Why would anyone book a trip to visit Napa Valley? Well, the obvious reason is the stunning vineyards and excellent wines, isn’t it? Certainly, with over 400 wineries, vineyard tours and wine tastings are the main attraction.
However, the same Mediterranean climate that makes this region ideal for growing grapes is also perfect for outdoor adventures. As someone who’s lived in the Bay Area for several years, I can tell you that there’s plenty more to do than just visiting wineries alone. And most of the time, a single day in Napa isn’t going to allow you to cover everything.
The outdoor lifestyle is alive and well in Napa Valley, and there is also some incredible art to be found. So come, visit, and feel free to enjoy the wine, but also use this list as a guide for your next Napa Valley excursion.
Bike Rentals and Tours
Whether you think of it as earning your next meal, exercise, or just plain fun, riding a bike is a great way to enjoy the beauty of Napa Valley. This can also be a great family activity and a wonderful way to see the beautiful landscapes of the Valley.
Fat Tire Bike Rentals
At Fat Tire Bike Rentals in downtown Napa, you can rent an e-bike either to strike out independently or with a tour. Guests often rave about the bikes and customer service here in their online reviews.
This is because the owners, Chris and Justine Pulver, go above and beyond as a habit. For example, their rental bikes can be delivered right to your accommodations in Napa. While the bikes come equipped with the essentials (like a helmet, lights, lock, and map), they also come with a small bag of trail mix. What a nice touch!
Fat Tire Rentals offers a range of tour options that include winery visits as well as tours focused on art and history. One significant benefit of e-bikes is that they make cycling accessible to more people who might not like or have the ability to ride a bike long distances.
Hot Air Balloon Tours
Up, up, and away! For a great view of the area and a whimsical experience, try a hot air balloon tour! Briefly, you too can be an aeronaut and waft around in a basket. It’s one of the best ways to see the region with a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Napa Valley Aloft
The family-run business Napa Valley Aloft offers soaring adventures with an impressive emphasis on safety. Their pilots are FAA certified, and the website boasts about their safety record, which is exactly what I want to see when I’m going to put my life in someone’s hands!
Customers are so overwhelmingly delighted with the ballooning experience here that Napa Valley Aloft has repeatedly received TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence and USA Today’s Readers’ Choice Awards.
In terms of logistics, start times are based on sunrise, so they vary somewhat over the year. You can book a spot on a group tour or an exclusive flight, say, for a proposal, a team-building experience, a family reunion, or a friendcation
Food is offered before embarking, and you can purchase breakfast afterward. The main launch site is in Yountville, which is especially convenient for people based there, and there are two other launch sites, in case weather conditions in the area are poor.
As the Napa Valley Aloft website explains, your whole experience with them lasts between three to four hours. This includes transport to the launch pad, balloon inflation time, and breakfast (not just the time in the air).
FYI, this is not the only hot air balloon company in Napa Valley, and many customers also rave about the competition, Napa Valley Balloons, Inc.
Trains and Sidecars
The local motorized tours are fun in and of themselves as well as being a great way to drink and not drive while visiting vineyards. Whether you are visiting vineyards for wine or not, these tours are a great way to make the journey just as memorable as the destination.
Napa Valley Wine Train
A big hit with guests is the Napa Valley Wine Train. It’s a fun and responsible way to visit wineries and take in the views. And the views are not only outside. After all, the vintage-chic, restored luxury train cars from the early 20th century are themselves a sight to behold. They even come complete with mahogany paneling. So go all out and dress for the occasion! Or don’t. That’s also fine. There is no enforced dress code–besides, this is California, home of the casual and free.
There is, though, a restaurant offering gourmet food. When planning your trip, you can choose from various package tours, each with its own emphasis, including gourmet food or stops for wine tasting at vineyards, of course.
Sidecar Tours Inc.
One of the more unexpected ways to get around is by motorcycle sidecar with Sidecar Tours Inc. Their sidecars hold two passengers each, which makes for a great shared adventure. Bump along and feel the wind on your face!
Guests claim that the experience is only enhanced by the buzz from wine tastings. Although there aren’t many reviews of these vineyard tours by sidecar online yet, the ones I found were uniformly positive.
Adventures in Photography
Some of the greatest adventures in life take place through shifting your own perceptions. The photography adventure we feature is designed to do just that. By the end, the hope is that you will see Napa Valley and the wider world differently.
