Happy Thursday! As promised, I wanted to give you all a look into the amazing trip I went on with Downtown Napa a couple of weeks ago. I had been to Napa once, before I turned 21, so I was really excited to go back and actually be of legal drinking age this time. What I didn’t realize, is that in addition to the amazing wineries that live in Napa, they also have an adorable little downtown area as well.
I stayed at the Napa River Inn and it definitely exceeded all expectations! Located right along the Napa River, this inn grants walking distance to all the shops, restaurants and wineries downtown. The rooms are very quaint and I thought it was so cool that my room used to be a roller skating rink. The floors are actually the original floors from the skating rink back in the day. Another plus about staying at Napa River Inn, is each morning they deliver fresh breakfast and pastries to your room from Sweetie Pies, located right next door!
We started off our trip by having lunch and getting introduced to the Vice Mayor of Napa at Compline Wine. We learned so much about the history and evolution of the city, which was all super interesting, especially because a lot of people don’t even know that Napa has a downtown! The lunch consisted of amazing food (the duck breast and the broccolini are to die for) and wine, followed by a butterscotch pudding & cheese plate for dessert. My mouth is watering just thinking about it!!
Our next stop was a wine tasting (more wine, of course!) at Vermeil Wines. We tried everything from Chardonnay to Syrah, which was all delicious, I can’t even pick a favorite! This winery is very modern and is actually named after the family of Dick Vermeil, the former NFL coach. After wine tasting, we headed over to Gran Electrica for some yummy Mexican food and margaritas. I loved how it was super trendy and it was also packed for a Tuesday night, which is always a good sign!
One thing that I thought I really wasn’t going to enjoy was kayaking. I’ve only done it one other time and didn’t have the best experience so I was hesitant, but it ended up being so much fun! The Napa river was surprisingly very calm and peaceful and it was such a pretty view of all the trees & greenery (and even downtown!) My arms were pretty dang sore the next day, but it was well worth it.
After freshening up from being out on the water all morning, we made our way over to a hands-on cooking class at CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Copia. This was SO much fun and we all got the chance to cook different things (I helped with the delicious dessert) and eat it afterwards! We had rosemary lamb, vegetable and goat cheese risotto and a strawberry dessert… with more wine of course. 🙂
This picture was taken right outside of CIA. The views of the mountains there are absolutely breathtaking… lots of photo opp opportunities. My dress is HERE.
After dinner we went to the newly opened Archer Hotel located right in the heart of Downtown to check out Sky & Vine, an amazing rooftop bar/restaurant with killer views. The cocktails were delicious and the charcuterie plate is a must-order.
On our final day we had breakfast at the Oxbow Public Market, which is a gathering place for great food and wine in Napa. There are tons of cute little shops and restaurants, so everyone could choose what they wanted for breakfast without all dining at the same place. Inside the market they have Annette’s chocolates, a local chocolate shop that we actually toured earlier in the day. The chocolate was SO good, so I ended up picking some up for my mom for Mother’s day!
Before heading to the airport, we did a wine tasting at Whetstone Wine Cellars, a family owned and operated winery in the heart of Napa. We had lunch catered in to soak up the endless amounts of wine we consumed, while we chatted about how we were so sad to be leaving!
I had such a great time and am counting down the days until I can return!
NAPA GUIDE
Where to stay: Napa River InnAndaz Napa
Where to eat:Gran ElectricaCompline WineNapa General StoreOxbow Public Market
Where to drink:Compline WineVermeil WinesSky & VineWhetstone Wine Cellars
What to do:Kayak the Napa RiverHands on cooking class at CIA at CopiaArt walk downtown
Thank you to Downtown Napa for hosting this trip. As always, all opinions are my own.