Some Day Trips For Your Vacation!

There are some spectacular places to visit near Napa that we just wanted you to know about!

Lake Tahoe is only about a two and half hour drive from Napa. So beautiful and worth even a day trip if you want to make it!

Ferry Building Farmers Market in SanFran- If you are not going to make SanFran part of your trip then try and get to the Ferry Building on Saturday for the bestest market you  have ever seen. Come hungry because there is so much food to sample and buy. The market is infront of the building, inside the building, and behind the building. It is not to be missed. SanFran is about 60 minutes from Napa.

We are going to take a wine tour on Friday as an activity option, but if you are going to venture out on your own PLEASE make it a point to go up to Calistoga and St. Helena. The wines up on Spring Mountain will blow your mind!!!

Peeble Beach is about two and half hours from Napa and is the most beautiful drive you will take in your life. Take a day and spend some time driving the coast line and enjoying the sites. You wont be sorry!

Wedding Details

We will be getting married at Brix in Napa, CA.

The wedding will begin at 4 PM, followed by a cocktail reception in the gardens, and then a sit down dinner.

Transportation will be provided to and from the event; picking up at the Napa Valley Marriott at 3:30 pm and taking guests to Brix. When you get to the wedding venue you will be greeted with a glass of champagne :)

www.brix.com/privatedining/weddings/



What to Pack

Every time of year is a beautiful time of year in the valley, but the time that we are going for the wedding, is well, going to be perfect.  This time of year is filled with sunshine and blue skies!  So, here is our suggestion:

-Pack clothes that can be layered since the mornings/nights will be cool and the days will be sunny and bright (with a chance or rain).

-Wedding attire for men can be coat and tie, and for the women summer fun dresses. Be sure to remember that the cocktail reception will be on grass so to choose your shoes wisely (aka anything with a heel on it may sink into the ground).

-All day wine tours can be the most fun day of your life but you also want to make sure you are comfortable. Pack clothes that are easy to wear and that can be traveled in for the day. (Ladies, make sure to wear comfortable shoes since there will be times that you are walking in the vineyards)

-Umbrella/rain jacket is a must

-Make sure to leave room in your suitcase for bringing back wine bottles. Yes, you can ship them home but it is VERY EXPENSIVE.

-You will find that most dinners in Napa are more formal (mainly because the food is so good that the diners need to live up to them). So bring some fun outfits to match the fun food you are going to be eating.

-If anytime was a camera time it is now!! Make sure to have your camera charged and ready!

Wine Tours

So you are in wine country and the list of things to do are pretty obvious... wine taste & wine taste! Tasting wine in the valley is as easy as going down the main road and stopping in at one of the hundreds of vineyards; however, there are a few words of warning that we would like to give.

-Under no circumstance should anyone be drinking and driving. The county of Napa Valley is covered with police and will pull over any driver that they think may be under the influence. Just because you are in wine country does not mean that they police are any less strict. You must, at all times, have a driver or designated driver if you have been drinking.

-Please check ahead of time to see if vineyards take a reservation or not.

-Make a schedule of your day of touring. Our suggestion is to pick some wineries that you love the most visit those. It is not a race to see how many vineyards you can visit, trust us, you will thank us later (and in the morning.)

-Less is more. Trust us. We know it may be tempting to fill your day with as many wineries that your heart can imagine but the fun of Napa is getting to experience the wineries and all that they have to offer. Our suggestion is that you do no more than 4 wineries in one day. That sounds like not very many but if you spend 1-2 hours at each vineyard and have lunch inbetween you are talking about a full 8 hours of tasting. Plus, at many of the vineyards you will want to just sit with a glass/bottle and enjoy the views with your closest friends and family.

-Arrange to have a driver or a group tour. There are plenty of drivers that will drive your rental car or you can participate in group tours. The plus side to a personal driver is that you can pick what vineyards you want to go to and are not on anyone else's time schedule. The downside is that you will be paying for this amenity! For the group tours (usually in vans) the plus side is that they know the valley very well and you won't pay an arm and a leg. The downside is that you will be with strangers (sometimes that is great other times it is... awkward) and you wont get to pick and choose what vineyards you want to visit.

Below are some suggested drivers/tours that some of our friends have used:

Personal Driver
Geoff Pope (707)227-6452, or email  napavalleywineguides@yahoo.com, (he knows everyone and everthing about The Valley) will take your car and drive it for you. Really cool guy!

Group Expierence
Platypus Tours http://www.platypustours.com/

Our Favorite Vineyards

Here is a list of our favorite vineyards that if you have time you must check out!!

