Activities

There’s more to Napa Valley than just the best wine tasting in the world.

October 27, 2014 by Kyle Goleno Leave a Comment

There are four main Napa Valley activities (or destinations) that many tourists don’t want to go home without visiting. In completely random order… they are, a hot air balloon ride, Wine Train meal, visit to the Culinary Institute of America, and a tour of the Castello di Amorosa. Technically the Castello is a winery with wine tasting at the end of the tour, but that part is optional, and the tour is something that is certainly worthy of doing on its own.

But after wine, the number 2 reason to visit the Napa Valley is for the food. Napa Valley now has several Michelin star rated restaurants, with both legendary famous chefs as well as rising stars. Planning restaurant reservations weeks in advance is a must if you want to eat at the restaurants of Michael Chiarello, Cindy Pawlcin, Morimoto, etc. Check out Eat Napa Valley for restaurant information.

When my wife and I are on vacation, we usually end up browsing stores and do a little shopping, and it is one of our favorite Napa Valley activities. Each town in Napa Valley offers an easy walkable area of local stores perfect for vacation browsing and shopping. St Helena offers a pretty short straight street, while Calistoga boasts a much longer spread out street. Yountville has two shopping plazas at its ends of the main street, but Many people walk the entire length as well visiting the gardens of The French Laundry on their way to the other end. The downtown to Napa has expanded in recent years with destinations including the Oxbow Public Market, The Riverfront, and shops along Main Street, and First and Second Streets. If your looking for brand name clothes, then you won’t want to miss the Napa Premium Outlets with stores including Coach, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor, etc.

The list of activities offered in the Napa Valley is growing, and you can learn more about those activities on this site.

3 tips for a Napa Valley Wine Train Experience to Remember

October 27, 2014 by Kyle Goleno Leave a Comment

If you’ve decided to take the Wine train, either for lunch or a dinner run, here are some tips to make your wine train experience fun and memorable.

Napa Wine Train Tip #1
While a dinner trip might be your inclination, we suggest the lunch tour instead. This is a must if you are coming in the winter, because it will be dark and you won’t be able to see much out of the windows. During the summer, we still suggest the lunch run, so that you can enjoy your afternoon wine tasting and eating in one of Napa’s Restaurants.

Napa Wine Train Tip #2
Get a spot at the back, this will allow you to easily take pictures off the caboose, or ask for a car with windows that open. When the train heads back you’ll be at the front though. The wine train never turns around, it just goes up and down the Napa Valley. The engine moves from one end of the train to the other.

Napa Wine Train Tip #3
Many people think wine is included with their package, it’s not. Like any restaurant you have to at least consider bringing your own bottle, or half bottle(s), especially if there are more than two people in your party. The Wine Train charges a $15 corkage fee.

Of course remember to relax and have a good time. Pretty soon you’ll be off the train, out to explore Napa Valley on your own.

Napa New Years Eve Party

December 27, 2011 by Kyle Goleno Leave a Comment

There are not many options in Napa for a New Years Eve bash.

Several restaurants offer a late dinner seating with music and/or a countdown at midnight with a champagne toast. But these events keep you in your seats with your friends that you arrived with and minimize the excitement of a New Years Eve Party.

However, Domain Chandon has been having a party at the Winery for many years. They first have an optional prix fix dinner at Etoile restaurant. Starting at 9pm the party in the winery and an enclosed tent on the patio open up. Last year (2010) there was a Carnival theme, with many guests sporting masks.

They have both a live band and a DJ. The live band is instrumental music from time periods like the forties, providing some enjoyment for Domain Chandon’s more sophisticated crowd of older Napans, while the DJ plays to the hip younger Napa crowd sticking to current music.

Included with the price of entrance are two tickets redeemable each for a glass of sparkling wine. Other Champagnes and wines are available for purchase. Beer and hard liquor are nowhere to be found at the winery. If you have a glass in hand near the twelve o’clock hour, you may find a waiter pouring Champagne for a New Years Eve toast.

Of course the band plays “Auld Lang Syne” at midnight.

The party continues for another hour or so, before the droves head home for bed or out to an after party.

Napa Shopping – Outlets

April 14, 2010 by Kyle Goleno Leave a Comment

Close to downtown Napa, right off highway 29, there are many high end clothing stores. The clothes you’ll find here are discounted typically by about 40%, because they are outlet stores, The Napa Premium Outlets. Often though these stores have big sales and prices are discounted anywhere from an additional 25-50 percent.

