It’s festival time in California’s wine country, in case you needed a reason to visit. No, not just another celebration of the grape; this is the Napa Valley Mustard Festival, which places a little more emphasis on the region’s food excellence.
It’s early for grape vines to take center stage, but the festival Web site––says mustard blooms will soon be covering the fields and hills. Look for “Click here for your invitation” to learn about the cultural and culinary events in this elegant winter celebration, from gourmet dinners to wine tastings and dances. Click on the calendar link for details, including the Mustard, Mud & Music jazz festival at Calistoga. Just be aware that the main events are not inexpensive; see “Ticket Information” for prices. And take a look at “Festival Merchandise” for their collectible posters.
There are plenty of other things to see and do. Click on “Places to Go” at the local Chamber of Commerce––for a basic overview of galleries, shopping, hiking, bicycling and golf.
However, the chamber’s guide provides only phone numbers, not links to informative Web sites. For example, it describes COPIA as “the premier wine country destination,” but doesn’t explain that it’s the American Center for Wine Food & The Arts––a place to explore arts, wine and food with exhibitions, performances and interactive programs. It’s also the home of Julia’s Kitchen, a restaurant named for television chef Julia Child.
They also describe without providing links for the Napa Valley Wine Train––an elegant way to dine on the move; Bothe Napa Valley State Park––for hiking; and Old Faithful Geyser––Calistoga’s answer to the more famous eruption in Yellowstone National Park. The geyser Web site also supplies links for getting acquainted with other things to see and do around Calistoga,
If you want to see how many wineries you can visit, go to Wine Country––look for “Wineries” under “Start Your Visit Here” and then explore by regions, towns or the alphabetical list. Next, check out “Things to Do” for everything from gourmet sampling and day spas to sightseeing tours (including hot air balloons) and antiques and other shopping. And if you want to stay in the valley during the Mustard Festival, return to “Start Your Visit” to find their lodging directory.
Look for “Maps” at Napa Valley.com––to start plotting your travels from wineries to shopping to restaurants and to the motel of your choice. But there’s a trick to this interactive display; you have to enlarge it at least one step by clicking on a town or using the zoom control before you click on “Attractions,” “Dining” and “Wineries” to make it show you where everything is located.
If you’re lucky enough to have extra time for exploring outside the Napa Valley, go back to Wine Country and click on “Wine Regions” for guides to Sonoma, Monterey and others. Broaden your horizons with the help of the official California Tourism––where you can click on “Regions” and then on “San Francisco Bay Area” to see what else there is to explore right around the Napa Valley and across the Bay Area into San Francisco.
