US Travel Guide - Napa

Hotels in Napa

US Cities
Albuquerque
Anchorage
Aspen
Atlanta
Austin
Baltimore
Berkeley
Boise
Boston
Boulder
Branson
Buffalo
Chattanooga
Chicago
Colorado Springs    
Dallas
Denver
Detroit
Flagstaff
Fort Lauderdale
Fort Worth
Honolulu
Houston
Jackson
Jacksonville
Kansas City
Key West
La Jolla
Lake Tahoe
Las Vegas
Little Rock
Los Angeles
Memphis
Miami
Minneapolis
Monterey
Napa
Nashville
New Haven
New Orleans
New York
Niagara Falls
Oklahoma City
Omaha
Orlando
Palm Springs
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Portland
Reno
Sacramento
Salt Lake City
San Antonio
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Scottsdale
Seattle
Sedona
Tampa
Tucson
Tulsa
Washington DC

Napa Entertainment

Napa Valley may have many delights, and for residents and many guests, one of them is its peace and quiet. Communities here are small, and tend to be affluent. Which is by way of saying that you (A) won't find big-city nightlife here, and (B) won't find a lot of hoe-downs or honky-tonks, either. There are bars, sure, but Wine Country propriety, noise ordinances, and the amount of wine consumed as part of the job all militate against raucous, after-hour saloons.

What you will find, albeit in more specialized and rarified formats, is culture. Classical. Jazz. The Arts. Primarily in a festival format, and often at wineries.

ARTS GROUPS & FESTIVALS

The Napa Valley Symphony, an unsung (no pun intended) but quite capable ensemble, plays year round in Yountvilles Lincoln Theatre, with summer appearances at the Robert Mondavi Winery and occasionally elsewhere in the valley.

While Napas Opera House now functions primarily as a civic center, the Jarvis Conservatory puts on an energetic program of operas, as well as Spanish-language zarzuelas. They're located at 2970 Monticello Road in Napa.

Chamber concerts and recitals are held regularly at Napas First Methodist Church. 

The Napa Valley Stage Company mounts productions May through December around the county.

Under the spreading oaks of Skyline Park in the Napa Valley Wine Festival features the work of songwriters and musicians in a series of concerts on three continuous stages, with attendant music workshops, gourmet food, and, of course, Napa Valley wines.

THE WINERIES

The foremost cultural nexus of the Napa Valley is not an arts center or symphony hall, its - and this should hardly surprise us - a winery. And not just any winery - Robert Mondavi. For years, Oakvilles Mondavi Winery has been putting on concerts and series at their arts center. The Robert Mondavi Summer Festival is the big attraction, of which the Napa Valley Symphony is a mainstay, but smaller ensembles and solo artists, as well as jazz and popular musicians, put in appearances - both in the summer series and thoughout the year. For further information, check the Mondavi Web site (http://www.robertmondavi.com). Mondavi puts on periodic art exhibits, as well.

Domaine Chandon, Niebaum-Coppola Estate, Charles Krug and others put on occasional concerts and art exhibits, and the Napa Valley Wine Train has a semi-annual "jazz train," as well.