We're two sisters, early 40s, making what we hope becomes an "annual pilgrimage" to the City (we went last summer for a long weekend and loved it!) We're going back to San Francisco the last weekend in April, and we're renting a car because one day we definitely want to drive up and do Muir Woods and Point Reyes. This leaves us a full free day, plus a half day.

Since we'll have the car, I considered the idea of driving to Napa, a different day, for a day trip to wine country. Everyone raves, and even though I love wine, I can't get my head around why this would be exciting or fun... am I missing something? We love food (tho' we're vegetarians), love wine... but what does one actually DO in wine country? Maybe I'm answering my own question and I'm too much of an "active" traveler type... but I don't want to miss out on what's supposed to be a wonderful area because of pre-conceived notions. When we travel, we don't usually do relaxing things... I like to pack in the activities, do a lot of outdoor stuff, but also enjoy being in funky neighborhoods in cities, taking in the sights, etc. I'm not sure if wine country would bore me (maybe it's more for couples? Romance?)

If we skipped wine country, we'd spend the day in the city (either with or without the car, depending on what we do, I suppose). Although we did a TON of stuff our first trip (got in a lot of major sights), I'm sure there are more things we could find to fill our time!

Anyway, your thoughts are appreciated!
Thanks, Carol

Carol, Fodorites and other visitors to California love the wine country. It's supposedly visited more than Disneyland. I live here, and almost never go up there, because while it is physically beautiful, it's of no interest to me whatsoever to go from winery to winery taking tours or tasting wine. (Well, I do get up there, because friends have a place in Oakville, but I just sit on their porch and drink wine and talk, no touring). There are some nice little towns, though -Healdsburg, St. Helena, Calistoga, so you could combine your wine tasting and grapevine-viewing with poking around shops, and of course, excellent eating opportunities!

If I understand the description of yourself correctly, I think you might enjoy staying in the City instead of going to the Napa Wine Country. It's a pretty area, but I'm not sure it's more interesting than Pt Reyes, Muir Woods, Marin Coast, Mt Tam, Sonoma coast - if you like to get out of the car & explore nature up close & personal, and visiting a few wineries isn't that appealing to you.

I think the Dry Creek Valley, Alexander Valley, and Healdsburg is a more interesting area than Napa for someone who might not appreciate the commercialism of the Napa Valley Area. If you want to see some mixture of coast, cattle grazing, vineyards, low-key/friendlier wineries, Nice village (Healdsburg) - read my description of the drive up north from SF, that has been topped recently, and take that drive - skipping Napa. It is quite scenic.

Stu Dudley

Thanks for the honesty... I briefly visited a winery when I was in Australia last year -- I didn't "get it" -- know what I mean? Like, what's the point? I also guess little towns aren't really my thing... no offense to anyone living in a little town! But I mean, that's not my idea of what to do on a vacation... I guess I prefer more excitement, either in the way of urban stuff or outdoorsy stuff, so I'm thinking I should skip it. It just somehow seems "sacrilegious!" I just am not sure what to expect once there, but I definitely wanted to get some opinions.

Stu! Thanks for writing -- I posted before I saw your response. We definitely want to stay all 3 of our nights in the City -- we want the restaurants, nightlife, etc. Last year we did so much in the city itself, but of course still missed a few things... GG Park, Ferry Marketplace, being the things that come to mind.

I guess I was trying to make the most of having a car... and I want to avoid nightmare driving and parking issues if we stay in the city for a day. (I have no aversion to simply leaving the car behind for the day and seeing in-town sights). I guess I'll have to figure out how to make that work.

My brother has been all over wine country several times, and we always hear "you've GOT to go!" -- so, you know what I mean about feeling the pull?

CarolM, we like the same things you do, although nightlife isn't of much interest. Basically, we love big cities, neighborhoods within big cities, we do like quaint small towns. So, one time we were in Paris and had plans to do the "wine route" from Strasbourg to Colmar for 5 or 6 days. We did, but after two days, we had seen enough grapevines (as well as all the quaint villages), and very happily returned to Paris for a few more days. Know thyself!!

We enjoy driving around wine country just for the pleasure of a country drive. For this kind of drive, Sonoma County works better than Napa County.

If you do go to Napa, there are a few wineries with good art (Artesa,for one) and, of course, the wines are superb. There's also dinner in one of the great restaurants in the area.

For Sonoma County, there's lovely grounds like at Ferrari-Carano. Being in Healdsburg is fun just to wander and walk around the small downtown area and do some winetasting without having to drive around. A number of really good restaurants in downtown Healdsburg as well. We always enjoy getting a picnic basket together because the area makes some great cheeses and some of the wineries have picnic areas set aside for visitors.

So, that's the "what's more?" to going to wine country - the scenery, the food, and not least, the people. Yes, the wine too, of course.

CarolM, I have lived here all my life, and I have been to the wine country probably 5 times. I have also visited the Loire Valley. Neither area rings my bell! BUT: we're not wine people, at all. Maybe if we were, it might be of more interest to me.

As far as beauty, there are just as many places in California with equal (if not much more dramatic) beauty.

Personally, I'd way rather spend the day either in the city or in another part of the Bay Area, like Bolinas or Inverness or Muir Woods.

Lucie, thank for you thoughts -- maybe I'm looking for absolution (to not go) in a way. I've been to many beautiful places in the world, and LOTS of them were in California! I am a sucker for natural beauty, and we'll definitely do Muir Woods and Pt. Reyes one day. I guess maybe wine country isn't my thing the more I think about it. I love to drink wine, but... I also love to eat cheese and have no desire to visit a dairy!

