Napa Valley Wine Train
While getting behind the wheel after multiple wine tastings is a risk many staunch oenophiles are prepared to take, the Napa Valley Wine Train, departing daily from downtown Napa for three- to four-hour day trips through the celebrated wine region’s rolling countryside, offers a delightful, DUI-free alternative. Savor a gourmet lunch in one of its lavishly restored 1915-1917 Pullman dining cars before hotfooting it to the wine-tasting car, where a choice of 100 wines compensates for the fact that you can’t disembark at the wineries you fancy along the route (two packages do include stops at wineries, one at Grgich Hills and the other at Domaine Chandon). Or book a table in the line’s newest railcar, the Silverado, and experience the Valley’s idyllic climate firsthand via large sliding windows. After the 36-mile round-trip voyage from historic Napa to the quaint village of St. Helena, sober up at the train station with afternoon tea and shopping.
$89/nt+: California Wine Country hotels w/perks Major Providers
$56/nt+: Beach, golf & ski resorts – penny Sundays Shell Vacations Hospitality