Exploring Napa Valley

Napa Valley, California, is known for being wine country. With tons of wineries, beautiful weather and more, it’s a great place to visit.

Our first day in Napa, we took a Platypus Wine Tour to three wineries. We visited and did tastings at Hagafen Cellars, Auburn James Winery and Rutherford Ranch on our tour.

Napa is also known for its spas and mud baths. We checked out Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs in Calistoga and got the mudslinger package.

The package included the mud bath treatment, a mineral whirlpool bath treatment, facial mask, steam room and blanket wrap. We also were able to enjoy the mineral pool afterward and had lunch at House of Better.

Following our spa treatments, we headed to the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville. It’s in a beautiful setting with swimming pools to enjoy on warm days.

We sampled some of their wines and ate outside on the patio with this view at the Rustic restaurant.

Inside, there is a lot of memorabilia from Francis Ford Coppola’s movies over the years, as well as the awards he has won.

Another cool place to check out is The Petrified Forest. You can walk on the trails there to see petrified redwood trees dating back to 3.4 million years ago.

If you’re a fan of “Peanuts,” don’t miss the Charles M. Schulz Museum in Santa Rosa. The museum showcases many great “Peanuts” comics and has a replica of Schulz’s studio.

Finally, for sparkling wines, head to Domaine Carneros, a gorgeous chateau right in Napa. Tastings are offered of sparkling or still wine, but I recommend the sparkling!

What are your favorite wineries in Napa Valley?

Check out more to do nearby in San Francisco and Yosemite National Park.