I am planning a wine country trip (5-7days) in May. I am interested in both the Santa Cruz area all the way up to Healdsburg. Do you think those places are too far apart to do in one week? Should I stick to the Napa/Sonoma area? Also, has anyone traveled to wine country in May, is it crowded, off-season, etc?

Thanks!

No, they are not too far apart to do in one week. May should be beautiful. The grapes will be leafed out and blooming(grape blooms are very tiny and you will not even notice). The only crowded time could be Memorial day weekend.

You picked a good time to go.

Santa Cruz is only about a 3 hour drive to Napa or Sonoma along Hwy 1. It's a little shorter if you take the freeways inland and it's a little further to Healdsburg. You should have no trouble visiting wineries in both areas if you have 5-7 days.

May is a great time to visit. In early May, the hills are usually still green, wildflowers are out, and the vines are growing rapidly. It's not too crowded with visitors except over Memorial Day weekend. You have picked a great time to come.

Both are doable in the time frame you've set but I'd stick to Napa Sonoma and north, relax at a hotel with a spa, sample the restaurants and maybe drive to Bodga Bay for some fresh sea air. The traffic between Santa Cruz and Napa/Sonoma can be horrendous so I'd advise staying in one general location.

I stayed in Healdsburg in May 2 years ago with my husband. I loved the town. Great wineries on the Russian River Road and great tasting rooms right in Healdsburg Square. I want to go back again. If you want to get specifics, I can look up the wineries, tasting rooms and restaurants that we went to in Healdsburg.

Also, for a little break from wine, we took a ride up to Jenner where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. It was breathtaking with spectacular scenery. Then take a ride into Bodega Bay.

I'm with bahamamamma2 on this. There's only so much winetasting you can do before your tongue gets furry and you can't taste a thing! You need to have other activities scheduled in besides the wineries.

Otherwise, you can certainly do Santa Cruz to Napa/Sonoma wineries. If you opt to do this route, then go inland and take in the wineries in the Livermore area as well. Lots of great new wineries springing up all over California.

Thank you! Does anyone have specific winery recommendations for Santa Cruz, Napa, Sonoma, or Healdsburg? Those are the areas we plan on hitting. Or specific lodging options that are reasonably priced?

Too many to choose from. Do a search here for ideas and read trip reports.

Good luck,

MY

I see this is your first post and I agree with Michelle-
do a search here first-I'll help get you started with the Healdsburg area and surrounds-
www.wineroad.com

R5

We will be there the first week of May but only intend to visit the Kenwood winery in Kenwood. We've had some of their wines in a local restaurant and want to taste the rest of the line.

We have stayed in the sonoma valley for the first week of april each of the last 5 years and will be there again this year. I think that we could go back every year for the next ten years and not run out of places we love to visit again. not to mention all of the new places opening all of the time. We are not wine collectors or connoiseurs so we pick a theme each year. One year it was amazing art. We have also concentrated on architecture, wine caves, celebrity wineries, organic/biodynamic, sparkling, and food and wine pairings. So my advice is pick an area of concentration and work out your trip that way. That time of year will also have pretty weather for athletic or semi athletic activity like bike rental and day hikes in the parks. Lake Sonoma might have boat rentals available too. We always make time to head farther north to Mendocino to see the art and ocean. You see a bit of the redwoods if you continue north.

For interesting places to stay in the Healdsburg area check out the vacation rentals by owner... www.vrbo/healdsburg.com or something like that. Its more fun than staying in a hotel or B&B IMO

any suggestions on golf courses in the Napa or Sonoma area that rent clubs? DH and I are heading there in May as well and would love to play a round or two and not drag our clubs out, altho we are thinking about it (i would rather have my own). thanks

Not a golfer, but here are a couple of places where you can golf in Napa County.

In Napa, there's the Silverado, which has been there for a very long time:

http://www.silveradoresort.com/

There's also another one that I just recently heard of:

http://www.chardonnaygolfclub.com/go...onnaygolfclub/

You might try contacting them and asking if they rent clubs or not.

thanks easy. after I posted I googled and found some as well. The Chardonnay golf club looks nice.