We had a great time visiting the Bale Grist Mill in St. Helena. Our tour guide explained it was…read morebuilt in 1846 from the design in the 1795 book "The Young Mill-Wright & Miller's Guide." I was able to read some of the book from the Library of Congress archives and found Oliver Evans wrote the guide and patented his design in 1790, the year the patent office was formed, before patents were numbered. In 1804 they retroactively assigned him patent number (X3) three. He licensed his design to hundreds of people including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. He became the first American to live off of intellectual property income.

Historic Grist Mill where grain is milled powered by a gigantic water wheel. From the friendly…read morereceptionist to the remarkable tour guide this is a fabulous experience. I have not been here since before the pandemic but it is always an amazing experience. Bring a picnic and sit outside at the tables or take a hike after the guided tour in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. You will learn a lot about the history of the region. And the milling process. Modest entry fee.

Built in 1894 by R.H. Pithie, the Pope Street Bridge is one of the few remaining 19th Century…read morebridges that cross the Napa River. Standing 175 feet long and only 18 feet wide, the bridge is constructed of rockfaced stone, and because of its width, delivery trucks and buses are not allowed access on the bridge. If you're ever in the town of St. Helena, you can take a more scenic drive up to Calistoga, or down to Napa by going on to Pope Street and cross the bridge(about 10 seconds) on to the more scenic Silverado Trail....ALOHA!!! YELP 365 CHALLENGE-(291/365) "Crossing People Over Since 1894"

When it comes to one of the more challenging bridges in the Napa Valley, this gets an imprimatur…read more The Pope Street Bridge is historic, dating back to the 1890s, so it's seen a lot. It's withstood numerous earthquakes. It links the Silverado Trail with downtown St. Helena. Highway 29 can be crowded, especially northbound on weekends&in the summertime. This is a helpful alternative. Unfortunately, it's very narrow, so drive it carefully. Apparently the Pope Street Bridge is getting some much needed renovations. The May 2015 quake demolished the Oakville Cross Bridge- there were plans to replace it anyhow. Pope Street is one of the few to remain. It needs some upgrading&renovation for it to last the test of time.

The Napa Valley Vintners is similar to the Chamber of Commerce and the local tourism bureau. The…read morerepresent their membership in producing awesome wines and providing environmental leadership. Their web site explains the history of the association and also provides information about wines ("How Cabernet Sauvignon is Made") and various "What's Happening?" lists of events and goings on in the Valley. Their mission: To promote, protect and enhance the Napa Valley appellation.

Napa Valley Vintners is akin to the local chamber of commerce. They also promote deals like the…read moreNapa Neighbors program- if you live in Napa County&have proof of it, you can have free wine tastings along with those of guests. They have an extensive list of participating wineries. They promote wine education, environmental causes, and support local community organizations. Drink up!

I wanted to know more about Robert Louis Stevenson, the author of Treasure Island and other…read moreclassics. This small one room museum had many piece of memorabilia. But the best part was the history the docent gave about the life of RLS. Left wanting to read his books again!

The Robert Louis Stevenson is an unassuming museum on the edge of St. Helena, next to the public…read morelibrary. Stevenson's "wine is bottled poetry" quote is a common sight in the Napa Valley, yet this museum is small... and relatively uncrowded. Quotes from Stevenson adorn the walls, along with a pirate mannequin and a treasure chest for the Treasure Island display, as well as the toy soldiers who inspired him in "Children's Garden of Verses." Stevenson's adventures in California&Samoa are described&depicted with artifacts. Stevenson didn't confine his quests to his swashbuckling novels. Much is devoted to his romance with Fanny Osbourne, his wife, and their eventual honeymoon in the Napa Valley. For many people, their introductions to Stevenson are his poetry, or movies based on his novels (like Disney's 1960 version of "Kidnapped" with its dueling bagpipes&Rob Roy's son) This museum shows Stevenson's human side. Fascinating and insightful.

What a BEAUTIFUL and CHARMING town!! We ABSOLUTELY love coming to the City of ST HELENA!!!…read more What's not to love?!?! The charming historic downtown scene! The famous world class wineries!!! All the different culinary restaurants!!! The different hotels and resorts. One may say it's touristy. Yep! I can agree with that statement. However, there is so much history here. Many families creating a life that attracts thousands of people to this area. We truly enjoy shopping the downtown area. We love all the beautiful wineries. The eateries are amazing. The beauty of the area is relaxing!! Overall, we've been here many times. Over the years, we've always discovered something new. It's never been a dull moment. One should explore and experience the beauty at least once in their life....

Saint Helena is a charming town in Napa Valley with a relaxed vibe and small town feel. The…read morevineyard views in Saint Helena are absolutely stunning. Their is the historic downtown area that is full of boutique shops, wine tasting rooms, cafes, and art galleries. It's a fun place to go sipping and strolling and soak in the charm of this quaint and charming small town. There is no shortage of incredible wineries all around you. Many of them have world class wines. The views at many of the wineries are absolutely stunning as well. The town is known for their culinary scene and have incredible restaurants. Several of the wineries in Saint Helena and nearby offer food and wine pairings as well. One of my favorite restaurants there is Farmstead. If you are the outdoorsy and adventurous type, there is lots of hiking in the area. You can go hiking at Mount Saint Helena and climb to the top or hike around Robert Louis Stevenson State Park. There are just so many reasons to love the charming and beautiful town of Saint Helena in Napa Valley.

