Budget Travel on a Luxury Napa Valley Vacation
Save Money with Activities and Events in California's Wine Country
Oct 9, 2009
Napa Valley is one of the most romantic, beautiful parts of the country in which to take a weekend luxury vacation. This part of California is world-famous for its miles and miles of rolling hills, sprawling vineyards, and great restaurants. The usually perfect weather and top luxury resorts add to the mix, and travelers often find themselves wishing to prolong their Napa Valley vacations. Here are several terrific activities to help stretch out a long weekend without busting the travel budget.
Calistoga Saturday Stroll
The Saturday Stroll in Calistoga (one of the more Northern areas of Napa Valley) has wine tastings and live music from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM on the first Saturday of every month from late Spring to November. Calistoga has an Art Walk as well; this is on the first Thursday on April June, August and October annually. Tickets for the Saturday Stroll wine tasting are currently $25 for two - this being a romantic, couples' event after all - and live music, grape stomps, and the Farmers' Market at the Sharpsteen Museum Plaza are seasonally available as well.
CHEERS
This is free to attend (talk about stretching one's travel dollars). Between the months of May and October, the first Friday of every month has CHEERS St. Helena, a Napa Valley nonprofit [exhibiting] over 60 Napa Valley wineries. Sample the fine wine, and purchase bottles; all proceeds are reinvested in the community. CHEERS wine passes are available for purchase, ranging from nightly passes to season passes that are good for the whole year. The CHEERS fest is open from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM, with St Helena shops and restaurants all open and participating in the event.
Mustard Festival
Mustard in Napa Valley? Sure; it can't all be about the wine, after all. In the winter, traditionally a slow travel season for this part of California, the Mustard Festival sparks up the region nicely (it helps to like mustard). Every year between January and March, the Mustard Festival shows the bloom of the winter flower, along with food, wine, and entertainment galore. The Napa Valley Mustard Festival is also a nonprofit organization that promotes local businesses.
Oxbow Public Market
Right in downtown Napa Valley, the Oxbow Public Market is open seven days a week - closed only for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day. Locals Night on Tuesdays are generally from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, and feature local musicians strutting their stuff (for example, the Michelle Rafael Jazz Trio plays standard, modern, and Latin jazz, while Dallan Santos performs classical guitar). Local merchant events are year-round, and include Belgian beer and artisanal cheese pairings. The popular Hog Island Oyster Bar offers Happy Hour oysters for just a dollar an oyster. Several other Oxbow Public Market stores and merchant participate in inexpensive, community building activities and events as well.
Taste Napa Downtown
It's no secret that Napa Valley is home to some of the best wines in the world. Purchasing the "Taste Napa Downtown" card at the Napa Valley Visitors Information Center allows visitors to taste some of those great wines for just ten cents a glass! Fourteen different tasting rooms participate at this time, and the popularity of the cards indicate that the list will continue to grow. There is a hopping calendar of events in downtown Napa as well; more events occur during the late Spring and summer seasons, of course, but there's live music and other events throughout the year.
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