Tomorrow morning, early I might add, I heading off to Napa Valley, California.  I haven’t been there in over 10 years, and when an opportunity came up to visit, and check out what’s new in the area, I couldn’t pass it up.  And I imagine there’s a whole lot new over the last 10 years.

What do you think about when you hear Napa Valley?

I think for most people, it’s wine.  Wine fields, the wine harvest, wineries, wine tasting, wine tours, the wine train, and restaurants with wonderful local wine.  Sure, Napa is all that, but seems to be emerging as a destination independent of wine tourism as well.

From my research thus far, it looks like Napa has expanded it list of accommodations to include not only small bed and breakfasts, but also family and luxury hotels.  There’s hiking and biking, spas, walking trails, and a vibrant local community.  There are a lot of nice restaurants, from cozy neighborhood kind of places to gourmet fine dining, and everything in between.  It sounds like these changes means that Napa may be attracting a broader base of visitors than before.

I’ll be checking out all these things. . . and more. . . and reporting back about what’s new and fun in Napa.  And rest assured. . . there will have been wine!

What do you like to do when you visit Napa Valley?

Photo credit: jimg944 @flickr