Hotel Information & Fun Things to Do

If you love photo ops featuring natural beauty, Napa will have you snapping away! An incredible vista point, the Grape Crusher Statue is also the largest sculpture cast west of the Mississippi. Lean into the green and embrace nature in Westwood Hills Park, where lush oak groves and grassy meadows abound. Document your medieval dreams at Castello di Amorosa, a 13th-century castle with a moat, drawbridge, and defensive towers, or satisfy your appetite and let your camera lens feast as well at Oxbow Public Market. And if you return home without a photo from the old-timey Welcome to Napa Valley Billboard, were you even in Napa?

Save some room in your suitcase because the Napa shopping scene is on point. The boutiques of First Street Napa offer eye-catching art, fashion, décor, and gifts. Mercantile features locally made keepsakes, while Tay & Grace is the go-to shop for Napa-style fashions. Makers Market features original and sustainable goods from local artists, and Napa Bookmine serves up books, gifts, and cards. Eating well in iconic Oxbow Public Market is a given, but shopping between bites can be a whole lot of fun too. Whole Spice is a chef’s dream, and the chocolates at Anette’s are divine. Second Street in downtown Napa offers vintage and eclectic shops like Antiques On Second, Nostalgia of Napa, and Jeffries General for artisan décor and gifts. Brasswood Bakery sells innovative kitchen gadgets, and elegant Woodhouse Chocolate looks like a jewelry store until you realize the gems here are edible!  

Best-known for wine, Napa is also serving up seriously good cocktails. Get your happy hour on and enjoy specialty cocktails and bites at TORC, or sample the spirits with panoramic views of the lush valley beyond at Sky & Vine, Napa’s premier rooftop oasis atop the Archer Hotel. With its stone fireplace and oversized leather chairs, Goose & Gander serves imaginative, cocktails with cozy Hemingway vibes, while classic cocktails alongside epic sunset views await at Sky & Vine Rooftop Bar. Visit the incredibly hip Gatsby-esque speakeasy ArBARetum for cocktails made with herbal ingredients, or the sun-splashed tasting room at Prohibition Spirits Distillery for small-batch artisanal deliciousness. The chic tasting lounge Young & Yonder is noteworthy for classic cocktails, gleaming black walls, and brown suede chairs, and the cozy couches at Spirit Works Distillery and Tasting Room are the perfect place to relax with friends after a long day of learning. And for Tiki masterpieces served in fantastical vessels, head to Wilfred’s Lounge.

If dry-aged USDA certified prime steaks and fresh seafood fits the bill, Cole’s Chop House is in a class alone, while Cordeiro’s Steakhouse blends a classic steakhouse menu with a fresh farm to table approach. Feeling fishy? Eiko’s combines traditional Japanese cuisine with fresh fish delivered daily, and Hog Island Oyster Co. boasts chef specials with seafood and produce from area farms. No trip is complete without a taste of local BBQ, so check out the award-winning tastes at Buster’s Southern BBQ, or the beer can BBQ chicken served at Bounty Hunter Wine Bar & Smokin’ BBQ. If sushi is how you roll (har har), head to Morimoto Napa for inventive, high-end Japanese fare served in glamorous Zen surroundings, or experience true Japanese omotenashi, seasonal kaiseki courses, and sakes from around the world at Kenzo. For plant-based offerings, sample Greek and Turkish fusion dishes at Tarla Mediterranean Bar & Grill, the fresh interpretations of traditional Italian dishes at Bistro Don Giovanni, or global kitchen comfort foods at Grace’s Table.

With more than 400 wineries, you can’t go wrong with a winery tour or tasting. If hiking, biking, and horseback riding are on your bucket list, the 25-miles of trails at Skyline Wilderness Park will get your heart rate up, or try the epic hike to the top of Mount Saint Helena for bragging rights and phenomenal views. Rolling through the countryside in the vintage Napa Valley Wine Train delivers an unforgettable experience, as does the view from high, high above it all from a Hot Air Balloon Ride. Prefer a rejuvenating soak? Try the blissful mud baths of Calistoga!