Thirty is an important milestone to celebrate; a cumulative thirtieth birthday is cause for even more celebration and a trip to Napa! The four of us chicas have been friends since elementary school and even though life has taken us in different directions, we still come together a few times a year. For Napa, we just managed a quick overnight, but we crammed a lot of fun into 24 hours!

We started with lunch at Norman Rose Tavern, delicious and nice atmosphere. Then it was time for wine! First stop Clos Du Val, it was dog-friendly so it gets my vote. Plus our server was reminiscent of Matthew McConaughey, “Alright, alright, alright, who’s ready for the next pour?” Pine Ridge Vineyards was our next stop. The reds here were delectable and because we had to wait a whopping five minutes and we didn’t have our servers full attention she only charged us for one tasting instead of three. More than generous, so we bought a bottle to enjoy later. We saved the best for last though – Miner Family Winery. This one was the most budget-friendly and had a great balcony where we watched the sunset over the hills. After three wineries we were ready for more food and found a gem – Napa Valley Bistro. I recommend the fish and chips – yum!

We stayed at Chablis Inn because it was budget-friendly and had queen-size beds. It was nice enough, especially since we didn’t come to Napa to hang out at the hotel, but I think next time we’ll spring for another star or two.

For breakfast we went to Soscol Cafe, if you’re still feeling the wine from the day before, I would highly recommend this place for a morning pick-me-up. At this point I needed an outdoorsy break and grabbed my road bike for a quick sprint along the Napa River Trail. The trail goes through John F. Kennedy Memorial Park, which has just about every sport available including picnicking, a paved path for walking and biking, golfing, kayaking, fishing; plus model plane airspace and a bike track – the list goes on! The ride was a short 5.7 miles, but it was nice to stretch my legs and work off some of that food and wine. After my ride I met the chicas at the Napa Premium Outlets to do a bit of shopping before heading home.

Next time I venture to Napa Valley I may bring Wildlife 4-8 and we can take Napa by bike!

Cheers!
Trails