Visiting Napa with Kids
- See also: Visiting Napa Valley Without the Kids
Parent Q&A
Archived Q&A and Reviews
- Napa day trip that's family friendly?
- Kid friendly winery/vineyard
- Kid-Friendly Napa Accommodations
- Napa with a toddler
Napa day trip that's family friendly?
April 2016
We would like to take out-of-town visitors to Napa Valley, and would be toting two kids under age 5 along. Is there such a thing as a family friendly vineyard--perhaps one with a wide expanse of grass to run around on and DIY picnic without worrying about disturbing other grown-ups? Are there other family excursions in the area that we should plan to visit while we are there to make it enticing for the kiddos--parks, playgrounds, children's museums? We would be going on a weekday in June to hopefully avoid major crowds. Recs and advice welcome! Hoping this is possible
Napa really is an adult destination. Kids would be bored. Can they stay with friends while you go? If not, try touristy vineyards like Sterling (tram) or visit the geyser in Calistoga. google 'Napa with Kids' and see what you get. mom of 3
We have a 5 year old and have taken many many out of towners up to Napa since he was born. We tend to be nervous travelers and my son does not sit still for long, so I understand your predicament very well.
Here's our typical itinerary, in this order:
1. Artesa Winery--gorgeous panoramic views. Big outdoor fountain with steps for running around, small outside balcony for wine tasting (costs money) with space to walk, but not run, around. If you have a stroller look for the handicapped access at the far side of the parking lot. Leads you through the innards of the winery and up to an elevator.
2. Oxbow Public Market--aim for an early lunch so you don't have any lines. Lots of delicious food in the food court, no need to sit down at the restaurant. Also has ice cream, which keeps the kids happy.
3. V. Sattui winery--tourist friendly, postcard perfect winery with Romeo and Juliet balcony, big outdoor picnic area. They insist you buy the food there and cannot bring your own. Gets busy and crowded. We usually like to eat at Oxbow and come here only to walk around and take pictures.
4. Frog's Leap winery--A little out of the way on the Silverado Trail, truly gorgeous house with couches to sit in, a big roaring fireplace, and sometimes a dog or a cat to pet. They have a lovely garden you can walk in, as well as some chickens, etc. You need to reserve ahead to get a tour of their winery, but with kids we usually skip the tour anyway.
5. Bouchon Bakery--We always stop here for a snack.
6. Domaine Chandon--This one's optional. They have very expansive grounds so it's good for kids to stretch their legs, but I find it a little boring. We visit this place if we don't have time to visit some of the other wineries, and it's right next to Bouchon.
We aim to leave Napa by mid afternoon, and typically stop in El Cerrito for an early dinner on the way back.
Needless to say, if you go up to Napa with kids, try to work a longer drive during their nap time so they'll rest a bit and not get too cranky. When our son still took one nap a day, he used to fall asleep on the drive up (yes, even at 9am in the morning, the car rocked him to sleep for a short nap), and then he'd take another little nap on the car ride home.
Kid friendly winery/vineyard
March 2014
My husband and I are looking for 'kid-friendly' wineries/vineyards in Napa/Sonoma. We have a 5 year old and a 1.5 year old. (We recently visited the Benzinger Family Winery in Sonoma and the kids had a blast which allowed us to have a blast!)Thanks in advance! Wine loving Mama
Oh my, Frog's Leap in St Helena is lovely. It feels like you are visiting a friend. The staff are very friendly, receive the kids with smiles and juice boxes, and then you are simply left to wander the extensive and beautiful grounds/garden, complete with pond, barn and chickens. And of course the vines! So beautiful and casual. We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon there, sampling while the kids played tag. See you there!
Kid-Friendly Napa Accommodations
March 2012
We're looking for kid-friendly (3 year old) Napa accommodations for a weekend in May. Does anybody have any recommendations? When I say kid-friendly, at a minimum, they should allow kids to stay. Thanks! Rob
The Embassy Suites in Napa is great for kids. They have an indoor pool as well as an outdoor one and also a nice little outdoor area with tables where you can hang out (little pond, waterfall with swans). We have sat our there with snacks several times. They often have deals so it never hurts to call and ask the hotel directly. We have stayed there several times and pay between $99-$109/night. I live in Sonoma so I am happy to send you more hotel info if you need it, just email me. Have a great time!
Hi Rob, I grew up in Napa and my folks are still there, so my family visits often. We have found the Westin to be great for our 18 month old. The hotel has a pool, bocce ball court, and is generally not packed (May may be busier) which lets us roam the halls at will. Also, you are within walking distance to downtown and the OxBo Market. Have fun!
Napa with a toddler
August 2002
On October 17 - 20 my husband has a business meeting in Yountville and spouses/kids are invited to attend. The company is not planning anything for kids to do, so I am wondering what my 2.5 year old daughter and I could do around there while my husband is in meetings. We will have our own car and are willing to drive up to 30 minutes for a fun activity. She wakes around 7 or 8, naps between 1 and 3 and goes to bed between 8:30 and 9, so we would need to be at our hotel in Yountville during sleeping times. -Lisa
Check out Train Town in Sonoma one valley west. http://www.traintown.com/ is their website. Might be a bit longer drive than you mentioned but only a little bit. Fun miniature trains, and our daughter enjoyed the plaza in Sonoma as well. Trees, grass; I seem to recall there was even a little playground. Norm
Check out COPIA, the American Center for Food, Wine and the Arts in Napa. It's a kind of hands-on museum place with displays, gardens, classes, etc. It's big and not that cheap to get in, so it's best to plan to spend a chunk of time there and plan ahead for what you want to do (running around outside while kids are active, watching a film while they sleep, eating in between, etc.) I haven't been there recently, but have heard it's just fine with kids if you plan it right. http://www.americancenter.com/pages/home.asp Nicole
I'm not sure if your toddler is into animals yet, if so you can check out Safari West at http://www.safariwest.com/ - it's not very far away from Napa. It's kind of expensive for what it is, though. anonymous
There's a nice park in Calistoga. The morning we were there there was a moms' group meeting there with their kids and they were all very friendly. kj
While I don't know of any activities specifically for kids in the Napa area, I have a few suggestions for fun things that could be interesting to a toddler. All of these places are within a 15-30 minute drive from Yountville.
Gliders in Calistoga--down the main street on the right in Calistoga is a little airport where people go up in gliders. You can watch the towing plane and the gliders take off and land, and fly around up in the sky.
Hurd Beeswax Candle Factory--on Hwy 29 North of St. Helena--you can watch people making and decorating candles, and they have a covered window you can open up and see hundreds of bees all busily working making honey right on the other side of the glass in front of you.
Oakville Grocery--Oakville--they have many, many food samples out that you can test.
Sattui Winery--outside Rutherford (I think)--you can go in and buy deli snacks and have a picnic on the lawn out in front.
Bale Mill Park--I've never been there, but it's either a state or regional park and might have some woods or trails worth exploring.Perhaps someone can give you more info. Suzanne
At the North end of Yountville (it's all of about 5-6 blocks long) there is a wonderful park which has a GREeat toddler playgrouind. Enjoy! Andrea
I have had great success finding wonderful and well qualified babysitters for my son (8 yo with ASD) by using sittercity.com. One thing on the website that I found worked best is to post my job opening in both the babysitter and special-needs sections. This time of year, there seems to be many college-age girls home for the summer who are looking for work. I hope this holds true in the Napa area as well as the bay.
We used Napa Valley Nanny when we stayed up there last summer. They were actually the first babysitters we ever used for our son. I could not have been more impressed. The owner was extremely responsive and wanted to know every last detail about our son. Both of the babysitters we had were incredible.