Top Reasons California Wine Country Is About More Than Wine

As if you need another reason to take a trip into the heart of wine country, where sunshine meets vineyards and incredible cuisine, our California Wine Country 4-Day Weekend vacation is a foray into the state that produces 90% of America’s wine inventory annually. But this experience is about so much more than just wine.

This trip is about cycling through a mecca of culture. It’s dusty fields, majestic forests, and farm-to-fork food. Not convinced? Here are our top reasons why the California Wine Country is about so much more than just full-bodied reds and crisp whites.

Ogle the Armstrong Redwoods

Our guides’ first piece of advice? Watch where you’re riding. Because all you will want to do is stare upward at the tree canopy shading the pavement from hundreds of feet above your head. These remarkable trees can live to be 1,000 years old and grow to a diameter of 16 feet! The towering redwoods stand in stark contrast to the low-laying vineyards in the valleys, and it’s impossible not to marvel at the majestic, natural beauty of the landscape around you.

Enjoy the charm of Healdsburg

In a town known for its world class shopping, art museums, locally grown produce, and endless number of wine tasting rooms, it is impossible to run out of things to do here. The luxurious shopping boutiques mix with a delightful town square (complete with an adorable gazebo) and seemingly year-round gorgeous weather to create irresistible charm.

Extend your stay in the City by the Bay

A city with global appeal, San Francisco offers a little bit of everything–from the Fisherman’s Wharf and Coit Tower to cable cars and the Painted Ladies. Also named “The Best Food City in the Country Right Now” by Bon Appétit magazine, it’s no wonder 18 million visitors flooded the city in 2014. That’s why we pick you up and drop you off at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in downtown San Francisco before and after our California Wine Country 4-Day Weekend vacation, so you can easily explore the city on everyone’s “must-see” list.

See the Golden Gate Bridge

This three-mile long landmark that crosses from San Francisco to the Marin headlands is heralded as one of the top ten construction achievements of the 20th Century. Often seen in movies, postcards and advertisements since it opened in 1937, this architectural marvel is nothing to sniff at. A place you have got to visit at some point in your lifetime, we make it a point to drive across this iconic structure and park in the visitor areas so you may take in the spectacle on our way out of town.

Since returning from wine country, my sunburn has faded but the pictures–and the distinct feeling of having discovered an incredibly unique and distinct culture–remains intact.