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So maybe calling Tennessee Beach a Napa neighbor is a bit of a stretch, but it’s only about an hour drive from the town of Napa.

Located near Mill Valley over in Marin County, this spectacular beach offers a wonderful all-day experience for the entire family.

First, while driving through the cute Mill Valley downtown we stopped at the Mill Valley Market to pick up a simple lunch of sandwiches and fruit. We did not go for our usual feast of charcuterie, cheeses, salads, and baguettes as it is a 1.7 mile hike from the parking lot to the beach–and packing along our big picnic basket didn’t sound like fun.

The Tennessee Valley is just a short drive from downtown Mill Valley.

At the trailhead is a large, free parking lot with restroom facilities. The facilities are not the greatest though (think hole-in-the-ground toilets and no sinks). I longed for hand wipes and hand sanitizer.

Note: These are the only facilities but for one nasty portapotty located mid-way down the trail (so I probably don’t need to tell you to have everyone go before you hit the trail).

Then, the trail starts out as a paved road but quickly becomes a well-maintained gravel path. We saw many families with strollers and did end up wishing we’d brought ours.

Note: You will need a jogging stroller or one with air-filled tires, not an umbrella-type with the hard wheels. And wear hiking boots or good walking shoes.

The scenery is beautiful; you’ll see mountains, meadows, native plants, and wildlife.

Be sure to watch for this sign, located about half-way up the trail:

Here’s a close up:

Take the trail that’s immediately to the right of the sign above, not the trail to the far right of this sign–even though a sign over there says:

We found out the hard way that the trail to the immediate right (aka The Lower Trail) is much easier than the one to the far right. But if you are looking for a slightly more rigorous hike, by all means try it out.

Just as Samantha tired out–just before the trail reaches the beach, is a striking fresh water pond.

Then, a few hundred feet beyond the pond the trail finally opens onto the beach.

The beach is not fine sand, but rather dark pebbles that are a bit hard on the feet.

Note: Bring flip flops or water shoes.

There is a small creek running from the pond to the ocean. With its mellow waves, warmer temperatures, and smooth sea-tossed rocks, the creek is a wonderful spot for the kids to explore and play.

On the day of our visit, the weather was perfect. Later, upon returning home, we found out that it was 100 degrees in Napa.

If you’re not familiar with summertime California weather patterns, it’s generally quite cool (to cold!) along the coast, particularly as you get closer to San Francisco. Of course the hotter it is inland, the hotter it is at the coast. In general, plan for the coastal temperatures to be anywhere from 10-15 degrees cooler than inland.

Note: Due to these variable temperatures, bring layers.

As the waves are too powerful–and the water too cold–there is no swimming. But it is fun to dip your toes into the surf. Be careful as the tide can be a bit unpredictable. As the saying goes, never turn your back on the ocean.

On the hike back, we found the entrance to The Lower Trail. You can see below how much easier it is than the trail we took heading in.

Here’s a recap of what we didn’t bring that we wish we had:

• Flip flops/water shoes for the beach
• Stroller
• Hand wipes and sanitizer
• Backpacks–not handle bags like we had
• Cool water in the car for the return trip

Of course, bring all the usual items for a hike and a day at the beach including good shoes, sunscreen, hats, blankets, towels, buckets, lunch, snacks, bag for trash, etc.

Who: All ages

What: A family day at the beach

Where:
From the North:
South on highway 101
Take the Mill Valley/Stinson Beach/Hwy 1 exit
Follow Shoreline Hwy until you see the Tennessee Valley Road sign (the turn off will be on the left )

When: Particularly wonderful during those hot, hot days we get in Napa/inland Bay Area, but the coast is amazing anytime of year

Why: To see the ocean, to get outdoors, to exercise, and to spend time together

Note: No dogs.

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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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Even though it’s just a few minutes from our home, we hadn’t visited Sequoia Grove Winery in years; in fact, it’s been since before Samantha was born.

