Photo courtesy Napa Valley Destination Council
Spring brings beautiful blooms and great events to Napa Valley, a destination about an hour’s drive north of San Francisco. With dozens of wineries, the Napa area has become an oenophile’s paradise, but a wide array of other attractions make a springtime trip worthwhile for any visitor.
November through April is considered the slow season for Napa Valley, so groups that visit in early spring have great access to the wineries, which showcase some of their best colors in these months.
“The vineyards fill up with wild mustard, which is bright yellow,” said Clay Gregory, CEO of the Napa Valley Destination Council. “The vines are still dormant at that time, so it’s like beautiful statues standing in an ocean of yellow. From the Culinary Institute of America at Greystone, 200 feet above the vineyards, the view is just amazing.”
Groups can enjoy numerous spring events in the area, such as Arts in April. During this month, wineries bring in local artists to demonstrate their work and sell their wares to visitors. Early June brings Auction Napa Valley, the world’s largest charity wine auction.
Napa Valley’s mild climate means that spring temperatures hover around 70 degrees, making great weather for outdoor activity.
“We have great golf courses, and three significant parks that have great hiking and mountain biking trails,” Gregory said. “We also have the Land Trust of Napa County, which has about 30,000 acres of preserved land where you can have docent-led hikes.”