Reminds me of the Wild Mouse Ride in Santa Cruz. You either love it or you hate it. You're so busy…read morewatching the road (if you're smart) that you can't look up to enjoy the view and there's nowhere to pull over nearby. And don't even THINK of pulling over "down the road" and walking up, too dangerous, don't do it. JUST DON'T. You're not that invincible.

This road... is quite an adventure…read more It was definitely an unexpected adventure, as I didn't expect my GPS to make us take this route! We were originally planning on going through the Old Sonoma Highway them up to Hwy 29 to get to Napa from Sonoma... but good ol' Garmin decided to put us off course. By the time we entered Trinity Rd and realized what route we were taking (I spent a lot of time studying Google Maps), it was already too late to turn around and my boyfriend decided to commit to this drive. Thank goodness he was driving, because I would've been a nervous wreck. While not quite as crazy as the Road to Hana in Maui or the Muir Woods road in SF... it's still very windy with lots of steep turns and blindspots - seriously, be careful for locals who drive really fast on this road (good for them, conquering a road like this). The speed limit is 45 mph, but with all the sharp turns and switch backs it's impressive people can drive the speed limit here. Doesn't help my nerves to know that they don't put rails on the areas where if you were to slip off the edge... it's a long way down. But after calming down, I got to appreciate the route for what it was. Though a bit exciting with all the turns and the one lane bridge... it's very scenic with the nature covering the route. You'll see some vineyards (which is pretty amazing given how high up the road is) and a few farmhouses along the way. Honestly, I think we were lucky to accidentally take this route from Sonoma to Napa - the view at the end is very pretty and worth the crazy drive. It's amazing how much the weather differs between Napa and Sonoma. Driving up, we didn't get a view of the valley because it was so foggy in the morning... but once we hit the Napa side of the mountains it was so clear and beautiful. This will definitely become our tradition whenever we want to go from Sonoma to Napa. ;)

Did you know that the Old Faithful Geyser of Calistoga is only one of 3 Old Faithful Geysers in the…read morewhole world? So named because of the regularity in which it erupts? Well it is. For the price of $15 per adult and $9 for child, you get the privilege of watching it erupt for about 3 minutes per hour or so. There are constantly available Groupons for this place so do yourself the favor of seeking one out before you come so you can save a few pennies. There are some other attractions on site, like horses and donkeys, maybe a llama, but it was warm the day of our visit so I took part in none of that and just sat in the shaded seating areas resting and waiting. I suppose if I wanted to stay closer to 2 hours, or 3, I could have watched this thing erupt for a second time but of course I did not do that. I will say that the Old Faithful Geyser in Rotorua, New Zealand requires someone to pour in a surfactant to prompt an eruption and this one requires no similar stimulus so I guess this one in Calistoga is more....unprompted? Authentic? I am no geologist, just musing. All in all, this was a relatively family-friendly thing to do while we were already in Calistoga and I'm pleased to announce I have visited all three Old Faithful Geysers in the whole world. This was not a goal of mine but I inadvertently accomplished this feat by stopping by here so Five Stars for that alone.

Aweful! Waste of $$. Hardly any animals and the grounds aren't very clean. Not exciting to watchread more

Calistoga Pioneer Cemetery is a haunting place. Perched on the side of a cliff, it is a final…read moreresting place for Civil War veterans and Donner Party survivors. A local Boy Scout troop recently made a guide to the cemetery, which dates back to the 1870s. Many original records have been lost, for there are faded tombs where the names have faded into eternity. It's not an easily accessible cemetery- the most one can do is park across the street&find a way across Highway 29/128. There are stories of the cemetery being haunted, of the presence of apparitions, it has that kind of an atmosphere. What was once a quiet cemetery is now beside a busy highway, trying to rest in peace.

In between wine adventures, my fiancé and I decided to do little hikes around the area. We found…read morethe Petrified Forest and were excited to check it out. It was about $14 each to enter, which was a little pricey for what we saw. You are able to do the entire space under an hour if you so wish. The people who work here are kind. There is a gift shop with both gifts and drinks. There were rudimentary women and mens restrooms. And plenty of free parking out front. You can check out the petrified woods up close. They also have a lot of informational plaques around.

We had some time to kill today and none of us had ever seen petrified anything so thought it would…read morebe cool to stop by. It's about a mile total around the inner loop + the out and back for some additional scenery. It is a little hilly but not too bad, my 65 year old mother was able to walk the entirety of the loop. The petrified wood is pretty cool along with all of the lava stone and ash. The trees are pretty huge. It was $14 which I thought was a little steep for how much (or little) there was to see, but I don't regret going.

Was in St. Helena and was going to drop by the Welcome Center on Main St. We remembered that it…read morewas across the street from Model Bakery but did not see it as we walked the block. We asked a store keeper who was working on a display in front of her shop and she said the center had moved a little over a block away. We were welcomed Lily. We asked her for winery suggestions and she gave us brochures from the display and we picked up some magazines of the area. The Welcome Center also have souvenirs and gift items. They have chairs for you to relax, which I did on this hot day. Restrooms are available too. Nice pit stop while you're in downtown St. Helena. Thanks Lily for your friendly assistance.

We stopped into the welcome center when we arrived in St. Helena to pickup our winter winery…read morepassports. The employee there was incredibly friendly. She talked to us about our plans for the weekend, recommended vineyards and tastings, and supplied us with a few handy brochures. She also shared some recommended food spots that were still open for dinner. We appreciated the information and easy pickup!