Local experts share their top picks in the famous California wine region, from mud baths to special tastings.
California's Napa Valley has achieved near-mythical status, not only as a top wine region in North America but as one of the best in the world. It's hard to have a conversation about wine—and maybe even impossible if you're talking about cabernet sauvignon—without mentioning the prodigious wine country little more than 50 miles north of San Francisco.
While Napa Valley is full of flourishing vineyards and has its fair share of world-class restaurants, the region also offers an Eden-like escape in nature. To narrow down your itinerary, we turned to three local experts to help us compile a list of the best things to do in Napa Valley. Here's how to make the most of your next vacation to this vibrant part of Northern California, whether you're into hiking and kayaking or sipping and luxuriating.
Take a rejuvenating mud bath in Calistoga.
Developed as a hot springs resort town in the mid-19th century, Calistoga has a rich history when it comes to healing volcanic soil. Dr. Wilkinson's Backyard Resort & Mineral Springs offers a spa garden for alfresco treatments, plus four indoor mud baths, even more mineral baths, and three geothermal mineral pools. Nearby, Indian Springs Calistoga, an ancient healing destination for the Indigenous Wappo community, features a spa, volcanic mud baths, a large mineral plunge pool, and rolling gardens.