We have often described Northern California as “Disneyland for Adults,” but this does not mean that you should leave the children behind. For many people, visiting wineries is only one day of their trip to San Francisco. After all, with all the attractions it has to offer, the Bay Area is a great place for the whole family. A day trip to the beautiful areas of Sonoma and Napa gives you the opportunity to enjoy a relaxed rhythm with stunning views, beautiful tours and interesting wineries. Wineries and their souvenir shops are admittedly more interesting to adults than children, but they will still enjoy the trip, because this is, after all, a country of farmers, and which child doesn’t like it? Sonoma is particularly proud of its diversity of agriculture, as you travel around, you will see many crops, gardens and livestock between vineyards.
We see an increasing number of children in the Wine Country. Although it is still a relatively small number, parents find ways to make it work. The secret to having a great time together in Sonoma and Napa is to understand that although many wineries are not suitable or pleasant for children, there are many others. Sonoma and Napa have more than seven hundred wineries, of which about half can be easily visited, so there are many opportunities to choose from, as well as for many other family attractions.
One of the most friendly places for children and adult places to enjoy is the Plaza in the center of Sonoma. If you come from San Francisco across the Golden Gate Bridge, you will be in this historic and charming place just over half an hour. This is Philadelphia California, because this is the place where the Republic of California declared its independence from Mexico.
It is useful to know that there are counties of Sonoma and Napa, as well as the cities of Sonoma and Napa.
Despite the fact that Sonoma is a small city, numbering about nine thousand people, it is great in history. It is the only city in California that makes use of all three of these differences; it was the official Pueblo, or city under Mexico, it was the Franciscan mission (twenty-first and last), and it was the military headquarters of the entire West Coast in Mexico and in the United States. Around the Plaza, which is the largest in California, there are numerous historical sites, as well as beautiful restaurants and shops. The Square has large picnic tables near the playgrounds and the newly renovated duck pond.
The travel desk sits on the square in the old Carnegie Library building and can provide additional information for a great day out with the kids. The unique attraction, called Train Town, is just two minutes from Broadway, the road that led you to the square. This is a small old-style amusement park, suitable for small children under the age of ten. There is a small train for a ride and a traditional carousel, and it comes back by the time the special effects were digital. There is even a zoo.
There are several tasting rooms around the Plaza, where you can taste excellent wines without spending all day getting there. Then you can retreat to the site before moving on to the next winery. Five minutes from Plaza, there is one of the originals of Sonoma, the family-owned winery Sebastiani, with their large antique barrel-shaped room, one of the best souvenir stores of Sonoma, and very good wines for you. They also offer a trolley tour of Sonoma, which explains its remarkable history. Just south of the city is the Larson family winery, on the old Sonoma Rodeo site. This was the place where the champion race driver Seabiscuit stood at night when he raced on the West Coast. It has a farm-like setup with llamas and sheep. Horse rides through vineyards can be arranged in advance, bocce courts and picnic grounds complete this experience.
From the square you can head north along Route 12 along the Valley of the Moon, a scenic route. Voted Sonoma's best tour, the Benziger family winery in Glen Ellen offers a wonderful combination of agriculture, education and fine wine. Their vineyards are tucked into a rather small valley on Sonoma Mountain right along the road from the old Jack London ranch, now a park.
Their tour, located on a tram attached to the rear of the tractor, sneaks up through the vineyards, where they explain the biodynamic approach to agriculture, a wonderful system that is becoming increasingly popular in many high-end wineries. Then you visit the barrel caves and finish at the winery for tasting. Admittedly, wineries are an adult, but on tour in Bensiger, there are often children, and they always seem to enjoy themselves.
Please do not make the mistake of bringing children to trendy wineries where they have nothing interesting for children. They will spend an hour while you taste the wine, which has nothing to do. Wineries that are child-friendly have put a lot of effort into it. At Sonoma Plaza and Benziger you will find good picnic tables, so take sandwiches in the square or in the Glen Ellen market.
Many of the wineries in the Valley of the Moon are child-friendly, as long as you have an adult ready to keep track of them. The grounds are amiable and park-like, which makes it possible to enjoy a bit of relaxation in a beautiful setting. Some of those who come to mind are BR Cohn, Ramage, Landmark and St. Paul. Francis. At Villa Chateau St. Jean and Ledson have gourmet markets and picnic tables on site. All are within five miles of each other along Route 12, the main road in the Valley. Hint: Bring a soccer ball or frisbee. There are several beautiful lawns in the Valley of the Moon.