Art & Clarity
The professional photographers at Art & Clarity lead an experience called The Art of Seeing. It’s a guided opportunity to build your photography skills while learning to see the beauty of Napa Valley in new ways. It’s led by people whose art, photography, is based on seeing — and capturing — what might otherwise just pass us by.
The New York Times even ran an article calling this one of the top ten photography adventures in the world! So come with your camera, or just the camera on your phone, and leave with skills you can use for a lifetime.
Art Galleries
While in Napa Valley, don’t miss the opportunities to enjoy the art scene or even the chance to take a painting home with you. You can find annual arts festivals that range in focus from jazz to film. One standout festival is the Napa Lighted Art Festival, but there are a number of other places in the area to see art throughout the year.
di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art
The di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art features art largely from the Bay Area and Northern California. Expect the boundary-breaking (and at times befuddling) feel of modern and contemporary art. The museum is a bit of a hidden gem, only open Friday through Sunday.
There is a sculpture garden in a meadow outside the museum, which displays some large pieces from the founder’s personal collection. Also, the museum is located on a nature preserve with a 35-acre lake.
The Christopher Hill Gallery
For those wishing to procure some art, check out The Christopher Hill Gallery in St. Helena. The owner has curated a lovely second-story gallery that guests find well worth the visit. It’s not only that people enjoy the paintings, though they do, but they also remark on how knowledgeable and pleasant the owner, Mr. Hill, is.
For a sense of the good taste behind the curation in this gallery, check out the website for a wide variety of its paintings (and their prices). On the website, you can also view the schedule of exhibits for your visit.
State Parks
There are certainly many opportunities to re-tox, with all the wine around, so take a break to detox and get into nature. After all, fresh air, natural beauty, and exercise are an age-old recipe for refreshment!
If you’re traveling with your family or have a few little ones in the group, hiking and visiting the local state parks can be a great way to see the area!
Robert Louis Stevenson State Park
North of Calistoga is Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. It’s named for the Scottish author of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde fame, who honeymooned here. If you want to do some preparatory reading, check out his travel memoir about his time here, The Silverado Squatters. In the park itself, you can hike to the top of Mt. St. Helena, which is a highlight.
It’s the highest mountain in the area, offering sweeping views. The provisions are minimal, though, so don’t expect to find trash cans, latrines, or drinkable water at this park. Always remember to pack water for your hikes though and carry all your trash out!
Bothe-Napa Valley State Park
The Bothe-Napa Valley State Park is located between Calistoga and St. Helena. It has 10 miles of hiking trails, redwood forests, a creek, a swimming pool, and overnight accommodations ranging from private cabins to yurts to campsites.
This is a great place to get the family out into nature while you’re visiting the Napa Valley area!
Skyline Wilderness Park
On the outskirts of the city of Napa, Skyline Wilderness Park has a popular trail system with views. It includes the 2.5-acre Martha Walker Native Habitat Garden, which showcases almost 200 species of plants native to California.
For those seeking accommodation, there are tent and RV camping options if your family enjoys roughing it!
Kayak Adventures
Sometimes you just need to get on the water, especially on those hot summer days.
Kayaking through the waterways of Napa Valley offers a fresh perspective on the area and a refreshing opportunity to burn some energy. This is another great family-friendly option if your kids are good swimmers or water bugs!
Enjoy Napa Valley
Enjoy Napa Valley, which comes highly recommended for guided kayak tours, is one of the best tours you can take in the area. These include the Napa River History Tour and the Kayak Ghost Tour. One tour guide, Justin, specifically gets strong reviews. Tour bookings are for two hours, with the first hour dedicated to the tour and the second hour reserved for independent paddling around.
Now, some guests complain that during the tours, there is not a lot of paddling and that it’s mostly just sitting. It’s up to you to decide if it is satisfying enough to then make up for that in the latter half of your time on the water. If you’re looking for a more vigorous form of exercise, consider a rental without a tour.
Napa Valley Paddle
Another kayak rental option is Napa Valley Paddle. They also offer lessons and paddleboard rentals. Although they don’t offer in-person tours led by guides, you can get an audio guide to take with you on your rental.
Olive Oil Tastings
After all that paddling and playing in the water, you’re probably famished. So let’s get back to the food.
In a Mediterranean climate, it only makes sense to try the local olive oil. This is potentially another family-friendly option, but call first to make sure children are welcome when you book for a tasting.
