Best things to do in Calistoga

Sample fine wines and tour a 13th-century Tuscan-style castle at Castello di Amorosa. With a general admission, you explore the first two levels of the castle. Spend extra for the guided tour if you prefer to see more of the grand building. Discover the moat, chapel, drawbridge, and torture chamber, home to a 300-year-old iron maiden torture device. The great hall's frescoes took two Italian artists a year and a half to complete. Climb up one of the defensive towers to take in far-reaching views of the countryside. Once you have finished exploring, descend into tasting rooms to sample wines from the castle's vineyard.

Delve into the gourmet culture of a world-famous wine region on a guided tasting tour of Napa Valley. As you admire the lovely scenery of sprawling vineyards and rolling hills, your engaging guide will provide a bit of history behind both big-name and family-owned estates. You can cycle (regular or electric bike) down country trails, hop on the historic Napa Valley Wine Train or Sonoma Wine Trolley, lounge on the comfy seat of a private limo or party bus, or join a walking tour of Healdsburg. Choose from a number of combo tours, some of which include trekking in Muir Woods or a visit to a medieval-style castle. The duration of these tours is flexible, spanning from 60 minutes to 2 days.

With more than a century of making sparkling wines by using the famous Champagne method, Schramsberg Vineyards and its wines have won numerous awards over the years. You can tour the grounds of this family-owned winery and its main building, and then visit the hand-dug wine caves that hold hundreds of bottles. Guides will share information about the wine-making process, and you'll be able to sample some of the winery's products. Tours and tastings are conducted only by appointment and are available only for visitors age 21 and older. You can reserve a tour online or by phone.

Vincent Arroyo’s winemaking style is the embodiment of his philosophy about his land. Take what you have, and do the best you can with it. Each wine at the winery is hand-crafted, starting from before the grapes are harvested. Vince decides how the grapes from each vineyard will be vinified, when they will be picked, how they will be crushed, what fermentation regimes they will undergo (pumpovers, extended macerations, pressings), and finally, what percentage of French or American barrels, new or old barrels to maximize the optimum flavors of the wine during the barrel-aging process.

The wines produced at the Vincent Arroyo Winery have put a star on many Napa Valley maps as a place that shouldn’t be missed. His signature wine, still Petite Sirah, has become so popular that it often sells out before it is bottled every year. Once you have tasted the wines, you’ll know why. The winery also makes a Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sangiovese, Zinfandel and several red blends.

Sterling Vineyards is one of the most famous Napa vineyards, due to its great Bordeaux and the enclosed tram that travels above the grape fields. Take a walking tour with tasting stations along the way, or pay extra to get into the wine barrel and stomp some grapes. In the fall, the winery hosts grape stomping events and a pumpkin carving competition. Most of the events are for guests over 21.

Just a short drive north of San Francisco, Muir Woods National Monument protects a pristine area of about 97 hectares (240 acres) of old-growth redwood forest. Walk among the giant trees, which are some of the tallest living things on the planet. You can choose from several trails, ranging in length and difficulty. For an easy hike through a grove of trees nearly a millennium old, take the short main trail loop. If you feel a little more adventurous, put on pair of good hiking shoes and take the 3 km (2 mi) trail to the top of "Cardiac Hill," which offers unobstructed views of San Francisco and the Pacific Ocean.

A smaller version of the famous geyser of the same name, Old Faithful Geyser of California shoots water into the air every 30 minutes. Purchase a ticket to view the geyser at the visitor center, and wait for the next eruption. While you wait, relax in the log cabin ambiance or visit the animals outside. You can see Tennessee "fainting" goats, llamas, and Jacob's Four-Horn Sheep.

Visitors will also get a unique view into the history of Calistoga during its period as a hot springs resort during the 1860s with a series of meticulously detailed dioramas of the city.

California’s first millionaire, Sam Brannan, purchased much of the property for his Hot Springs Resort in 1859. The resort was completed in 1862, and visitors to the Sharpsteen Museum will get a view of the city and resort in the diorama. Created using photographs and prints of the city during that period, the diorama took nearly three years to complete

The Petrified Forest is a petrified forest located in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It is the only petrified forest in California from the Pliocene. It also has the largest petrified trees in the world. The forest is now open to the public to visit after restoration from damage caused by the Napa and Sonoma fires of 2017.