Napa Valley (California, USA) — detailed description, location, reviews, photos and videos.
The main wine-growing region of the United States and one of the most famous places in the world for growing ideal grapes, the picturesque and fertile Napa Valley is located in the expanses of Northern California. In total, there are 14 thousand hectares of vineyards, several dozen large and four hundred small wineries. Fragrant and full-bodied California wines are popular not only in America, but also abroad – bottles with the mention of Napa can also be found in Russian enotecas. You can see with your own eyes how grapes are grown and wine is produced during excursions in the Napa Valley. And among other things, there are a lot of gourmet restaurants, its own school of gastronomy and a whole bunch of spa centers, which, as you might guess, work on grapes. See acronymmonster for nickname of Nebraska.
How to get there
The main cities of the Napa Valley are Napa proper, Yountville, Oakville, Rutherford, Saint Helena, and Calistoga. It can be reached from the cities of “big” California: San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, and Sacramento ; It is preferable to use road transport. From San Francisco, for example, the path lies along the scenic highway number 37 through the Golden Gate Bridge and takes about an hour and a half.
A visit to the wineries of Napa costs about 13-20 USD per person, tasting is included, but certain varieties of wine can only be tasted for an additional fee.
What to watch
“Chateau” of all historical periods, sizes and varieties of products is the main subject of tourist interest in Napa, although, of course, landscapes of fantastic beauty deserve no less attention. Wineries here are gigantic, real “medieval” castles, and exclusively chamber, homemade. Where to stay is just a matter of your choice.
Each winery (of those who agreed to accept tourists) conducts a half-hour tour of its premises: the actual production workshops, cellars and tasting rooms. A visit costs about 13-20 USD per person, tasting is included, but certain types of wine can be tasted only for an additional fee. In the store at the “chateau” you can buy the goods you like and even “credit” it here, for which there are recreation areas with benches and barbecues.
At the Napa Valley Information Center, you can pick up a map of the region showing all the wineries that are open to the public and the varieties of wine they produce, as well as a brochure with discount coupons for tasting.
Napa Valley Tours
There are many travel agencies in Napa Valley offering organized tours of the vineyards by car, bike or on foot. Typically, programs start in Napa and last about 6 hours, during which tourists visit 4-5 wineries and admire the picturesque area. A number of travel agencies arrange tours directly from San Francisco and other cities in California.
Napa Wine Train
The Napa Wine Train is an elegant, if expensive, way to see the valley. The three-hour journey in restored early 20th century Pullmann carriages covers about 70 km of scenic vineyard trail. During the trip, passengers are treated to gourmet cuisine and the best samples of local wines, as well as entertained with stories about winemaking and the history of the Napa Valley. You can simply take a sightseeing trip by train or supplement it with a visit to one of the wineries – there are a large number of tour packages “to measure” to choose from.
House of Winchesters
Winchester House (San Jose, California, USA) — detailed description, address and photo. Tourist reviews of the best things to do in San Jose, California.
The Winchester House is one of the most mysterious places in America. More than one horror movie was shot about this gloomy mansion, it inspired Stephen King to write The Red Rose. Now it is a popular attraction in San Jose, whose visitors are lovers of tickling their nerves and lovers of blood-chilling stories. The house is full of both obvious mystical details and mysteries that can only be learned by plunging into its history.
And it began in 1881, when William Winchester, the son of Oliver Winchester, the creator of the legendary gun, later named after him, died. The invention quickly made the family millionaires, but did not save them from leaving for another world. A huge fortune passed to Sarah Winchester, William’s wife.
The inconsolable widow left the ever-gloomy Boston and went to sunny California. She bought an unfinished farm and launched in its place the construction of an unusual residence that had dragged on for 40 years.
What to watch
160 rooms, decorated with mahogany, are interconnected by a huge network of corridors. The four-story building strikes with extravagance – it has many dead ends, the doors on the third floor lead directly to the street, the stairs rest against the wall.
Almost every flight has 13 steps, the dining room has 13 windows, and the stained-glass windows consist of 13 elements. They say it was done on purpose to confuse evil spirits.
There is even a séance room. Rumor has it that someone’s steps are often heard in the Winchester House, lights flash, doors slam, handles turn spontaneously, water begins to flow from taps. And sometimes ghosts appear in the evenings.
Practical Information
Address: California, San Jose, S Winchester Blvd, 525. Website (in English).
Opening hours: from May to September: 9:00-19:00, from September to May: 9:00-17:00. Entrance: 39 USD, children 6-12 years old: 20 USD, senior citizens over 65: 32 USD. For an additional 10 USD, you can buy an extended tour.
