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Did you know that The Old Faithful Geyser of California in Calistoga is one of only three geysers in the world with the designation “old faithful”? To achieve that designation the geyser must perform at regular intervals.

And this one does.
And it’s pretty cool.

We were told that the timing of the performance is dependent upon the time of year and the amount of rain we had the prior winter. When we visited, it erupted about every 10 minutes or so.

Open 7 days a week, including holidays, from 9am-5pm in the winter and 9am-6pm in the summer, it’s a place where the family can spend the day. There is a nice picnic area. We brought our usual provisions from Sunshine along with a nice bottle of wine.

From our table, we watched the geyser:

After lunch, we headed over to the petting zoo (bring quarters for the food dispensers) and checked out the Tennessee Fainting Goats and Jacob’s Four-Horn Sheep:

And a llama checked us out:

Then we explored the bamboo forest that surrounds the entire area:

Who: All ages

What: An easy, casual, affordable, and interesting place where you can picnic and the kids can run around and explore nature

Where: 1299 Tubbs Lane, Calistoga

When: According to the website they’re open every day of the year, but I’d avoid rainy days as everything is outdoors

Why: A totally unique experience, unlike anything else in the Napa Valley

Admissions:
Adult: $10
Senior: $7
Children 6-12: $3
Children under 6: Free

Check out the website for coupons.

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Sorry if I’m boring you with the kid drawings, but Gaga reads this blog and will love this.

Plus, I think this is pretty awesome for a four-and-a-half-year-old, if I do say so myself.

The Harvest Festival always begins with the Pet Parade. As you see below, folks cetainly bring all sort of pets.

But, Samantha’s favorite part is the candy.

Samantha as Dalmatian

Here Comes the Parade

Oak Street

Bird on Parade

Thriller

Greyhound as Butterfly

Golden Retriever and Goat as Pony

This is the winery dog at Barnett Vineyards.

He is super-sweet, and tossing rocks–yes, rocks–for him to fetch kept kiddo occupied for quite a while. 

The winery is located atop a most stunning part of Spring Mountain, just above Saint Helena. The views are amazing and the wines, fabulous.

We visited for their Harvest Party, so I cannot comment on the usual tour-and-taste experience and if it is kid-friendly or not.

But we had a wonderful time at the party, and visiting again is definitely on our list.

That’s Samantha (Schmoopy) and Snoop Katty Katt (Doopy)–

So here is a photo of my kid and my cat: