After Christmas, we took a quick road trip up to the Napa Valley with our kids. On the first day, we checked into our hotel around 3:30pm, and then headed over to downtown Napa to walk around and enjoy dinner. It was fun showing the kids around the historic buildings, and to walk along the Napa River at Sunset.
The river area was decorated for the holidays with lights, and pretty decorations. My kids loved seeing all the holiday decor, and checking out a new town they haven’t visited before.
For dinner, we ate at Napkins Bar & Grill which is across the street from the river in Downtown Napa. I had heard the food was good, but WOW! All five of us loved what we ordered and ate! My oldest daughter ordered the chicken dish which she said was delicious. My middle child decided to have an appetizer buffet with wings and sliders; both of which she loved. My son had a plate of pasta which he too, enjoyed. My husband had the pork chops, which he thought was cooked to perfection, and quite tasty. I enjoyed a cup of clam chowder to start, and for my entree, scallops with risotto; which was fabulous and I am craving another plate of it as I type this! If you go, definitely try at least one of these dishes, you will love it!
Our dinner was really yummy, but as all children tend to do, they asked for dessert! My husband had noticed a Ben & Jerry’s sign while we were walking around, so after dinner, we walked over to get ice cream for the kids. I was stuffed from dinner, but still managed to enjoy an entire egg nog milkshake! haha yummy!
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Stay tuned! We had a ton of fun in the Napa Valley, and I cannot wait to share it all with you!
Raise your hand if you live in the San Francisco Bay Area, and have never visited the Winchester Mystery House. OK, I see your hand there! As residents of the Bay Area, especially those of us who grew up here, we tend to avoid anything deemed “touristy.” The Winchester Mystery House has that reputation-and it shouldn’t! This is a local landmark all of use need to see at least once in our lives!
The first time I visited the Winchester Mystery was back in the 1990s. My friend, who was from out of state, wanted to see all the attractions the Bay Area had to offer. We visited every site in the Bay Area people travel hundreds, sometimes thousands, of miles to see. It was really eye opening to go to all the places people rave about, but those of us from here never see. When she took me to the Winchester Mystery House, I fell in love with it instantly.
It’s a beautiful home with an interesting story; and an even more interesting one-time owner. Sarah Winchester was a wealthy woman who inherited a portion of the Winchester fortune through her late husband. She moved out west on the suggestion of a medium and found this home in the Santa Clara valley. Legend has it the medium told her to continually work on the home in order to confuse spirits who were after her; or at least following her.
As you can see in the placard above, she ensured work was continually done on the home throughout the time she lived there. She had remodeled the original, 8-room farmhouse, into a seven story mansion which sustained some damage in the 1906 earthquake. You can view the damage, and learn how the building was stabilized, during the mansion tour. It’s very interesting! The mansion you see now does not go up seven stories, it is shorter, and more earthquake friendly. Of course, some of the features are a bit odd, such as the “door to nowhere,” and interior staircases which lead to a wall or ceiling. See below-
These are the features which make this house so interesting! You can see a lot more strange features such as these on the standard mansion tour. This is the tour I took my family on over the weekend, including my Mom. The reason we went on the tour was because my Mom informed me she had never been to the Winchester Mystery House! What was it that I said about Bay Area natives not seeing all the cool places we have around the area? Yup, my Mom was born and raised in San Francisco, she has lived in the Bay Area her whole life, and this was the first time she saw the Winchester Mystery House! Whhhhh-aaaaaaattt?????
It was so much fun taking her to see the mansion. Just like me, my husband, and my kids, she really enjoyed the ornate interior fixtures, the beautiful windows, the incredible light fixtures, and of course-the history! Seriously, the tour guides are a plethora of knowledge; both of the house and Santa Clara valley. You can learn so much from them. We really enjoyed our tour guide, and learned so much about Sarah Winchester and the home.
