Napa Valley, California
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Just Outside Napa Valley |
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Napa Valley, California
|
Just Outside Napa Valley |
They're not in the Napa Valley but they're close by and might interest you. Most of these destinations are a 20-30 minute drive from the valley.
Anheuser-Busch Brewery
3101 Busch Drive
Fairfield CA 94533
707.429.7595
Open September-May Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p,m. June-August open Monday through Saturday. Free 45-minute tours depart on the hour.
The world's largest brewer. Enjoy samples of fine beers and snacks. Visit the production floor to see packaging lines that fill thousands of cans and bottles every minute.
Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center
15500 Central Park Road
Middletown CA 95461
866-GEYSERS
The Geysers is the world's largest geothermal energy source, and is operated by Calpine. Wells drill deep into the earth to tap the natural steam, which is used to power turbines, generating energy for customers in Northern California. The energy efficient visitor center is heated and cooled by geothermal energy, and features interactive exhibits, a gift shop and picnic area, and free bus tours to an operating geothermal power plant. Advance registration is required for the bus tours. Free. Open Thursday through Monday.
Jelly Belly
Herman Goelitz Candy Company
2400 North Watney Way
Fairfield CA
800.9JELLYB
DIRECTIONS: Take Interstate 80 north toward Sacramento. At Fairfield, exit freeway at Highway 12/Chadbourne Road, and exit at Chadbourne. Turn right at stop sign onto Chadbourne, then left onto Courage Drive. Turn left onto North Watney Way.
Tours Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Closed holidays, April 1, and the last week of June through the first week of July.
The makers of Ronald Reagan's favorite snack—the first jelly beans in outer space—and another long-time favorite, Candy Corn. The factory makes up to 40,000,000 jelly beans a day and sells enough each year to circle the earth's equator 2.5 times. It's the only place in the world where you can buy Belly Flops, beans that don't meet Goelitz's high standards for size or color, but they're still delicious. A fun tour and great for kids.
Safari West
3115 Porter Creek Road
Santa Rosa CA
707.579.2551 800.616.2695
DIRECTIONS: From the Napa Valley, go north on Highway 128/29. Do not turn right into Calistoga. Continue to Petrified Forest Road. Turn left, pass the Petrified Forest and turn right on Porter Creek Road. Go 2.5 miles, cross the bridge, and immediately turn right onto Franz Valley Road. Turn into the very first driveway.
Daily tours by appointment. Tours last 2 1/2 hours and cost $58 for adults, $28 for children 12 and under.
A private wildlife preserve of 400 acres that is home to 350 exotic mammals and birds. Includes antelope, cheetah, eland, gazelle, zebra, giraffe and many more. Bring your cameras.
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
Marine World Parkway
Vallejo CA 94589
707.643.6722
www.sixflags.com/discoveryKingdom/
Open all year, Wednesday through Sunday from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., and every day during the summer from 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. (Memorial day to Labor Day). Kids under 48 inches $27, general admission $43.
Whales, tigers, elephants, sharks, kangaroos, water-skiing shows, trained seals, giraffes, butterflies and scads of other animals and performances. Plus lots of thrill rides, including five roller coasters. It's probably the premier place in the entire San Francisco Bay Area for a family outing.
Smith's Mount St. Helena Trout Farm
Ida Clayton Road
Calistoga CA 94515
707.987.3651
DIRECTIONS: Take Highway 128 from Calistoga toward Healdsburg/Geyserville, turn right on Ida Clayton Road. Also accessible from Middletown in Lake County, and from Santa Rosa via Mark West Springs Road and Franz Valley Road.
Fishing for the entire family for rainbow trout raised in cold mountain water. No license. No limit. Bait and poles available. Open Saturday, Sunday and observed holidays, February through October. Hours 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Traintown
20264 Broadway - Highway 12
Sonoma, CA 95476
707.938.3912
Open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m .June 1-Labor Day. Friday, Saturday and Sunday September 1-May. $3.75 adults, $3.25 children.
There's not much for young kids to do in the Napa Valley. Fortunately Traintown is only twenty minutes away from Napa. It's located in the town of Sonoma on 10 acres, with one and a quarter miles of railroad track. During the twenty-minute trip on the small-scale train, you'll travel over five bridges and trestles and through two tunnels, one of them 140 feet long. Admission includes a petting zoo and three full-size cabooses to explore. Extra charge for ferris wheel and carousel.
Twin Pine Casino
Highway 29 at Rancheria Road
Middletown, CA 95461
707.987.0197 Fax 707.987.9786
A casino owned by the Middletown Rancheria band of Pomo Indians. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Nearly 500 slot machines, blackjack, pai-gow poker, keno, electronic bingo, video poker and Digital 21 games.