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Napa Valley, California, USA - Unravel Travel TV
North America's legendary wine and food capital The Napa Valley is a collection of small towns and villages.
The Napa Valley is a name derived from the language of the area's native Wappo Indians, and has come to mean land of plenty. Napa has meant a place of natural abundance for centuries—our rivers full of fish, our forests, rolling hills, wildlife, climate, and fertile land for planting crops all combine to make The Napa Valley a place of singular beauty and productivity. The first written description of the land dates to 1823 and was penned by Padre Jose Altimura who estimated that several thousand Wappo Indians inhabited the area. Word quickly spread about the abundance and temperate climate of The Napa Valley and by the late 1840s the area was teeming with quicksilver mines and lumber mills. The region's popularity grew when steamships began traveling from San Francisco to the city of Napa via the Napa River a trip they could make in about three hours. Soon afterwards, the railroad line became available from the ferry terminal at Vallejo on the shores of San Pablo Bay to the city of Calistoga, creating new access to the healing waters of Calistoga's famed hot springs. The Napa Valley has weathered some tough times in its relatively short history. The Valley's once-famed Silverado Mine was exhausted in 1875 after just three years of operation. In 1893 an outbreak of phylloxera, a serious grapevine disease, crippled many of the valley's 140 wineries. Prohibition, enacted in 1920, dealt the final blow to the early wine industry. Only a handful of wineries survived the thirteen years of Prohibition by selling sacramental wines and by selling grapes to home winemakers. Today, however, with vision and perseverance, the industry has greatly surpassed its earlier golden age, and now boasts nearly 400 wineries producing some of the world's finest wines. The Napa Valley continues to be a thriving agricultural area, a characteristic not typical of communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is thanks to a group of concerned citizens who in 1968 had the foresight to create the first Agricultural Preserve in the State, indeed in the entire nation. A land zoning ordinance voted on by a majority of the county's citizens established agriculture and open space as the best use for the land within Napa County. The Ag Preserve, as it is called by locals, has been a model for other areas to follow. In combination with the Napa County Land Trust, more than 438,000 acres within Napa County have been designated as agricultural preserve or watershed protection lands. 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of the establishment of the Ag Preserve. The Napa Valley offers new discoveries with each return visit. Enjoy the unique character of each town that dots this 30-mile long Valley, and take time to explore and cherish this land of plenty.
Michael Mondavi, Winemaker and Sara Brooks, General Manager, Historic Napa Mill featured in the video.
The Legendary Napa Valley
Napa, California
The city of Napa is the county seat of Napa County, California, United States. It is the principal city of the Napa County Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses Napa County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 80,011. Napa was incorporated as a city in 1872.
Early history
The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose native people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago. At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the majority of the inhabitants consisted of Native American Indians. Padre José Altimira, founder of Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, led the expedition. Spanish priests converted some natives; the rest were attacked and dispersed by Spanish soldiers. American farmers began arriving in the 1830s.
Before California was granted statehood in 1849, the Napa Valley was in the Territory of California's District of Sonoma. In 1850 when counties were first organized, Napa became one of the original counties of California. At the time, its boundaries also included Lake County to the north. By this time, the indigenous people were either working as field laborers or living in small bands in the hills surrounding the valley. Tensions between the white settlers and Native Americans broke into war in 1850, with a white man's death resulting in soldiers hunting down and killing all the natives they could find, driving the remainder north toward Clear Lake. In 1851, the first courthouse was erected. By 1870, the Native American population consisted of only a few laborers and servants working for the white settlers.
NAPA VALLEY - CALIFORNIA
In prehistoric times, the valley was inhabited by the Patwin Native Americans, with possible habitation by Wappo tribes in the northwestern foothills. Most villages are thought to have been constructed near the floodplains of watercourses that drain the valley. Their food consisted of wild roots, acorns, small animals, earthworms, grasshoppers, and bread made from crushed California buckeye kernels. In winter they would construct huts made of tree branches. In summer they camped near rivers and streams. In winter months, they were half clad in wild animal skins and at other times they wore no clothing. The maximum prehistoric population is thought not to have exceeded 5000 persons.
In 1776, a fort was erected by the Spanish Governor, Felipe de Neve a short distance northwest of Napa, on an elevated plateau. Russians from Sonoma County's Fort Ross grazed cattle and sheep in the Napa Valley in the early 19th century and in 1841 a survey party from the fort placed a plaque on the summit of Mount Saint Helena.
Francis Castro and Father Jose Altimura were the first Europeans to explore the Napa Valley in 1823.[6] When the first white settlers arrived in the early 1830s, there were six tribes in the valley speaking different dialects and they were often at war with each other. The Mayacomos tribe lived in the area where Calistoga was founded. The Callajomans were in the area near where the town of St. Helena now stands. Further south, the Kymus dwelt in the middle part of the valley. The Napa and Ulcus tribes occupied part of the area where the City of Napa now exists while the Soscol tribe occupied the portion that now makes up the southern end of the valley. Many of the native peoples died during a smallpox epidemic in 1838. Settlers also killed several over claims of cattle theft.