The Napa premium outlets include some pretty great stores. Some of them are listed below:

American Apparel
Ann Taylor Factory Store
Banana Republic Factory Store
Barneys New York Outlet
BCBG Max
Brooks Brothers Factory Store
Calvin Klein
Dockers Outlet Store
Gap Outlet
Guess
J.Crew
Kenneth Cole
Levi’s Outlet Store
Lucky Brand
Nautica
Tommy Hilfiger

Children’s Store

Gymboree Outlet

Plus there are other specialty stores, like:

Beauty Outlet
Bose
Coach
Samsonite Company Store
Sunglass Hut
Wilsons Leather Outlet

There are shoe stores as well:

Clarks Bostonian
Factory Brand Shoes
Nine West

Find out about current and upcoming sales at these stores.

Bonus: Sign up to become a VIP shopper and get a coupon book for when you visit.

Hot Air Balloon Ride tips

April 10, 2010 by Kyle Goleno Leave a Comment

*Good idea to fill your morning before visiting Wineries and tasting.
Visiting Napa is usually fulfilled with winery tours and drinking wine, however if you’re ready early in the AM to get your day started, but not keen on drinking before noon, you may want to consider a hot air balloon ride. They typically meet just before sunrise in an up-valley location.

*Don’t worry about falling out
The basket that you ride in is actually fairly deep and doesn’t really sway as your flying above Napa’s vineyards and homes, so don’t worry that you are going to fall out.

*Where the wind blows
It’s true that you are mostly at the mercy of nature pushing you around the skies, but don’t underestimate the control of the balloon pilot. Yes, that’s right, the person navigating your balloon is a pilot, and a skilled one at that. You’ll be amazed at how much control they do have of that hot air floating vessel.

*Loud, but the colder the quieter (layer clothing)
Riding in a hot air balloon can be pretty loud, and not as quiet and serene as you may have originally thought. The flame thrower right above your head (go light on the hairspray) that heats the air is loud. It is an intermittent noise. The pilot turns it on and off to control the height of the balloon. But it is distracting. If you plan on asking an important question (like, will you marry me?), maybe you could work out a signal with the pilot ahead of time, to make sure there aren’t any necessary interruptions. Usually this is best done as early in the experience as possible (only if you’re sure it’s a yes), so you can enjoy the ride with new thoughts and dreams. If it’s cold, then the air doesn’t have to be heated up as much to stay afloat. That’s why flights are done early in the morning. Napa can have a 40 degree temperature swing from night to day (this is partly why the grapes grow so well here). That means that a cold morning will provide for a great hot air balloon ride, but if it heats up quickly, you’re in for a shorter louder experience. Bring layers of clothes so your comfortable in these temperature variances.

*Pickup in Vans
When your done with your ride, the pilot will radio to the pickup van your location. The vans are large capacity vans, nothing fancy. If your concerned about being picked up in an old van, checkup with the company to find out about the entire experience before you book.

*Breakfast included
Some balloon rides include shuttling your party and all the other balloon riders from that morning to a restaurant for a breakfast and an opportunity to sell you addition souvenirs of your experience. Typically a morning full of hot air balloons includes about eleven balloons in total.

*Bring a Camera – zoom lens.
You’ll definitely want to bring your camera with you for this tour. If you have a zoom lens, bring it along as well. You can easily make a dramatic photo by taking multiple photos of the view and “stitch” them together using one of these software programs.
Stitch Photos Tutorial
List of Tools for making Panoramics

*Binoculars
If you have a pair of binoculars, bring them along, maybe the place you’re staying at will have a pair to let you borrow, ask before you leave.

*Use restroom beforehand
You’ll want to use the restroom before you leave, there is no “John” on board.

*Motion sickness
If you get motion sickness on boats or helicopters, you may want to be prepared with your favorite modality to combat the motion sickness, but this experience is different from those and typically people do not get motion sick. Now a fear of heights will be compounded in a small basket rising high above the earth. Hot air balloons typically fly between 500 and 3000 feet up.

*People can hear you
A word of caution, just because you’re in the sky doesn’t mean that those that are in eyesight can’t hear you, so use caution. You can also expect an audience during your landing. While you would expect the locals to be used to balloon landings, it’s always an exciting event, especially for kids. You’ll typically be landing in a park of sorts, and neighborhood kids will come out to watch the landing and packaging up of the balloons. Be prepared for an audience.

*Have Fun
Have fun.

Balloons above the Valley
Napa Valley Balloons
Napa Valley Drifters
Napa Valley Aloft