California Wine Country: Healdsburg

Did you know that Napa receives more than 10 million visitors a year? And although wine country might not be intuitively a family-friendly vacation destination, I think it is a wonderful place to go to with children–full of farms, bike baths, picnics and hikes. One of my favorite towns in the wine region is Healdsburg.

Healdsburg is an hour north west of Napa, which of course is the most famous area of California’s wine region. Healdsburg is home to many great wineries (including the famous Coppola winery), farms, hotels, and a beautiful town square. 

A few favorites from our most recent family trip:

FAMILY FRIENDLY WINE TASTING

• Bella Winery

• DaVero Farms & Winery. Small winery with a cute garden and pigs

• Preston Farm & Winery. 

• Francis Ford Coppola Winery

• Belden Barns Winery

EAT

• Dry Creek Regional Store 

• Farmstand at the Farmhouse Inn (Check out the chicken coop!)

• Barndiva

• Flakey Cream Do-Nuts & Coffee Shop

• Quail & Condor

SHOP

• Healdsburg Farmers Market (Saturday Morning)

• Bon Ton Baby

• Fresh produce at Single Thread Farm Store

• Sheltons Natural Foods Market

SWIM

• Drive over the mountain into Calistoga and get a resort pass for Dr Wilkinson’s hot-spring fed pools. Family friendly, low-key, right in downtown, great poolside dining. 

• Coppola Winery Pool (summer only!) Wine tasting, swimming, bocce ball courts

• Steelhead Beach Regional Park (great for kayaking & tubing too)

• Riverfront Regional Park

ACTIVITIES

• Children’s Museum of Sonoma County

• HorseBack Riding at the Ranch at Lake Sonoma

• Safari West

STAY

• Farmhouse Inn

• Montage Healdsburg

• The Madrona