California: Napa City
Napa is the second-largest city in California's Wine Country, after Santa Rosa with a population of 80,011 as of the 2010 census.
The name Napa was probably derived from the name given to a southern Nappan village whose native people shared the area with elk, deer, grizzlies and cougars for many centuries, according to Napa historian Kami Santiago.
At the time of the first recorded exploration into Napa Valley in 1823, the majority of the inhabitants consisted of Native American Indians. Padre José Altimira, founder of Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, led the expedition. Spanish priests converted some natives; the rest were attacked and dispersed by Spanish soldiers.
American farmers began arriving in the 1830s.
The City of Napa was founded by Nathan Coombs in 1847.
Tensions between the white settlers and Native Americans broke into war in 1850, with a white man's death resulting in soldiers hunting down and killing all the natives they could find, driving the remainder north toward Clear Lake. In 1851, the first courthouse was erected. By 1870, the Native American population consisted of only a few laborers and servants working for the white settlers.
In the mid-1850s, Napa's Main Street rivaled that of many larger cities, with as many as 100 saddle horses tied to the fences on an average afternoon. John Patchett opened the first commercial winery in the county in 1859. The vineyard and wine cellar were located in an area that is now within the city limits of Napa.
The Lyceum movement established a facility and reading room and an agricultural society was started. The Napa Reporter founded by Alexander J. Cox in 1856 published its first weekly edition on July 4 of that year. The Napa Valley Register founded by J.I. Horrell and L. Hoxie Strong made its debut on August 10, 1863 with weekly publications until becoming a daily newspaper in 1872.
The California Gold Rush of the late 1850s expanded Napa City.
In 1858 the great silver rush began in Napa Valley, and miners eagerly flocked to the eastern hills. In the 1860s, mining carried on, on a large scale, with quicksilver mines operating in many areas of Napa County. The most noted mine was the Silverado Mine, near the summit of Mount Saint Helena.
At this time, the first wave of rural, foreign laborers from coastal villages of China's Canton province arrived in California, and at Napa County mines. Global investment bankers and national trading companies, especially British, imported this first wave of workers to do the manual jobs needed to build the area's infrastructure. In contrast, the 49ers were often literate, Anglo-Americans from the East concerned about the rights of labor.
The next wave of cheap laborers came from coastal provinces, but close to the Port of Genova in Italy.
Napa was incorporated on March 23, 1872, and reincorporated in 1874 as the City of Napa.
The Napa State Asylum for the Insane, now called Napa State Hospital, located just south of Napa, received its first patients in 1876. The Napa Valley Opera House became popular after its debut on February 13, 1880.
The Napa Journal began publication on May 16, 1890, and was succeeded by the Napa Daily Morning Journal on November 19, 1922. The paper continued publishing until June 29, 1941.
Napa had become the primary business and economic center for the Napa Valley by the dawn of the 20th century.
As agricultural and wine interests developed north of the city limits, much of the light industry, banking, commercial and retail activity in the county evolved within the city of Napa and in earlier times along the Napa River through the historic downtown.
In the late 19th century and early 20th century, Napa was known for having the largest red-light district in a California city of its size. In 1905, Napa had brothels primarily concentrated on and around Clinton Street.
Flooding of the river in downtown Napa during winter storms has been common since the town was first established.
The racial makeup of Napa was 57,754 (75.1%) White, 486 (0.6%) African American, 637 (0.8%) Native American, 1,755 (2.3%) Asian, 144 (0.2%) Pacific Islander, 13,256 (17.2%) from other races, and 2,883 (3.7%) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 28,923 persons (37.6%).
The Oldest Winery in Napa Valley | VOA Connect
If you like wine, then this segment is for you! Peter Mondavi Jr., owner of the oldest wine estate in Napa Valley, takes us on a journey through his vineyard. Learn more about Peter’s life and the meticulous process of making the perfect bottle of wine.
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Skyline Park, Napa California
Skyline Park in Napa California is one of my favorite day hikes. This is episode 3 of Chris Corsello's Day Tripper series. While Napa is known as a world famous wine growing region, Skyline Wilderness Park allows you to see Napa's natural beauty. Skyline Park is located in Southern Napa and is over 850 acres with over 25 miles of hiking trails. Skyline Park is primarily used for Hiking, Biking, Equestrian, Archery and Disk Golf. It also includes RV sites, camping and the Martha Walker California Native Plant Habitat.