Round Pond Estate
Round Pond Estate boasts of being “one of two working olive mills in Napa Valley.” They produce their oil on-site, in addition to growing their own olives. You can learn about the oils and red wine vinegars they produce by participating in their educational Olive Oil Tasting.
Alternatively, they offer a more robust Gourmet Experience where you can learn about the production process in greater detail and enjoy “small bites” of prepared foods with your tasting.
Grove 45 Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Mother-daughter-owned and operated, Grove 45 Extra Virgin Olive Oil offers tastings of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and rosé wines. Their olive oils are produced from a range of olives, including their own. You can book tastings here.
The Olive Press
The Olive Press at Oxbow Public Market offers a variety of samples that have guests raving about the outstanding selection. If you wish to travel beyond Napa Valley, The Olive Press has another tasting room in Sonoma, where their olive mill is located.
Cheese Experiences
Especially if you find yourself bringing home a couple of bottles of wine, it’s only right to pick up some cheese to go with it. Upon reflection, though, does one really need an excuse to buy cheese?
In addition to the option highlighted below, a wide variety of cheeses can be found at Oxbow Public Market.
The Napa Table
The Napa Table is a great go-to cheesemonger. It’s a little shop with big ambitions. As their website says, “We’re reinventing the way our society approaches food (and life!) by sharing the art of slowing down, savoring and connecting with what, who, and how we eat.”
One way they achieve this is by offering a variety of cheese tastings. Those include a few different options that you and your group can indulge in.
Breweries and a Distillery
The fermented drinks available in Napa Valley extend far beyond just wine. If you are so inclined, consider checking out the beers and cocktails.
Just remember the old adages (like “beer before liquor, never been sicker; beer before wine, feeling fine”) and stay well. Stay safe and drink responsibly!
Fieldwork Brewing
Fieldwork Brewing is a Berkeley-based brewery with locations around the wider Bay Area. They have a convenient location by Oxbow Public Market in downtown Napa and offer a delivery service if your accommodation is within a 5-mile radius. Visitors love the beers as well as the comfortable, laid-back vibe.
St Clair Brown Winery and Brewery
St. Clair Brown Winery and Brewery is a women-run operation that produces both wine and small-batch beers on-site. Guests especially enjoy sitting in the culinary garden.
If there has been poor weather or if it is predicted, call in advance to confirm that the garden will be open. This small enterprise is conveniently located right in downtown Napa.
Napa Valley Distillery
Napa Valley Distillery was founded with the mantra, “Make it different” (echoing Ezra Pound’s famed phrase, “Make it new”). This is a zany place where you can get gin, brandy, whiskey, and cocktails.
By way of critique, though, some guests have found the sales tactics off-puttingly aggressive, even dubious.
Relaxation Spas
A final recommendation for detoxing and relaxing: visit the spa.
There are many spas to choose from in the area, and some will be more convenient depending on where you are based. One of the significant factors in my choice to highlight the one below was that it offers treatments using Calistoga’s hot springs and mud.
Spa at Solage
The Spa at Solage offers an extensive, luxurious array of spa treatments, with highlights that draw on Calistoga’s famous hot springs and mud. This is the place to go if you want to get muddy in a context that feels clean, well-managed, and anything but grubby.
Expect to find a comprehensive range of massage treatments, as well as reflexology services.
The treatment you have to get when visiting is Solage’s signature “mudslide.” The “mudslide” is a treatment that deconstructs the traditional mud bath and serves it up with flair. You get a three-part experience. First, there’s “the mud”, now mixed with essential oils, which you can select between before painting yourself with a thin layer in a private room. Second, comes “the waters”, a private soak in Calistoga’s mineral water. Third, and last, is “the rest” stage, which is an opportunity to relax in a “state-of-the-art sound chair” that vibrates.
Visiting Napa Valley
In 2022, the San Francisco Chronicle – the primary Bay Area newspaper – ran a series of articles on Napa Valley’s evolution as a brand and destination. They inquired whether this was still the premier location for tasting America’s wines and a top travel destination.
Corporations have bought up family vineyards, and the cutting-edge entrepreneurs who first made a name for this place have passed away. So it is not the same “Napa Valley” you would have experienced sixty years ago. However, it remains a place dedicated to the enjoyment of food and wine, and “the good life”, free from the distractions that come with the hustle and bustle of big cities.
What I’ve tried to highlight is also that the expansion of Napa Valley brings new opportunities for enjoying the physical landscape and agricultural riches. From hot air balloons to e-bikes to art museums, there is much to enjoy here beyond the wine that made the region famous.