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.

Del Dotto was an amazing wine tour and tasting experience! Our tour guide, Michelle, was…read morewonderful--friendly, knowledgeable, and so personable. She made the entire experience enjoyable and engaging. The wines were delicious, and I especially enjoyed the Cabernet Sauvignon. The tour itself was fantastic, and the beautiful estate made the experience even more memorable. We also enjoyed the pizza and tater tots served at the end of the tour, which was the perfect way to wrap up such a wonderful experience. I highly recommend Del Dotto, especially if you're a red wine lover. The beautiful estate, wonderful hospitality, delicious wines, and unique tasting experience made this one of our favorite stops in Napa!

Our tour guide, Jesse, was great, however the wine was objectively bad. For $120/person, which…read moreisn't outrageous for the valley, the tasting was done with low-quality glassware and even worse wine. While the vineyard is clearly supposed to be Italian, the best wines are French blends (even the one carrying the name of the owner) and the pizza served after the tasting is an abomination of pizza that any Italian should be ashamed of. The tater tots were good but this is symbolic of the overall experience - it's basically dive-bar quality dressed up as a fancy wine bar. Beyond that, the price of the wines are outrageous. Instead of spending $250 on Del Dotto, buy a Gaja or Tignanello. Hard pass for anyone looking

Caldwell Snyder is all about location, location, location. It's a bright, open, airy space- San…read moreFrancisco sophistication without having to go all the way to San Francisco. (However, they do have a Sutter Street location in SF) It's a pricey spot, so don't expect to find something for friends or family. The current exhibition is small, mostly abstract. The most striking piece is directly beneath the skylights- wooden totem sculptures by the Roscubas brothers (Vicente&Fernando) of Bilbao, Spain that look like an optical illusion of sorts. From the street, it looks like a projection, a hologram. It's amazing to walk among their totemic pieces. In the back, a couple was getting a personal art consultation with a curator who resembles Taylor Swift. The curator at the front desk/table was so engrossed with work on her desktop she didn't bother to say hi. She did, however, become personable&talk about the pieces. Be careful among the pieces, especially when you walk among the Roscubas Brothers' wooden totems, they're delicate. Taylor Swift- "Delicate"- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCXGJQYZ9JA

Caldwell Snyder Gallery specializes in Contemporary American and European paintings, drawings,…read moresculpture and limited-edition prints including post-war and emerging artists. The gallery is known for introducing European and Latin American artists who are well known in their home countries but rarely shown in the U.S. The Gallery is located in the midst of beautiful downtown St. Helena in the historic Star Building. It is a large, open and airy gallery full of rotating art exhibits. Artist Matt Rogers was on exhibition when I visited the gallery. He has lived in California his whole life and that is reflected in his art. I love his landscapes - a colorful fantastical confection of cotton candy trees! His art represents the California dream of sunsets and palm trees but also incorporates our reality of earthquakes, fire and mudslides. He captures the reality of California - beach culture rubs shoulders with counter-culture; beauty versus darkness. The Gallery was hosting an after-party for the Napa Valley Film Fest screening of "Woman in Gold" It was an excellent party with sparkling wine, cocktails and continuous food offerings. One side note - as is so common in Napa Valley, there were no vegan options available. However, when I mentioned my vegan diet to the server, he mentioned it to the caterer who whipped up a delicious batch of mushroom bites. They were not only excellent but I was very happy and encouraged that the Chef was open to making something for me on the fly! Whether you are in the market for unique, under appreciated art or just love to browse, it is worth a visit!

The grounds are beautiful and the museum is pretty cool, lots of history here. Nice exterior…read moreambience with the fountain and mountain backdrop. I thought the 2016 cab was pretty awesome, didn't really care for their red specialty though wine is subjective, some of us liked it and some didn't. Everyone was very nice, definitely a more intimate and relaxing location around Napa compared to the other crowded areas. The tour is probably unnecessary, more fun to just explore at your own pace.

We've generally had great experiences with the Coppola wineries, but unfortunately, Inglenook fell…read morea little short of expectations for us, mainly because of the tour guide. The tour itself was beautiful and informative, but our guide talked way too much at times, which made the experience feel a bit drawn out. There also seemed to be some noticeable favoritism toward guests who came from Toronto, which was a little odd and made the tour feel less welcoming for everyone else. That said, Inglenook itself is absolutely beautiful. We really enjoyed the little café and the museum, which reminded us of the experience at Francis Coppola Winery. The property alone is worth visiting and makes for a lovely setting. One other thing that stood out to us was the late-arrival policy. The website specifically states that guests cannot be late or they won't be able to join the tour. However, people who arrived more than 15 minutes late were still allowed to join our tour. We have no issue with accommodating late guests, but if that's the actual policy being followed, it would be better to update the website so guests aren't unnecessarily stressed about arriving on time. As for the wine... I'm still not a fan of red wine. We did, however, find some white wines we really enjoyed and ended up purchasing a few bottles to take home. Overall, Inglenook is a gorgeous property with some nice touches, but our tour experience could have been much better. We've enjoyed other Coppola winery experiences more.