In this video I cover the history of Skyline Park, which started out as property of the Napa Asylum for the Mentally Insane (Later re-named the Napa State Mental Hospital) and was turned over to the country, by the State of California and then leased the a the Skyline Park Citizens Association. The park open in 1983.
In the video, I also recommend trails for hikers and bikers. I also promised downloadable maps as a reward for watching this video. Recommended Hike at Skyline Park:
Skyline Park map:
I put well over 100 hours into producing this video and took all the pictures, video and drone shots myself between 2013 and 2018. I am very proud and think it is the best collection of visual work I have ever created to date.
Thank you for taking the time to watch my video (and read the description). If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area I hope that you will visit Skyline Park for yourself!
Skyline Park, Napa California
by Christopher Corsello
Posted August 2, 2018
Napa Valley Travel Guide & San Francisco Bay Area / Napa Valley Wine Train 2018
Napa Valley Travel Guide / Tour Guide to Napa Valley including Napa Valley Wine Train 2018! Ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train's Vista Dome Car, visit Napa Valley wineries, learn where to stay in Napa, and more!
Thank you for watching this Beth's Best™ video! Please hit the like button if you found it helpful and subscribe to follow along on my next adventure!
Napa Valley Grapegrowers' 2013 Spring News Conference
The Conference took place at 1188 State Lane in Yountville - a historic vineyard site farmed by a fifth generation Napa Valley family and never open to the public. Twenty minute discussion, followed by a Q&A will be streamed live via Internet beginning at 9:15am PDT.
Speakers include:
• Paul Goldberg -- NVG director, Bettinelli Vineyards
• Annie Favia -- NVG member, Favia Wines
• Amy Warnock -- NVG Member; Viticulturist, Orin Swift
The Conference includes the following topics:
• 2013 weather, water supply, frost issues, and growing season outlook
• Replanting the Napa Valley -- why it's happening
• Powerful new technology's impact on the vines, water use, pest control and labor; Goldberg will demonstrate innovations that maximize quality and reduce energy and water use
• NVG's Farmworker Foundation and its solutions to labor challenges
A tasting of The Prisoner 2009 follows, accompanied by a vineyard tour in the Old Vine Zinfandel vines that form the backbone of this highly sought-after wine.
Napa Valley
Napa County is a county located north of San Pablo Bay in the U.S. state of California. It is officially one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties, and one of four North Bay counties.[2] The county is coterminous with the Napa, California, Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census the population is 136,484.[3] The county seat is Napa. Napa County was one of the original counties of California, created in 1850 at the time of statehood. Parts of the county's territory were given to Lake County in 1861. The word napa is of Native American origin and has been variously translated as grizzly bear, house, motherland, and fish[citation needed]. Of the many explanations of the name's origin, the most plausible seems to be that it is derived from the Patwin word napo meaning house[citation needed], although local residents will often cite an urban legend that gives the translation as you will always return.
Napa County, once the producer of many different crops, is known today for its wine industry, rising in the 1960s to the first rank of wine regions with France, Italy, Portugal and Spain.[citation needed]
Napa County - Skyline Hike to Lake Marie
Unlike a standard park, a Citizens Association has created a diverse landscape with many amenities. The front zone of the Skyline Wilderness Park is a well-developed community park. A Native Habitat Garden brings together a variety of indigenous plants. Passing through a portal of sorts, the back zone is a wild canyon. Hiking uphill, there are wonderful views of the City of Napa. Winter rains fill small lakes connected by a musical creek. Spring brings a wondrous wildflower bloom. There’s a fig tree & the ruins of a miner’s home to explore. This park above Napa has many treasures.
Visit hikingthegoldenstate.com for additional hike details.
Skyline Wilderness Park Napa California
Please Enjoy All The Activities We Have To Offer To The Public From The Martha Walker Native Plants Garden, Disc Golf Course, Camping And Picnicing, And Our Many Fabulous Trails For Hiking, Biking And Horseback Riding.
Redwoods and Wine Country Escape by Extranomical Tours
Our Redwoods & Wine Country tour offers our guests an amazingly unique experience, we get you into Muir Woods before the crowds and maximize your time in the park. We also are the only Woods & Wine tour to visit both Napa Valley & Sonoma Valley wineries and specially treat you to a sparkling wine tasting. These are just a few of our tour highlights that outshine the competition. Discover the difference for yourself.
Wineries Extranomical Visits -- For over a decade Extranomical Tours has been creating amazing memories on our Wine Country tours from San Francisco. We've partnered with quality wineries, which offer the best California Wine Country experience for our clientele. The wineries we visit on our Muir Woods and Wine Country tour provide complimentary wine tasting for our groups. We visit a range of wineries that are boutique and family-owned to large and grand, but they must have a friendly atmosphere, and offer beautiful scenery, quality wines and good value. Occasionally a winery on our tour may be closed for a private event, so our tour guides may change the itinerary on the day of the trip.
