Hi!

My husband and I are going to drive from San Francisco to San Diego. Since Napa Valley is not really on the way, we would like to know whether Santa Barbara can replace or, we would be making a big mistake!!!

Thanks and regards from Miami!

I've never been to Napa, but can highly recommend Santa Barbara!!

If you are planning your trip now, Napa's weather is very hot during the summer. Santa Barbara is nice.

You will be happier with Santa Barbara---cooler, walk on beach,beautiful mission, Spanish Architecture, good food--need I say more????

Santa Barbara is nice. You really don't need to go to Napa to experience wine country. There are also lots of nice wineries on the way to San Diego in the Santa Cruz Mountains above San Jose and in the Monterey area.

http://santacruz.winecountry.com/

http://www.guidedsolutions.net/

http://www.scmwa.com/

http://www.scvwga.com/

The Paso Robles area also offers some great choices for wineries. Many of the wineries can be found along Hwy 46 (which connects Hwy 1 and the 101). Assuming that you're traveling along the coast, it would be right along your path. Wild Horse is my favorite for merlot. And the best part, is that many of the wineries in this region don't charge for tastings. Eberle is also a good choice.

Another option for wineries is the Temecula Valley - around an hour north of San Diego. I haven't been there in a few years, but I've had excellent dining experiences at Cafe Champagne.

I've never found the allure of the wine country. Sure there's great scenery, but there's great scenery throughout most of California.

In my mind, Santa Barbara is a way cool town. Lots of restaurants, shops, B&Bs, the beach, etc to be had there. As hokey as it sounds, check out the Botanical Garden in Santa Barbara.

I agree with Huddleston -- you can experience the Santa Barbara wineries instead of Napa, and you'll have the beach, cute shops, and good restaurants all in one place in SB. Have fun!