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.

Such a beautiful winery to visit! I came with reservations for a group of 17 to celebrate a…read morebirthday. They check reservations before they let you enter for parking. The castle is so gorgeous. We booked a guided tour and tasting. We were able to taste 6-7 wines. We received some breadsticks as well (no other food). Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. He told us that he typically participates in the making of the wine. If you have a preference for wine (dry, sweet, etc), do let your sommelier know. You can taste based on your your preferences. We ended up buying 17 bottles of wine. You can get 10% off for 12 bottles or more! There are a lot of areas where you can take photos or get your photos taken. Do take time to look around the castle! Overall, 10/10 experience

My grandma was a staunch St. Helena Library supporter even before the current building...but more…read moreimportantly she was a woman of remarkable interest. Not just an interesting character. Grandma was truly engaged in life and interested in the things around her. A college graduate and one-time newspaper reporter, grandma read voraciously and never owned a television, she preferred to walk places so she could really experience them and made friends wherever she went because she was truly *interested* in what people had to say. Her house was lined wall-to-wall with books, books and more books...and yet the SHPL enticed her with stories and knowledge to be discovered. If you go to the SHPL you will find yourself in a well-lit space, surrounded on three sides by vineyards. And if you curl up near a window and become absorbed in a book, you will find that time passes quickly. When you leave, take a moment to ponder what you've read, and appreciate that your life is now just a little bit richer. Grandma was right, the SHPL is a wonderful library. In addition to a collection of books larger than one would expect for a town this size, you'll also find the SHPL has: - a large room dedicated to children's material - another smaller room of picture books for young kids - an extensive selection of VHS format videos (which Peter's Video no longer carries)...and DVDs too - free wi-fi for your laptop...and a number of PC terminals for easy yelping - the Napa Valley Wine Library collection - movie nights - an art gallery wall - friendly, helpful librarians A five-star library experience and a nice way to spend a SH afternoon. Open daily.

What a surprise, this small library is open on a Sunday. There are clear views of the vineyard just…read morebehind the library, a cat napping in a basket, an art wall and free Wi-Fi. I just glanced at the programs offered, but it appeared there was something going on everyday and evening. Free movies, lectures and things for kids; it appears that this is a library that is really a part of the community This is indeed a lovely library.

Although some of us grew up in the shadow of Griffith Park Observatory in LA or other large…read moreobservatories, don't dismiss the Ferguson Observatory. They offer classes, star parties, docent training and a venue for your special event. It is small but it is lovingly staffed by knowledgeable docents. We recently attended one of their star parties. The evening began with a lecture by two very enthusiastic and well informed docents, Steve and Rachel. They had a couple of topics including facts about the planets and constellations. I learned so much from them. I'm not a big fan of astronomy but these two docents ignited something inside of me! There were two telescopes located in different parts of the observatory. One had a viewing camera and the other was focused on the Jupiter and it's moons. There are four primary ones...I don't remember their names just the mnemonic phrase (IEGC-I eat graham crackers) There were also several amateur astronomers who brought their scopes to share. Mr Rinky and son looked through them but I passed since it was pitch dark and I have trouble with walking. The night sky was brilliant! There are no lights for miles to interfere with seeing the night sky. I haven't seen such a spectacular sky since I was camping eons ago. fyi The observatory is a little difficult to find---poor to nonexistent signage. We used GPS. The observatory is located within Sugarloaf Ridge State Park. When you reach the SRSP entrance you'll pay an $8 entrance fee along with admission to the observatory. The SRSP also has a campground from which you can walk to the observatory. You are allowed to use flashlights ONLY if they have a red bulb or red cellophane. Regular light throws off peoples' night vision. Even the bathrooms in the classroom area have red lights only. When we first sat down to the lectures there were only 10-12 people but within a half hour dozens and dozens of people appeared! So be prepared for this-- long lines to view the observatory's telescopes. It is worth the trip even without viewing the telescopes to see the night sky in full glory!

I feel like I paid to be bored out of my mind. Was looking…read moreforward to look out of the telescope, but unfortunately it was too cloudy. That doesn't mean that the lecture should be something that should have been left in the 90s. Slide shows lacked pictures, the instructor lacked excitement and was so monotoned. If you want to see the telescope on a clear night, perhaps ditch the class, and arrive at 8:30pm.

Very informative tour about the history of old downtown Napa. I've been on ghost tours around…read morecountry and this is the first one that's incorporated ghost hunting equipment during tour. Not a hard walk for young or old a like. Except for the late hour this is held, I would say it's family friendly and not creepy or scary for kids old enough to be up late to join.

My husband and I did the Napa City Ghosts & Legends Walking Tour last night as a Christmas gift,…read moreand I absolutely loved it. The tour guides (aka very accomplished paranormal investigators) were engaging, knowledgeable, and clearly passionate about Napa's history and the paranormal. It was the perfect mix of spooky, fun, and fascinating -- we learned so much about downtown Napa along the way. We can't wait to do their Sonoma tour next and to watch the documentaries the tour leads are part of. Highly recommend!