Napa/Sonoma Wine Region
Napa Valley is home to premier wine producers, restaurants, resorts, spas and beautiful scenery. The mixture of climate and soil are virtually perfect for growing the type of grapes required to produce premium wines. As a result of this marriage of climate and soil, wineries were founded in the Napa Valley as early as the mid 1800's. Napa Valley consists of six towns with a total population of 115,000. Starting at the Northern end of the valley is Calistoga, moving south is St Helena, Rutherford, Oakville, Yountville and finally in the Southern tip is the city of Napa.
Sonoma County is perfect for a great vacation getaway, with beaches and surf, mountains and redwoods, the lush beauty of vineyards, upscale specialty shops, rich cultural arts, outdoor sports, and a dazzling selection of award-winning wineries, restaurants and lodgings. Experience wine country with a visit to Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, in the heart of Dry Creek Valley. Stroll through famous gardens, then enjoy fine wines at beautiful Villa Fiore. Sonoma County’s specialty shops abound in distinctive art, antiques, home decor, gourmet foods, fashion and jewelry. Check out the historic town of Healdsburg, where boutiques and antique stores ring the shaded central plaza. Seasons of the vineyard offers irresistible gifts for home and garden. Sonoma County is as well known for its fresh, delicious foods as it is for its prestigious wines. In Santa Rosa, discover the vineyard-surrounded restaurant that put wine country cuisine on the map - enjoy the inspired seasonal menu of John Ash & Co., complemented by an award-winning wine list from the county's most prestigious wineries.
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park embraces a spectacular tract of mountain-and-valley scenery in the Sierra Nevada, which was set aside as a national park in 1890. The park harbors a grand collection of waterfalls, meadows, and forests that include groves of giant sequoias, the world's largest living things.
Highlights of the park include Yosemite Valley, and its high cliffs and waterfalls; Wawona's history center and historic hotel; the Mariposa Grove, which contains hundreds of ancient giant sequoias; Glacier Point's (summer-fall) spectacular view of Yosemite Valley and the high country; Tuolumne Meadows (summer-fall), a large subalpine meadow surrounded by mountain peaks; and Hetch Hetchy, a reservoir in a valley considered a twin of Yosemite Valley.
Fresno
Fresno, California, lies in the center of one of the most productive agricultural regions in the U.S.: Trucks piled high with tomatoes or melons pass cars on the highway, many businesses in Fresno are farm-related, and "agrotourism"—tours of farms, orchards and wineries—is popular with visitors, especially families.
Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley. The downtown appeals to visitors with its lively mix of old and new, gritty and chic, with coffee shops, restaurants and vintage-clothing shops next to old theaters and warehouses.
Being in the center of the fertile San Joaquin Valley, it's no wonder that Fresno also has wineries of its own—including the Madera Wine Trail. http://www.maderawinetrail.com.
One of the most intriguing gardens in California is Baldassare Forestiere's Underground Garden. Transplanted from the founder's native Sicily, the fruit trees, vines and shrubs are all planted in sunny openings of subterranean courtyards and passageways. The garden is still run by Forestiere's great nephew. http://www.undergroundgardens.com.
Fresno's holdovers from the past include intriguing historic architecture and more than 30 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Among them are the Water Tower, Tower Theater and Kearney Mansion Museum. In addition, the city of Fresno, California, is a good jumping-off point for visits to Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.
San Francisco
Blessed with a viable fog-cooled and sun-kissed climate and a dramatic landscape, the San Francisco Bay Area is a visual feast where neither water nor hills are ever too far away. Add to this the cultural medley: Within every neighborhood, from Santa Cruz to Oakland to Mill Valley, a diversity of tastes and interest is thriving. See it in the cuisine, the bookstores, the arts, and the recreational opportunities. To embrace all San Francisco has to offer get out and explore. Walk the streets, drive across the Bay Bridge, go south down the peninsula to Silicon Valley and cruise along the San Mateo coast. Find great sights, museums, art, culture, and family fun attractions. There is a plethora of attractions and activities to satisfy the desires of every one who visits.
