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.

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.

Food- Excellent food. All ingredients are local and served fresh. We had to the steak tartar, crab…read moreroll, and chicken entree. Best tartar I have had. Beef was tender and perfectly seasoned. The crab and chicken entree were also great. The brick oven chicken was paired with the most delicious buttered beans I've ever had. If I lived in Napa I would 100% return. Ambiance- cute farmhouse fell perfect for any occasion. Service- excellent. Welcoming and accommodating.

2.5/5 stars Nothing…read morehurts quite like bringing family to a restaurant you've spent years hyping up. I've been coming to Farmstead over the years and it was one of my favorite recommendations for those visiting St. Helena. I've sent friends, family and out-of-town visitors here, often raving about how good it was. So when I took my immediate family to Farmstead a few weeks ago, I made a reservation, drove over 40+ minutes from the southern part of Napa Valley and genuinely looked forward to returning. Making reservation online was easy, parking is available (although it can feel like a competitive sport once everyone decides to arrive at the same time), the covered outdoor seating remains lovely, the barn transformed to a dining room with its high ceilings is still a beautiful space and the bathrooms were clean. Unfortunately, the food was simply didn't live up to what I remembered. We started with the cheddar biscuits with honey butter. I expected warm, tender biscuits. Instead each of the biscuits were surprisingly, almost as if they've been left in the oven a few minutes too long. The honey butter tried its best to salvage the situation, but was unsuccessful. We also ordered the fried eggplant which skipped right past golden brown and headed directly into "left in the fryer during a staff meeting" territory. For entrees, two of us ordered the steak frites. The cut of the day was a flank steak and we both ordered medium rare. Mine arrive firmly in the medium-well territory. It's disappointing when your steak lands two doneness levels above what you requested. A friend ordered the grass-fed cheeseburger medium. It also came out well beyond that point, dry and crumbly rather than juicy. He was expecting a burger. What showed up as something closer to a semi-palatable hockey puck. The wood-grilled heritage pork chop was probably the strongest dish at the table. At $52, however, we were expecting something memorable. It was fine. Perfectly acceptable. But "perfectly acceptable" isn't exactly the reaction you're hoping for at that price point. Dessert was a small bowl of stracciatella gelato. That's it. No wafer, no cookie, waffle cone shard, no sprig of mint or garnishment to make it feel finished. I can see wanting to accommodate dietary restriction like those who are gluten-free, but it would have been nice to have an optional accompaniment. We kept the drinks simple. Service was fine. Total bill came out to be about $330 for lunch with tip. What stood out wasn't the cost, but the lack of excitement or something being memorable. You're dining at a popular restaurant in Napa Valley, you're going to be paying a premium. At our table, nobody was particularly excited about the meal they had or interested in taking home any leftovers. Maybe it was an off day. Maybe nostalgia elevated my memories beyond reality. Whatever the reason, this experience felt very different from the Farmstead I've enthusiastically recommended over the years. The restaurant was very busy with a steady stream of people coming through the entire time while we were there, so clearly plenty of diners continue to enjoy it. But based on this visit, I don't see myself recommending it the way I once did. I'm just one customer. Still, this was a disappointing return to what had long been one of my favorites in St. Helena.

Knight's Valley Expression Tour & Tasting led by a very enthusiastic and knowledgeable Jorge! Other…read morestaff: greeted by every staff member, very friendly. Wine 'tastes' every where in the beautiful gardens. Relaxing way to spend an afternoon.

Had an incredible time at Beringer this afternoon! The wine tasing was phenomenal, and Jorge was an…read moreincredible guide! He was super helpful in recommending wines to my group (go for the rose and dessert wine!). The background Jorge provided on the history of the property and the cave was super informative - it's clear he and the rest of the staff have an incredible passion for wine. Jose and Stephanie were also super helpful and informative to talk to. Vibes were also strong. Great place for photos!

My favorite!!! Always a great experience!!!…read moreWe had the food pairing with the chef! Amazing!!!

Had such a great time visiting Peju! We've been longtime fans, so finally getting to visit was a…read morebit of a "how have we not been here sooner?!" moment and Peju absolutely lived up to the hype. Beautiful property, down-to-earth vibes, genuinely great hosts, and of course, plenty of great wine. We got to try some new favorites and, naturally, left with a few gems to take home. Such a fun and relaxed experience from start to finish. We'll definitely be back and hopefully with a little more room in the wine fridge!

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!

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!

I love, love, LOVE this place!…read more The wines, the atmosphere, the history, the cabanas, and of course, the pizza--it truly has it all! This particular tasting was our best ever, and we have Gustavo to thank for that! His knowledge, wonderful stories, and genuine servant's heart are immeasurable. He made the experience so much more than just a wine tasting. We ended our visit with a wonderful tour, which was the perfect way to finish an already amazing experience. Thank you, Gustavo, for making our visit so memorable. We can't wait to return!

This is a wonderful and gorgeous winery in St. Helena area. We were not planning to stop by but as…read morewe drove past, we saw the historical landmark sign and were curious to check it out. There is a posting on the wall of the winery that explains the history of Charles Krug, the oldest winery in the valley. We decided to check it out and were unfortunately too late to do a tasting but they were happy to help us with ordering a charcuterie platter and glass of wine. We settled on a Cab which we very much enjoyed. The bartender was kind enough to give us a sample of two different wines before we committed. I also liked that they offer a complimentary tasting of champagne as you enter. The inside of the winery is pretty, but the outside is really gorgeous. We enjoyed the wonderful weather and sat in a shaded gazebo area. There are plenty of nice shaded areas and we saw other parties seated outside enjoying the weather. We sipped on the wine and munched on the tasty cheeses, crackers, and other yummies on the charcuterie platter and had a lovely evening here. We would definitely recommend checking this spot out if you are in the area!

Castello di Amorosa was a wonderful experience. Our hostess, Francesca made our visit very…read morememorable. She is phenomenal with her knowledge, professionalism and personality. Ask for Francesca when you visit. The castle is awesome also.

I was a bit hesitant on adding this winery to our list of stops but I'm very glad we did it!…read more Gorgeous castle, beautiful architecture, medieval paintings in the tasting room. They offer grape juice tastings to the kids during wine tasting, so for my 14 yr old it was a huge hit. He even ordered a few bottles to take home.

Love that this exists. Perfect sized intimate theatre, individual or love seats, tons of popcorn,…read moregreat wine options.

Great service and great set up! Excellent quality and prices. Can't wait to go back!!read more