Napa brings together markets with regional products, river and landscape areas, art and performing arts venues, and wine-related experiences. To plan your trip, you can first decide which of these themes you want to shape your stay.
Markets and Regional Products
Oxbow Public Market is a 40,000-square-foot marketplace in Downtown Napa. Its offerings include local food vendors, artisan cafés and a retail outlet for organically grown products from local farms. The market is located on the Napa River and the Napa River Trail, right next to Oxbow Preserve and Oxbow Commons.
Napa Farmers Market is located in Downtown Napa at 1100 West Street. There, you can buy freshly harvested, sustainably grown fruits and vegetables, specialty foods and artisan products directly at the source. The market provides an inclusive place to do so. By comparison, Oxbow Public Market offers not only food but also cafés and a retail outlet for products from local farms.
River Areas, Trails and Landscapes
Oxbow Preserve is a 12.7-acre nature area on the Napa River, right next to Oxbow Public Market. Trancas Crossing Park provides access to the river, its floodplain, wetlands and riparian habitats. This lets you experience different aspects of the river environment: a nature area along the river and a park with access to a variety of riparian habitats.
Westwood Hills Park offers three miles of trails through oak groves and grasslands, with sweeping views of the city. Skyline Wilderness Park has 25 miles of shared fire roads and single-track trails, with difficulty levels ranging from easy to challenging. The two options therefore differ both in scale and in the landscapes and trail types described.
At Skyline Park, the Martha Walker Native Habitat Garden invites you to discover plants from across the state of California. The Napa Valley Vine Trail includes a completed section from the city of Napa to the town of Yountville.
Art, History and Performing Arts
With the free Otocast app, you can explore the art collection in Downtown Napa and hear directly from artists about their works and inspiration. The Napa ARTwalk is a changing exhibition of juried sculptures in Downtown Napa, held twice a year. If you want to plan around a particular edition, check the date in advance.
The Napa County Historical Society presents two changing exhibitions each year and offers a research archive with reference services. Its research library is open to the public, but only by appointment. The exhibitions and archive offer different ways to engage with the history of the County; planning a visit to the library requires making an appointment.
Theater history can also be traced through specific dates: the Napa Opera House officially opened on January 9, 1880, with a gala ball. The Uptown Theatre opened in August 1937 with a premiere modeled on Hollywood premieres of the golden era.
Train Experiences and River Perspectives
The Napa Valley Wine Train offers curated train journeys with multi-course gourmet menus, wine tastings and impressive landscape views. The station experience includes an on-site café and gift shop. The Napa River History Tour departs from 100 Riverside Drive in Napa.
The Napa River is part of Napa’s history: it divided the city, which went on to develop as a hub for commerce and transportation. Today, the different offerings focus on different things—from markets and art to nature trails and train journeys.
Discover more destinations: Calistoga, Yountville, Oakville, American Canyon, Saint Helena, Pope Valley, Angwin.
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