, eat at Terra, eat at the Rutherford Grill, eat at the Wine Spectator, eat at the Calistoga Inn. All great.

Wherever you stay, ask the hotel staff for food and sightseeing recs--they'll be in the know about what the latest good spots are.

[CA4Now]

Originally Posted by TeamHobbes

Best places to dine....Things to do other than wine tasting...

This was in this past week's LA Times on Napa:
Writing a new chapter in Napa's rebirth - Los Angeles Times

[Kibby]

Napa's a great place to visit - I've been there several times over the years. You might also want to consider the Russian River Valley. We went there a couple of years ago for a week and loved it. Little more laid back, easy drive to the coast, a LOT cheaper, beautiful scenery, and a great jumping off place to visit other areas.

We rented a small place in Gruenville (spelling?) for $750 for the week - loved every minute of that trip. Not as upscale and frou frou as Napa but we weren't looking for upscale/frou frou.

[ConeyIsBabe]

I lived in the city of Napa for one year and enjoyed the experience. However, as a tourist, there really isn't a lot of interesting things other than eating gourmet food and drinking fine wine - and spending LOTS of money

The Napa Valley is beautiful just to drive around. Calistoga is very touristy and its geo-thermal hot springs are great & EXPENSIVE ! Visiting Napa will be a worthwhile experience but IMHO, not fully enjoyable on a budget A side trip to Sonoma would be a nice day-trip When I lived there, I always enjoyed a drive to the coast, to Bodega Bay, for a seafood lunch !!

[TeamHobbes]

thank you for all your posts!