I love Hallberg Butterfly Gardens (see previous review). But while they get five stars for concept…read moreand purpose - butterfly conservation and education - they get one star in execution. In all the times I've been here - and it's many over the years - I have never seen a single employee on the property. There is no one available to answer questions, tell you about butterflies, or even discuss events. We signed up for an event today, and there was not a single person on the property. We wandered around for an hour and found NO ONE. Oddly enough, you can't get in touch with them via phone, either, because no one ever answers. Try for yourself and see. There's no outgoing info when you call, and you cannot leave a message. Amazingly, there aren't even posters displaying the different types of butterflies you might see, or how to identify them. Given that this place focuses on butterfly education, you would think they would offer some education...? Moreover, the place is falling apart - it's run down with poor signage. There's also a massive amount of disorganization: we signed up for one event on 7/2, and got confirmation for an event that already happened weeks ago. There was no info contained in the email beyond the gate code and the time to show up. We didn't know if someone would be leading the event or if we would be meeting people there. (Answer: no and no.) Hiring a part-time assistant to organize public events that attract people here would be a worthwhile investment, one would think...? I am ALL about natural spaces and supporting science education, and have always supposed the Gardens -- but if this place wants to make money and keep fans, they need to prioritize, even minimally, the people and events that support their existence.

What a local gem! I…read moregrew up in Sonoma County and I was just about today years old when I discovered this spot. Louise Hallberg was the original matriarch who created this property and lived to be over 100! In her 60's she began to cultivate and grow this beautiful space. It's truly a labor of love that is still preserved today. Donation based, you can schedule a self guided tour to view the gardens. We scheduled online and brought a picnic which was a wonderful idea and perfectly lovely afternoon in the meadow. We didn't see a lot of butterflies but that's ok. The property is lovingly tended by many volunteers. Truly a hidden gem in West County.

If you have never gone on one of these events, add it to your bucket list…read more You start off on this little beach hidden off of Hwy 1 just as you are heading into Gualala. As you drive up, the smell of bbq is wafting through the summer air. On the evening that we went, we had the choice between Steak or Lobster. We had the lobster...yummy. Afterwards, we loaded into our kayaks and slowly made our way down the Gualala River (I think that's the river), until we ended up at the ocean...all under a huge bright full moon.

TTHE BEST small town fair! Not to be missed! Complete with parade on Sunday, and the Sheep Dog…read moretrails, plus local vendors and 4H judging. Lots of rides for the kids.

I was in the area, totally by accident, at the time of the Fair. With my favorite short person in…read moretow, getting conned into going was a forgone conclusion. Let me qualify by saying that I don't really care for rides, crowds or paying twice as much for ho-hum food eaten standing. So I was not expecting to enjoy myself. Boy, was I wrong! Some highlights: -Science tent for kids -Very gentle shaded petting zoo tent (I think I enjoyed it more than the kid.) -Very good live music in a wooded glen area with plenty of seating -Sweet local parade -Extra long slide -Pony rides -Extensive agricultural display (the sheep and goats were particularly fun) -Anderson Valley Beer We packed a picnic to enjoy by the river later, but I almost regretted that. The food smelled quite good. I still wasn't crazy for the rides or games. But, hey, it's a fair.

I'm impressed someone bothered to make a Yelp page for this room at Castello Di Amorosa... then…read morenever bothered to check in or write a review for the place. Well, I don't like wasting a perfectly good page, so allow me to put some life into it. The Castle Torture Chamber is an underground room inside the winery castle known as Castello Di Amorosa in Calistoga. It cannot be accessed with general admission - you must take a tour of the castle to gain access. With good reason... can you imagine if some of the kids tried playing hide and seek in the Iron Maiden? Tours are $20 for wine club members, otherwise $40 for adults. Minors are also allowed to go on the tour, but I believe there is a minimum age. So why is there a torture chamber in the winery castle? Because back then, all castles had one. Dario Sattui wasn't going for a Disneyland castle... nope, he wanted it to be authentic as it could be (w/ indoor plumbing and electricity). In fact, he spent decades sneaking into castles in Europe to investigate their inner walls. Thus, we have the torture chamber with all the tools used for interrogating and punishing misbehaved men, treacherous wives, traitors, etc. While he went for authenticity, most of the torture chamber props are high quality replicas - Sattui had them hand crafted in Europe. While not as sharp, they're still likely to cause pain. The only authentic piece is the Iron Maiden, a coffin like piece that has spikes inside. The spikes were strategically placed not to kill anyone but still cause an immense amount of pain. I guess there's no point in torture if the person you torture dies quickly? I also wonder how one manages to purchase an authentic Iron Maiden from the medieval times, but I shouldn't question a man who had the money to build a castle in Napa. ;) Again, pretty neat space to be in, albeit a little creepy. Props to Mr. Sattui for getting his castle down to the nitty gritty.