We did a few active things in Napa that you might like. The hot air balloon ride was wonderful. We also went to one vineyard that had a tram that you rode up - I believe it was Sterling. Another vineyard let us go out into the field and pick grapes because it was harvest time; we got to try all the different varieties. There are great restaurants in the area too. Don't feel bad if you're not interested though.

let us go out into the field and pick grapes because it was harvest time

No help for Carol, since she's going in April. Unless she wants to pick some teeny tiny really green buds!

CarolM, I totally understand. Maybe it's cuz I'm older than you, but I long ago stopped worrying about doing the Things that Everybody Says You Have to Do. (Or seeing the Things That Everybody Says You Have to See!) Every time I plan a trip based on other people's "must-dos," I end up wondering, "Why??!"

At the risk of sounding hopelessly corny, I will say that travel is like life...you can color within the lines, if that's what works for you; or you can get a piece of blank paper and do your own drawing, if that's what works for you. I tend to do the latter -- with a soupçon of the former for security's sake!

I have not done it, but I have friends who take their bikes up to the Sonoma Valley every spring and spend a long weekend cycling around and camping. They visit a few wineries in the process, check out some towns, etc. They have a great time and it is a pretty active trip.

As for wine country being a "must-do" this native Californian hasn't been to "wine country" in 20 years - and I only live a couple hours away from there. We've got lots of wineries all over the state and I have been to some of them, but not to Sonoma or Napa in a long time. So, if you don't think it is your thing, there are PLENTY of other things to do

If you are up in Marin County on a nice day, I recommend the hike up to West Point Inn on Mt. Tamalpais. Incredible views of the city and the Bay Area and the ocean.

Here's a representative picture of the lodge and one of the views in one direction, I found just by googling (can't take credit for them myself):

http://tinyurl.com/bpmfjw

http://tinyurl.com/c53q3b

It's about a two-mile walk up a fire trail (so easy path, although uphill) from the Pantoll Trailhead parking lot in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. The first part of the trail goes through trees (we often see pileated woodpeckers there) and then goes across open slope with very pretty wildflowers up to the old rustic circa 1904 inn. You can sit on the porch or enjoy lunch (that you brought with you) at one of the picnic tables out front.

You can then either explore various trails on the top of Mt. Tam or you can return to the parking lot and either hike or drive down to Stinson Beach. The combination of the mountain and the beach makes a truly wonderful day.

You can also spend the night at West Point Inn - it's very rustic though - so only for those who are up for non-luxurious accommodations. It's more like a hostel - there is a communal fully-equpped kitchen where you cook your own meals. But the main rooms with stone fireplaces, piano, etc. are great places to lounge around and you feel like you're out in the wilderness - you will not believe you are only about 12 miles from the Golden Gate Bridge - although the beautiful view of the Bay Area spread out beneath you tells you otherwise.

We have taken overseas visitors there and well as had a family reunion there. People are always blown away by it.

I'd stay in the city. I love wine myself, but frankly find wine country tours somewhat boring. All that tasting and then there's the issue of driving if you're actually drinking the stuff. I personally prefer to sample great California wine during dinner in San Francisco.

If you aren't a wino, like some of us, the trip (to wine country) may hold little interest. We never do the tours anyway, we just go to taste, & buy, what we can't get @ home. I also agree that Sonoma is closer/better & you'll have plenty to do w/out ever leaving the city. Unless you have a car, you don't really need a car, unless you choose to venture out.

Thank you everyone for your responses. I feel okay about not doing wine country. I think citywalks said out loud what I was thinking inside, about just having a great bottle of California wine during dinner in the city!

NorCalif, thanks so much for that! Great ideas!

volcanogirl, hello again (from the CR forum!) I have done hot air ballooning a couple of times, otherwise I'd probably head to the Napa area just to experience that. (You know I have to be somehow suspended in mid-air to be truly happy -- ziplines, waterfall rappelling...)!

Thank you all for your input

I just took a day trip to Napa with my husband and two daughters in their twenties last week. I don't drink wine, so I was the designated driver. We all really enjoyed the day. We started at the Hess Collection, a winery owned by a Swiss beer maker who is an art collector, and there is a large gallery on the property with a good selection of works by major contemporary artists. The property is up in the hills and very scenic. And the wine was declared the winner of that day's tastings by the other members of my party.

We visited three other wineries down on the valley floor and then had dinner at Mustards Grill, a fun, casual roadside place with a great menu and a wine list called "way too many wines".

If that sounds like fun, then you would enjoy the day trip. But if you both were tasting the wine, I could see that you would be limited by the lack of a driver.

We also took a day trip to Muir Woods and Point Reyes. The two trips together with the two days we spent in San Francisco highlighted the amazing diversity of this area of California. It's all good. And if you only have a weekend, you can't do it all.

I'm not a fan of big cities but I do really enjoy SF.
I'm also a fan of wine tasting but find the wine country
north of SF to be a little too much. I find the tasting interesting but the crowds detract from the experience IMO.


Let me throw a wild card into the mix...go south along the coast from SF spending a day to get to Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a great place to vist. If the weather is nice then you could spend a half day or more walking the trails at Point Lobos; the most beautiful bit of California coast left IMO:


http://www.pbase.com/peterb/image/56550975

The Elkhorn Slough is wonderful for walking trails if you enjoy birds.

There are also redwoods to see at Big Basin Near Boulder Creek in the hills above Santa Cruz (a funky destination as well).

http://www.bigbasin.org/

I personally prefer to sample great California wine during dinner in San Francisco.

There are a number of terrific wine bars in San Francisco, too -- three that come to mind are the one in the Ferry Bldg., the one in Two Embarcadero, and the one on Fillmore Street kitty corner from SPQR.