I suppose we didn’t think it was family-friendly.

But then, in using our favorite winery finder tool, I found that Sequoia Grove fits both of our two main criteria:

1) Family-friendly
2) Picnic area

After tasting through a few wines, we decided on a nice rosé. A perfect pairing with our picnic fare, the wine offers pretty strawberry & raspberry notes and a nice balance.

We settled into a bistro table on the shaded patio and tucked into our charcuterie, cheeses and breads.

Samantha ran around the expansive grassy area, and made some new friends.

Who: All ages, though of course you’ll need to watch those toddlers closely

What: A low-key wine tasting experience in a casual atmosphere (but as the winery is right on Highway 29, I bet it can get quite busy)

Where: 8338 St. Helena Highway (that’s Higway 29)–their website says they are in Napa, but I’d swear it’s more like Rutherford or Oakville

When: Non-peak Highway 29 tourist times, so weekdays in spring or fall, would be best

Why: Nice wines, unimposing tasting room, pretty grounds and convenient location

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Part of our Valentine’s Day celebration yesterday was a picnic at Tudal Winery.

Discovered on the Napa Vintners site, this winery fit all our criteria: family-friendly, picnic area, low-key atmosphere.

And it was indeed quite low-key as you can see below the manner in which we were greeted (that there is Cheyenne, we found out).

We proceeded to a seated tasting in the winery building/shed. Samantha entertained herself with drawing as we tasted through a nice, Burgundian-style Chardonnay (Burgundian-style connoting little of that oaky, buttery–and to us, overwhelming, quality of most Chardonnays), a beautiful, fruity, textbook-Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir and a jammy, peppery, but not over the top Zinfandel.

And–to kiddo’s delight–in place of the usual bland tasting room crackers, they had fishy crackers.

The atmosphere was casual, congenial and educational–and without any sort of pretension.

With the Zin in glass, our group headed out for a quick tour of the vineyards…

…the production facility…

…and the barrel room…where we tasted the Syrah…

… and ended up in what could be called the sales room.

We bought a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc (limited production and no longer available–seriously, we got the last bottle), headed out to the picnic area, and easily settled in.

As we nibbled, sipped and chatted…

…Samantha explored the picnic area and gardens. She found this old tractor…

…and we found that it was quite dirty…

…and apropos for Valentine’s Day, there were even heart-shaped decorations (made from barrel rings).

Who: All ages, except perhaps the toddlers who are mobile, but can’t/don’t listen yet

What: A low-key, casual winetasting experience, with a short tour and a pleasant picnic and garden area, including bocce courts

Where: 1015 Big Tree Road, Saint Helena, phone 707-963-3947 (tastings are by appointment, so call ahead)

When: Best on days when you can picnic; we’re certainly visiting again come summertime

Why: To taste good wines, to learn a bit (but not too much) about the winery & winemaking, to picnic, to let the kids explore an interesting and safe picnic/garden area

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Eskimo kisses at Benessere Vineyards this past Sunday.

We really had a great time at Benessere Vineyards yesterday.

Today I’d like to share more about what Samantha did while we tasted wine and then enjoyed our picnic.

First, she danced on the garden patio immediately adjacent to the Tasting Room (that means she was able to be independent–as were we–but that she was within sight at all times).

Then she helped us set up & enjoy our lunch.

Lunch was intermingled with playing in the garden, particulary under the acorn tree, collecting the fallen nuts (or whatever type of tree/nut this might be–please correct me if I’m wrong).

Then she ran in the vineyards and picked grapes (the few still on the vine, apparent leftovers from harvest).

Lastly, we got to spend some very-appreciated time together.

Today (even though home and work chores beckoned) we decided to go to a winery for a picnic.

After consulting the Napa Vintners website, we dropped by Sunshine Market for our favorite selection of cheese & charcuterie and headed north to Benessere Vineyards.