Our partner wineries for the Muir Woods and Wine Country tour include Gloria Ferrer, Madonna Estate & Cline Cellars. Gloria Ferrer Caves & Vineyards is a renowned sparking wine house, where an inviting sun-drenched terrace showcases the sweeping estate vineyard views. Madonna Estate, located in Napa's Carneros appellation, has been in production for over 80 years and hand-crafts a bevy of organic wines from Pinot Grigio and Cabernet Sauvignon to Riesling and Dolcetto. Cline Cellars is a quaint, boutique winery nestled in the Carneros region of Sonoma. They offer delicious Rhone varietal wines and classic California Wine Country style. Roche Winery's tasting room sits a stone's throw from the Sonoma Plaza lunch stop and offers guests tastings of small-batch, premium wine.
Discover our Redwoods & Wine Country Tour - We maximize the time you spend in Muir Woods National Monument and allow guests to enjoy the trails before the crowds. Explore the Coastal Redwood Sequoia groves in Muir Woods, home to the tallest tree species in the world. You'll spend an hour enjoying California's native flora and fauna, taking in giant ferns, moss-lined creeks, fresh bay leaf scented air from the many Laurel trees and squirrels, blue jays and deer if you're lucky.
A brief drive North and you'll find yourself in California's renowned Wine Country. Spend a relaxing afternoon wine tasting, strolling the vineyards and learning about the practice of winemaking. Our Wine Country tour makes 4 tasting stops: 3 wineries and 1 at the historic Sonoma or Healdsburg Plaza spending 45 minutes to 1 hour at each location. We are the only Muir Woods and Wine Country tour that visits both Napa Valley & Sonoma wineries! All our wine tasting is complimentary and you'll be able to taste a wide variety of amazing wines. The Wine Country plaza stop lasts a couple hours, so you'll have time to grab a bite to eat and visit a few more tasting rooms located around the plaza. We'll provide you with a map of the plaza and must-see local shops and tasting rooms to maximize your time.
As a bonus, you have the option to be dropped off at the picturesque seaside town of Sausalito, where you can browse the gift shops or stroll the waterfront and take the ferry (fare not included) back to San Francisco. Otherwise, on the journey back to San Francisco we'll make one last stop at a scenic look-out point with sweeping views of the Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco bay and city skyline, Alcatraz and the Bay Bridge.
Napa valley Vineyard View
Otis elevator @ The Native Sons Building - Napa, CA
This elevator is really beat up. This building was definitely not meant to be unlocked.
Napa Valley- Pride Winery
Beautiful view from a beautiful vineyard.
Paraduxx, Napa Valley, Amicis Winery Tours.MOV
This is a summer time view of the Paraduxx winery in Yountville, Napa Valley, where they do a sit down tasting with a food pairing either inside their spacious tasting room, or better yet, outside in their garden. Paraduxx (Pair of Ducks) was started by Duckhorn to make their ZInfandel blend and then grew from there. This is part of the Napa Valley Wine Tour app from Amicis Tours and Sutro Media.
Vallejo, California
Vallejo is a city in Solano County, California, located in the North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 115,942 at the 2010 census. It is the tenth most populous city in the San Francisco Bay Area, and the largest in Solano County. Vallejo sits on the northeastern shore of San Pablo Bay. The city is named after General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, a native Californio, leading proponent of California's statehood, and one of the first members of the California State Senate; the neighboring city of Benicia is named for his wife, Francisca Benicia Carillo de Vallejo.
Vallejo is home to the Six Flags Discovery Kingdom theme park, the now-defunct Mare Island Naval Shipyard, and the regional office for Region 5 of the United States Forest Service. The colleges and universities in Vallejo are California Maritime Academy, the Vallejo Center campus of Solano Community College, and Touro University California. Ferry service runs from a terminal on Mare Island Strait to San Francisco, through the BayLink division of SolTrans.
Vallejo has twice served as the capital of the state of California: once in 1852 and again in 1853, both periods being brief.[9] The State Capitol building burned to the ground in the 1880s and the Vallejo Fire Department requested aid from the Fire Department at Mare Island Naval Shipyard. As there were no bridges at that time, the Mare Island Fire Department had to be ferried across the Napa River, arriving to find only the foundation remaining. This was the first recorded mutual aid response in the state of California.
Kuleto Estate Winery Tour
A short video from my tour at the Kuleto Estate. Touching on some of the notable features, Highly recommend making a reservation to tour this winery.
Wine For Blondes - Episode 12 - Quintessa's Biodynamic Vineyard In the Heart of Napa
What the heck is biodynamic farming? Everyone grab your native insects and come sing kum bay yah in the vineyard. No, but seriously, this vineyard is like going green on crack... and makes a Killer Napa Cab!