Round Pond- This is a vineyard and olive oil farm. The cost of the tasting at the vineyard is $25 and you will sample 3 wines with a small food pairing from the chef. The porch at Round Pond is to die for and on pretty days you can sit out on it by the fire over looking the vineyard. The olive oil tasting is $25 and you will get a tour of how they make the olive oil from beginning to end. At the end of the tour you will get to have a sit down "lunch" with a taste of the olive oils with bread, cheese, and fresh veggies from the garden. This is a meal in itself so come hungry! Our suggestion is that you do both of these, you will not be disappointed. MUST MAKE A RESERVATION http://www.roundpond.com/

Domaine Carneros-This is a bubbles and wine vineyard. If you are coming into Napa from the Golden Gate Bridge way plan on stopping into this beautiful spot before you head into Napa. You can just stop in without an appointment and taste their bubbles and sit on their porch. Highly recommend to get your fun started on the way into the Valley! http://www.domainecarneros.com/

O'Brein Estate- Family owned vineyard with a great Napa Cabernet!! Get a bottle and sit out on their picnic tables or go into their barrel room and do a tasting! MUST MAKE RESERVATION http://www.obrienestate.com/

Barnetts Vineyard- Want to taste some of the best wines in the valley and get the best views? This is a little bit of a drive to get to but 100% worth it. Splurge and get a bottle of Rattle Snake. You will thank us later. MUST MAKE A RESERVATION http://www.barnettvineyards.com/

Silver Oak- Who dosent love Silver Oak? Stop by the tasting room to taste some of the best reds in the country for a price that you wont hurt your wallet. If you mention you are a NASCAR fan they may even pour more for you than before! http://www.silveroak.com/

Mumms- Bubble vineyard that is great for a glass of champ while you are tasting wine all day! You dont need a reservation and this is one of the few places you can just top in and buy a glass of champ and sit at a table.  http://www.mummnapa.com/

Where to Eat!

You are among some of the greatest restaurants in the country so take advantage! Most all of the restaurants in the valley take reservations and that is HIGHLY recommended. And make sure to not hurry yourself through your meals, Napa is a place of great food, great wine, and great conversation. So take time with your group to enjoy the meal, drink the wine, and take time to laugh. It will make this much more of a vacation!

We would list places to eat but here is a little secret... EVERYWHERE is the best place you have ever eaten. So pick a place and enjoy.

Where to Stay

We are suggesting the following hotels for your stay in the valley. Please make sure to make this reservation as soon as possible, we have a block of rooms reserved for a limited time so that you can insure a reasonable room rate (Jones/Jaggard Wedding). The rate is $199/night for July 3-5, 2013

Napa Valley Marriott

3425 Solano Avenue 

Napa, CA 94558
(707) 253-8600

www.napavalleymarriott.com

This hotel is about 7 miles from the wedding location. Also, this is where the bus transportation will be picking up on the day of the wedding.

Another suggestion for lodging would be to rent a home from www.homeaway.com or www.vrbo.com . All of the houses on these sites are certified vacation rentals by Napa County and are registered to be rental homes.  They are all top of the line homes that will not disappoint. Some people are a little weary of renting homes from other people; however, it is a much more cost effective way to spend your money and time while on vacation. You will have the luxury of more space, cooking at the house, and the amenities that a home offers. If you have any questions or want suggestions of houses to rent please ask because we have had friends stay in a few houses in the valley and they have nothing but wonderful things to say about the experience!

How to Get to Napa

There are many ways to get to Napa, so lets talk flights and rental cars first:

San Fransisco (SFO)- This may be (for east coast residents) the most direct way to get there.  US Airways has direct flights that leave from Charlotte (CLT) in the early morning and get you to San Francisco at about 10 a.m.; however, all major airlines go into SFO. The drive from the airport to Napa is 60 miles via the Bay Bridge. If you would like to take the Golden Gate Bridge route you will have to go through the city of San Francisco, but it is worth the drive so you can see the sites (it will add on about 30 minutes to your trip). You will also be able to drive through Sonoma this route and possibly stop at a few vineyards along the way (please see list of our favorite vineyards for suggestions).

Oakland (OAK)- An airport that may work for guests not flying direct from the east coast. The drive from OAK is about 52 miles into Napa.

Sacramento (SMF)- Another option for an airport. The drive from SMF is about 68  miles into Napa.

If we had a suggestion, it would be to fly into SFO and rent a car (OAK and SMF have this company too).  The cheapest rental company that we have found is Fox Rental A Car http://www.foxrentacar.com/.  Having a car while out in California will help make this more of a vacation for you and your family and allow you to enjoy the sites around the valley and the big cities before/after the wedding.  The earlier you book your car the better the chance you will have of getting the vehicle of your choice. A small caution: the price that they quote you when you book the car is not allows the price that you will be paying. It says in small print at the bottom that the this is an ESTIMATED price. It usually does not change but just want you all to be aware. Also, 99% of the time, your personal insurance covers you for driving a rental car, but when you get to the counter at the rental car place they will ask you if you want their insurance and they "highly suggest it". This cost adds a few hundred dollars to your total, so please make sure you check to see if you have rental car insurance on your personal insurance so you do not have to add this on.

Bus Transportation
There are a few buses that will transport you from all three airports to/from Napa. http://evanstransportation.com/rates_scheduled_airporter.php#sf_schedule
This may be a great way to get to/from the airport but a small word of caution, they depart VERY early from both locations. So, if you choose this route you will need to make sure your flights go according to their schedule. You will also need to arrange transportation for activities/wedding day with other guests or on your own.

Welcome to the party!

Welcome to our wedding website!!

We are very excited to share this site with our friend and family so that you have all of the information needed to meet us in Napa, CA July 4, 2013. On the right hand side of the blog, there are posts about where to stay in Napa, how to get there, our favorite vineyards, activities to do while you are there, and details about the wedding.

We will be updating the website the more information that we have over the coming months. Please do not hesitate to contact Alex (803-237-6899) or Meredith (803-960-7547) with any questions about travel, planning, or just to get excited!