Part of the Napa Vintners family-friendly winery list, we were not disappointed.

In fact, we had an absolutely wonderful time.

Benessere is located just a few minutes north of Saint Helena down a country road off Highway 29, and along a gravel lane that skirts the Napa River (which is just the slightest trickle, if at all, this time of year).

Walking up, we immediately felt comfortable when we saw another family with two small children enjoying a picnic lunch on the patio.

Through that intimate garden patio is the small, comfortable Tasting Room. The bar is only large enough to host a handful of folks at a time.

We were graciously and patiently welcomed by a wonderful woman who reminded me of my Grandma Jarecki.

We tasted through their wines and were most impressed by their 2005 Phenomenon, a Super Tuscan-style blend. Big, bold, fruity and balanced, Tom mentioned it is his favorite of all the wines we’ve tasted at wineries recently.

We also enjoyed all the wines, particularly the 2006 Sangiovese, the 2005 Sorridente and the 2005 BK Collins Old Vine Zinfandel–all solid, nice wines.

Samantha made friends while we tasted.

We bought a bottle of 2007 Pinot Grigio, then headed out to our picnic table and enjoyed the food, the wine and the views.

It was very quiet and tranquil.

The vineyards were beautiful with all the fall colors.

I found my new favorite cheese, a Camembert-style bloomy rind cow’s milk cheese from Sweet Grass Dairy out of Georgia.

Samantha enjoyed playing in the garden and in the vineyard.

Here are some more shots from our most lovely day:

With this blog, one of my objectives is to write about family-friendly activities here in the Napa Valley.

It seems some people (even some locals) think that the valley is not a great place for kids. And, if you think about what Napa represents to most—that is, wineries, fine restaurants and wineries—it’s easy at first to see why.

Maybe because I got pregnant with my daughter only one month after moving here or maybe because we see small children on a daily basis or maybe because we don’t really care what those people think, we’ve always felt more than at home here in the valley.

See, the Napa Valley is more than a place—a destination place, a vacation place or otherwise. It’s a community; it’s small tight-knit towns made up of families. Just like other towns. And, actually, we’ve found more family-friendly activities here than in many other towns we’ve visited.

This is a great place to raise a family. This is a great place for kids. And with a bit of pre-trip planning and research (which is good to do for any trip, with or without kids), this is a great place to visit with kids.

While we wouldn’t take any child to Opus One or Terra, we are proud to say that Samantha has been to more wineries in her three years than most American adults will ever be in their lifetime.

Of course there are many, many activities here beyond wineries. But as Napa is most known for the wineries, that is what I’ve chosen to focus on in this first post on the subject.

So here is my first Napa Valley family-friendly recommendation:

Casa Nuestra Winery is located on the Silverado Trail just north of Saint Helena. It is small, quaint and funky. The wines are awesome–high quality, small production–and include such unique offerings as Chenin Blanc and Tinto Classico. The Tasting Room is tiny, cozy and extremely unpretentious; the staff is amazingly friendly, accomodating and knowledgable in that humble way that is the true sign of knowledge.

They also have goats:

The day we visited was the first rainy spell of the season. The weather was unsettled; the sun gave way to clouds, then drizzle, then rain, then returned.

We sat on the patio underneath a canopy that was there ostensibly to protect picnickers from the intense Napa summer sun. As the rain intensified, we enjoyed our simple picnic lunch of salami, breasola, cheese and crusty bread paired with the Rosado:

Samantha played in the rain:

After our picnic, we went back into the tasting room to try the Late Harvest French Colombard. And to our surprise and delight—and even though we were pushing it as far as kiddo’s naptime—we were invited to go back to the winery (that is, the production area).

We saw their Petite Sirah fermenting, we tasted out of barrels, we were charmed by the simple, non-glamourousness of it all. So much so that we are going to go back soon for another delightful picnic lunch.

And we even joined their wine club.