We knew we wanted our day off to be a family outing and I had the idea that I wanted it to involve fall color and lots of time outside. I am always up for a trip to my favorite place in California, Napa Valley, but when all I read about "Napa for Kids" was repeatedly discouraging, I took that as a personal challenge. Is it possible to enjoy the beauty of Napa Valley while with your whole family? Today, we found the answer to be, "Yes!"
Starting the day at the Jelly Belly Factory helped get the kids excited about the day ahead. Though we've been here numerous times now, we're always up for a whole bunch of trips through that sample line, the free tour and the discounted Belly Flops.
The best of the day for me was reveling in fall at its fullest and most gorgeous! This is the perfect time of year to drive through the valley and see miles and miles of vineyards ablaze in the colors of the season changing. It was warm and sunny today too, so with the windows down we drove for a while, pointing out one vineyard after the next, each more majestic in their vibrant fall colors.
Our favorite lunch place in Napa, Gott's Roadside Stand, is so delicious, we just know we'll never get lunch without a pretty long wait. The girls were happy to run around the wooded picnic area, though, playing tag and building fairy houses while we waited for our chicken sandwiches and sweet potato fries.
We decided not to pay for any formal tours or tasting with the girls along today, but found wineries that allowed guests to just wander around the grounds (Robert Mondavi is probably the best for this). There were tons of other families that seemed to have the same idea we did, so we saw plenty of other people who were taking the "Kids in Napa?" Challenge today too!
The strong sun and the setting I had my camera on are just not doing the amazing colors justice. Good thing I took lots of mental pictures too! :)
I had found that one of the small towns in Napa was having a Festival of Lights this afternoon and evening, so we planned on ending our day there. This was a fantastic stop! We heard carolers and saw the Napa Valley Ballet Company performing on stage. The girls met the Grinch and this Nutcracker guy. We watched an ice sculptor in action. We paid the $10 to get a glass to bring around to all the different tables for wine tasting (a much cheaper and more informal way to enjoy Napa's wine!). We walked through several galleries admiring oil and watercolor paintings and photography of Napa. We especially liked one gallery's special exhibit of original Dr. Seuss works! (Art-loving Ella was in heaven watching all this cool creative stuff!) When the sun set and the lights came on, we "oohhed and aahhed" over them.
Much of the day was spent soaking up the beauty of fall in Napa, but by the time the day ended we were feeling pretty Christmasy, thanks to the Festival. With Thanksgiving yesterday and plans to get the Christmas tree tomorrow, today ended up being that perfect bridge between the seasons.
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