Visit Napa with kids
Napa is a great place to visit because everything is close. The entire valley is only thirty miles wide, up to five miles wide, and although there are other wineries in the hills, a variety of wineries that are easy to reach is wonderful. However, it is not as agricultural as Sonoma. Napa is still half an hour from the Golden Gate Bridge, but the journey takes you through the beautiful Carneros area with its vine-covered hills that have a distinctly Tuscan feel. Napa is closer to San Francisco via the less scenic Bay Bridge.
Napa has a little more city style than its cousin Sonoma, but there are a few places that kids will especially like. Everyone enjoys breathtaking architecture and beautiful views, something that surpasses Napa. A classic example of this is the Artesa winery with its hilly area overlooking Carneros and the bay. Artesa is not far from San Francisco, and since it is not built with children in mind, the feeling is quite relaxed and a variety of places to explore are enough for everyone in the family to be enchanted. They even have a lift for those who have strollers.
Only north in Yontville is Domaine Chandon, one of Napa's first producers of sparkling wine. It is a favorite for groups and people with children, because the territories are amiable and hospitable, with lawns, ponds and wildlife. They offer snacks on the patio as well as elegant sparkling wines, and the tables make it easy to keep everyone together. The explosion of a spring tadpole in ponds will keep any child entertained.
One of the nicest family wineries is Rubicon Francis Ford Coppola in Rutherford, about halfway to Napa Valley on Highway 29 (Helena Highway). He took the historic Neibaum / Inglenook building and surrounded it with gardens that have all the courtesy of a southern Italian villa. Exhibits and old barrels on the top floor are enough to entertain most children. In the summer, they provide model sailboats for sending gliding along the fountain pool in front of the building. The hotel has a small cafe with an open chair, a wonderful gift shop and, of course, great wines.
In the north there is the Winery V. Sattui, which in this context is the most valuable for their great offers of grocery stores and a large picnic area. Napa does not have many picnic areas. On Saturday in the season, it can take a lot of space, but finding everything you need for food, wine and picnic tables makes it much easier to mix the mix of wineries with children. Wineries have significantly more traffic on Saturdays than on Sundays.
Wild Calistogi
For a traveler based in San Francisco, unfortunately, two of the most interesting wineries for children are located in the northern part of the valley, south of the “old west”. Calistoga city, which is a great place for children to visit it. These two wineries are not suitable for stroller babies, but for children ages eight and older, this is a fun experience. First, it is the Sterling Vineyards, known for its air tramway, which leads visitors to its winery on the top of the hill. Many years ago it was the first major winery that charged for its tastings. The price includes tram. Between the tram, souvenir shop and wine tasting, you need to let the place enjoy it for one and a half hours. Go there early to avoid the lines.
Directly across highway 29 is one of the newest major wineries in Napa, although it was built to look old. Castello di Amorosa is built like a real castle, made of real stone and hand made of wrought iron. The vision, forty million dollars and thirteen years it took to build, created a wonderful place. Children are limited to early morning tours, so you should check their website for schedules. Tour tasting takes about two hours. Entry for Rubicon, Sterling and Castello di Amorosa varies from $ 20 to $ 25, although they offer discounts for children and young people.
Napa is fried in the summer, but very dry, so there are very few flying bugs. In winter it becomes rainy, but not very cold. Spring and autumn are great, and harvest time from late August to mid-November is a very busy, exciting time in the Wine Country.
Small private wineries are often found in people's homes, so for a collector traveling with children, you should ask your potential owners if they are welcomed. If you want smaller wineries with children, consider hiring a guide with a car or SUV (avoid limousines because you have to sit sideways or come back, which increases the likelihood of a cart). Although there are limousine services in San Francisco, many of the experts live in the Wine Country, but they pick up customers in the city. Hiring a driver significantly reduces the load and increases the pleasure. Explain that you have children and ask them to help you. Some guides are parents and actually look like children. For them, this is something else, and in fact we remember every tour that we have ever done with children. Traveling with children is educational and a lot of fun while you go to the wineries so that they are also interesting. So enjoy your day with the kids in the Wine Country.
