It’s always hard to find places that parents and kids can equally enjoy and it’s even hard to find recommendations from fellow parents. As such wanted to share the stuff we enjoyed with kids on a recent trip to Napa / Calistoga.  Napa Valley near San Francisco is world known for its wine & vineyards and seems like a place where kids will get bored zzz... and as a result drive you crazy. Well the kids found the below activities quite fun and we had a fun too.

1.    Old Faithful in Calistoga - It’s a geyser that shoots up from an underground river at regular intervals. The interval varies - average is 40 mins during the year. We were lucky that the interval for the day was like 10 mins. Great place for a picnic ( you can get food and even beer / wine) and have a great picnic there. Carry lunch from outside as there is nothing available there. Has few animals like  sheep,  goats and also saw a lone Llama. The ticket price is 10 bucks for adults and kids under 6 are free.

2.    Petrified Forest - The small trail through the forest has tree exhibits of redwoods that turned to rock (petrified)  3 million years ago due to a volcanic ash from nearby Mt St Helena. It’s quite amazing to see those tress and get to know more about the history of the area. The trail is about half a mile and is part paved but we could use a stroller on it. The way back winds down steep so you might wanna get the stroller down backwards if you have a small kid in it. The gift shop is amazing with great exhibits of petrified trees, fossils, crystals etc. Great learning place for kids & adults alike. The ticket price is 10 bucks for adults and kids under 6 are free.

3.    Sterling Winery in Calistoga - It has an aerial tram that  takes you up the hill where the winery is located. The view going up in the tram is just great and kids are sure to love the trip up. It is a small ride and not comparable to Gondola ride say in South Tahoe but still enjoyable. There is an open terrace as part of the winery which has great views of the Napa Valley and the surrounding hills. The price is a little steep but perhaps worth. $ 25 for adults and $10 for kids for kids.