Despite the fact that both my husband and I have visited the home before, and taken the same tour, we learned new things! I feel like this is a tour you have to take multiple times in order to remember everything. There is a new tour on the schedule, which takes you to an additional 60 rooms in the mansion which have never been open before. We definitely want to take that tour next time we visit. Our kids had so much fun, and they want to go again! They also want to attend one of the special events the Winchester Mystery House holds. They have a Halloween event, and various holiday themed events throughout the year. Definitely check out their website to plan your visit! Keep reading-
Although I have droned on about the history and interior features, there is much more to visiting the Winchester Mystery House! The outside areas are absolutely beautiful. You can see the beautiful exterior features on the home as well as the manicured gardens. There are also several buildings on the grounds which were used to help run the estate.
You can find the gas lighting shop used before electricity was installed on the estate, and you can also find the carriage house, tank house, foreman’s house, stables, and more! They also have activities which are fun for both kids and adults. There is a museum, a cafe, and a large gift shop which my kids discovered instantly! haha
The Winchester Mystery House is located across the street from Santana Row, and walking distance to Valley Fair, so you can easily make a day of it! I highly recommend making reservations and buying your tickets online. This will ensure you get the tour time you want. You can also leisurely review all the different tours and activities they have available when you want to visit.
This is a staycation activity all Bay Area residents need to see! Also, if you are from out of town, I highly recommend putting the Winchester Mystery House on your travel itinerary.
One of my kids favorite summer activities is heading over to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. While we enjoy going during the off-season in order to avoid the crowds, there is something nostalgic and fun about going in the thick of summer vacation. Of course, when we go to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk during the summer months, we still know how to avoid the crowds. So if you are planning a trip to the Boardwalk, here a few tips so you can visit and enjoy the area like a local.
How to visit the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk like a local
Go early: Never ever ever go to the boardwalk after lunch. The whole world shows up between 1pm and 4pm. Always go when they open at 11am so you can hit all the fun rides before the lines get long.
Get a wristband: Don’t bother counting points, get the all day wristband so you can freely enjoy going on all the rides, and going on your favorite rides multiple times in a row. If you are local and plan to visit multiple times during the year, consider getting the season pass.
Go on a weekday: If you can avoid heading to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on a weekend or national holiday-do it! The best time to go is on a weekday, more specifically, on a Tuesday or Wednesday. Those are the slowest days, with the shortest lines. If you must go on a weekend, go early at 9am and enjoy brunch at a local spot such as The Picnic Basket or the Beach Street Cafe.
Take the train: If you can’t go first thing in the morning, or you want to have some fun, take the Roaring Camp Railroad train to the boardwalk from Felton. It’s a fun way to get there, plus you don’t have to navigate traffic during peak hours.
Rides first, arcade later: The lines for the rides are usually longer than the ones for the arcade or mini-golf. Hit all the rides first, before the crowds arrive, then go inside for the arcade after lunch. You can go inside when the temperatures start to soar, plus avoid all the long lines at the rides. Mini-gold indoors is also quite fun!
Stay for the show: The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk also has amazing concerts. Enjoy the boardwalk and the games first, then relax on the beach near the stage so you can enjoy the concert at night. You can make a day of it!
Leave before everyone: If you are not staying for the concert, go back over the hill around 2pm-3pm. Once 4pm hits the traffic builds up and it’s beach traffic galore. Go early, leave early, and you will have an enjoyable ride.
One of the rides you can’t skip when visiting the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk is the historic carousel. It’s a beautiful and fun carousel installed in Santa Cruz in 1911. It’s a National Historic Landmark, and it has it’s own Wikipedia page! It’s one of the oldest surviving rides on the west coast, and it’s a must-do! Don’t miss the roller coaster either, it too is historic, and from 1924.
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Enjoy your trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk! If you have been before, what is your favorite ride? Feel free to share your tips in the comments below!
Thanks for stopping by!
XOXO
Cathy
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