Napa Valley is home to premier wine producers, restaurants, resorts, spas and beautiful scenery. The mixture of climate and soil are virtually perfect for growing the type of grapes required to produce premium wines. As a result of this marriage of climate and soil, wineries were founded in the Napa Valley as early as the mid 1800's. Napa Valley consists of six towns with a total population of 115,000. Starting at the Northern end of the valley is Calistoga, moving south is St Helena, Rutherford, Oakville, Yountville and finally in the Southern tip is the city of Napa.
Sonoma County is perfect for a great vacation getaway, with beaches and surf, mountains and redwoods, the lush beauty of vineyards, upscale specialty shops, rich cultural arts, outdoor sports, and a dazzling selection of award-winning wineries, restaurants and lodgings. Experience wine country with a visit to Ferrari-Carano Vineyards and Winery, in the heart of Dry Creek Valley. Stroll through famous gardens, then enjoy fine wines at beautiful Villa Fiore. Sonoma County’s specialty shops abound in distinctive art, antiques, home decor, gourmet foods, fashion and jewelry. Check out the historic town of Healdsburg, where boutiques and antique stores ring the shaded central plaza. Seasons of the vineyard offers irresistible gifts for home and garden. Sonoma County is as well known for its fresh, delicious foods as it is for its prestigious wines. In Santa Rosa, discover the vineyard-surrounded restaurant that put wine country cuisine on the map - enjoy the inspired seasonal menu of John Ash & Co., complemented by an award-winning wine list from the county's most prestigious wineries.
Yosemite National Park embraces a spectacular tract of mountain-and-valley scenery in the Sierra Nevada, which was set aside as a national park in 1890. The park harbors a grand collection of waterfalls, meadows, and forests that include groves of giant sequoias, the world's largest living things.
Highlights of the park include Yosemite Valley, and its high cliffs and waterfalls; Wawona's history center and historic hotel; the Mariposa Grove, which contains hundreds of ancient giant sequoias; Glacier Point's (summer-fall) spectacular view of Yosemite Valley and the high country; Tuolumne Meadows (summer-fall), a large subalpine meadow surrounded by mountain peaks; and Hetch Hetchy, a reservoir in a valley considered a twin of Yosemite Valley.
Fresno, California, lies in the center of one of the most productive agricultural regions in the U.S.: Trucks piled high with tomatoes or melons pass cars on the highway, many businesses in Fresno are farm-related, and "agrotourism"—tours of farms, orchards and wineries—is popular with visitors, especially families.
Fresno is the largest city in California's Central Valley. The downtown appeals to visitors with its lively mix of old and new, gritty and chic, with coffee shops, restaurants and vintage-clothing shops next to old theaters and warehouses.
Being in the center of the fertile San Joaquin Valley, it's no wonder that Fresno also has wineries of its own—including the Madera Wine Trail. http://www.maderawinetrail.com.
One of the most intriguing gardens in California is Baldassare Forestiere's Underground Garden. Transplanted from the founder's native Sicily, the fruit trees, vines and shrubs are all planted in sunny openings of subterranean courtyards and passageways. The garden is still run by Forestiere's great nephew. http://www.undergroundgardens.com.
Fresno's holdovers from the past include intriguing historic architecture and more than 30 buildings on the National Register of Historic Places. Among them are the Water Tower, Tower Theater and Kearney Mansion Museum. In addition, the city of Fresno, California, is a good jumping-off point for visits to Yosemite, Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks.
Blessed with a viable fog-cooled and sun-kissed climate and a dramatic landscape, the San Francisco Bay Area is a visual feast where neither water nor hills are ever too far away. Add to this the cultural medley: Within every neighborhood, from Santa Cruz to Oakland to Mill Valley, a diversity of tastes and interest is thriving. See it in the cuisine, the bookstores, the arts, and the recreational opportunities. To embrace all San Francisco has to offer get out and explore. Walk the streets, drive across the Bay Bridge, go south down the peninsula to Silicon Valley and cruise along the San Mateo coast. Find great sights, museums, art, culture, and family fun attractions. There is a plethora of attractions and activities to satisfy the desires of every one who visits.
