Birthday weekend in Napa Valley

I'm taking my wife to Napa for her birthday weekend. Any suggestions on places to go/things to do? We've got dinner reservations at Auberge, but haven't worked out the rest of the trip yet.

Napa (California) St Helena (California)

2 Answers

answered by

Anthony

A few more suggestions from my last trip:

If you have 2 nights for dinner, I'd also recommend Long Meadow Ranch for dinner. That was the best meals of my trip. Great ambiance inside an old barn in St. Helena and a crazy extensive wine-list.

Healdsburg was a favorite area for wineries. They seemed to be more casual/initmate than those in Napa/Yountville. Two favorites were Yoakim Bridge Winery and Porter Creek Winery.

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Long Meadow Ranch (attraction)
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answered first by

Debbie from San Francisco

Nice on getting reservations at Auberge Du Soleil! Is there anything in particular that you're looking for? Well, I'll give you a few suggestions for places that I love across the board :)

Breakfast/Brunch:

ad hoc serves a great prix fixe brunch on weekends. A Thomas Keller spot in Yountville.
The Boon Fly Cafe -- In Napa proper, so it's about a 15-20 minute drive from Rutherford (if you're staying at Auberge, too), but one of the most popular breakfast and brunch places in the area.

Lunch:

Gott's Roadside -- I love them! They have a location in Napa, too, but the St. Helena one is closer to Auberge. Their seared ahi tuna burger with Asian slaw and wasabi aioli on egg bun is my favorite. They also serve beer and wine from local wineries. Order inside and grab a seat outside to take in the beautiful wine country sun.

Wine Tasting:

Artesa Vineyards & Winery: Beautiful, beautiful winery/art gallery. Great for all sorts of wine.
Domaine Carneros: Probably the most beautiful place for sparkling wine in the valley.
Domaine Chandon: Another good place for bubbles that's in Yountville.

For Fun:

Take a walk in downtown Yountville on Washington St. Search for The French Laundry in your GPS and go from there. There's a beautiful garden/park adjacent to the restaurant and that's a good place stop off for a walk and take some pictures. This is also where Domaine Chandon is located.
Old Faithful Geyser of California: Grab a picnic lunch and head here to see the geyser. Good spots to grab lunch to go are at Buster's Southern BBQ or Palisades Market close to the geyser in Calistoga, or if you're coming from Napa, go to Genova delicatessen for some sandwiches.
Downtown St Helena (California) is also great to walk through for some shopping. Great boutiques and little specialty food stores.

Happy birthday to your wife and I hope you two have a great time! :)