I'm impressed someone created a Yelp page for it, and that they advertise it in the actual Chamber…read more Now just to get cell service to check in while I'm in the actual castle. It was both neat and odd to be in this room, which was included in the Wine Train tour we booked. All in all, which I will go into more detail in the actual winery review, I wasn't the biggest fan of this tour. I found it too long and while the air quality was better than expected, the torture chamber added an extra squick factor to the fact we were underground (this is California) and many of these items are high quality replicas of items that were actually built back in the middle ages. Which, why build a room of replicas? I honestly didn't get it and don't think I was the target audience for the tour. The chamber could have been much better utilized or sold, especially since a few minutes after we left the chamber we were then "locked" into small cells for the wine tasting. They could have built a bar into the iron maiden and had 'blood wine.' or used the room to sell a specific brand of the wine 'Torture Red.' Instead all the attempts to make it authentic just rang hollow. Either the space could be a fantastic museum where art, history, and literature of the age could be shown because it's attempting to replicate the time period, or it can be what it is, a highway attraction that hosts a winery and puts a lot of effort into making it "authentic." It just came off poorly and I don't think I would come back for another tour.

It's a very pretty town to pass through. I have passed through this town hundreds of times in my 60…read moreyears of life. However, this is the first time I have stayed in the area. First off I want to say restaurants are limited. I found one restaurant that had outdoor seating, aside from the one that had 'to go' shrimp burritos... There is a beautiful beach you see as you're passing through town, but there is literally no access to that beach (aside from a trail that runs several miles from Sea Ranch). I was shocked. Had to drive to anchor Bay to have access to a walk on beach. There was one beach at exit 5726. That allows you to pull off with signs, and then you get halfway down the trail and it tells you it's been closed since January 2026 due to erosion. There is one other beach, but there are numerous staircases to navigate. So you don't want to go there if you have elderly family members or pets. I was just really surprised, there are no places to walk, check out, or shop, it's just not your average Mendocino town. All things considered it's very pretty to pass through, but I wouldn't advise making a stop for any kind of beach or restaurant experience. Definitely not for the lodging experience. There's a very heavily crowded campground in anchor Bay, which is the only walk on beach in the area for 30 miles, the gal told me. I suppose if you wanted to snug in there neck to neck with all the other RVs and campers to get that itty-bitty beach then si be it. Not impressed. For ample space and drive up to walk out on beaches, go a little further. Mendocino county is full of amazing places to explore. As soon as you get to Albion, you find beach after beach, that doesn't take navigating multiple stairs or walking through crazy campgrounds to see the ocean. You have access to beaches all the way from Van Damme down to Cleone in Mendocino and everything in between. This little town of gualala is pretty too pass through, but that's about it.

Not a big place, but a good jumping off spot to explore this part of the coast. Two grocery stores,…read moreample places to eat and sleep. Most of the motels have ocean view, and there is a short walking path along the bluff looking out across the river to the ocean. The regional park, a short drive, was a great beach walk. This is off the beaten path for Bay Area crowds, just north of Sea Ranch Plantation, with a reasonable range of places to stay and eat. Most of your exploring from here will be by car, but that was fine with us.

**DEPOT UPDATE**…read more --The underlayment for the entire roof is laid --There were 12 pickup trucks [ heating, plumbing, etc] and 2 freight trucks on site, and a few diggers & front loaders. I went by at 11am, and I'm assuming [hoping] they were all busy inside the structure, because there was no visible activity outside. Still no mention in our local paper about the progress of this project. BUT the other things I noted before around town have had some recent press... the Kohl's did open on Wed Sept 30th and was announced in the paper. The old Rite Aid building is -- alas-- being torn down, not repurposed, and the site is a rubble pile now. It's a huge corner, so maybe something great will eventually go in there.

We had a great time visiting the Bale Grist Mill in St. Helena. Our tour guide explained it was…read morebuilt in 1846 from the design in the 1795 book "The Young Mill-Wright & Miller's Guide." I was able to read some of the book from the Library of Congress archives and found Oliver Evans wrote the guide and patented his design in 1790, the year the patent office was formed, before patents were numbered. In 1804 they retroactively assigned him patent number (X3) three. He licensed his design to hundreds of people including George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. He became the first American to live off of intellectual property income.

Historic Grist Mill where grain is milled powered by a gigantic water wheel. From the friendly…read morereceptionist to the remarkable tour guide this is a fabulous experience. I have not been here since before the pandemic but it is always an amazing experience. Bring a picnic and sit outside at the tables or take a hike after the guided tour in Bothe-Napa Valley State Park. You will learn a lot about the history of the region. And the milling process. Modest entry fee.

Oakville's Carmelite Monastery is a historically fascinating spot in the Napa Valley. There were…read moreplans for this mansion to be a Summer White House on the West Coast. It had the same designer as Golden Gate Park- https://noehill.com/napa/poi_carmelite_monastery.asp The South Napa quake of 2014 severely damaged the monastery, yet the chapel remained intact. Miraculously, the chapel is having Masses to this day. They are celebrating Holy Week&Easter. They have a small gift shop- not sure if it's still being restored/renovated. A serene, beautiful oasis for prayer.

Whether you go there to take in the Catholicism or you just want to see the "Great Gatsby" style…read moremansion, the place is something to see. The grand mansion built in the 1920's has a history and I think even a ghost. You know those types of stories, a well-to-do family with a fortune and then a stepmother or father walks into the scene, something like that. The place is well worth the visit on the Napa Valley wine country tour. Take a few minutes to visit the little town of Oakville, which is close to St. Helena. It is among the few small town spots left in Northern California. See the Carmelite's web site for details about retreats and events. And, they also have a gift shop. http://www.oakvillecarmelites.org/

I must be honest that left to my own accord I would not have spent a weekend in Ukiah. But my…read morebrother wanted to visit the City of 10,000 Buddhas and invited the girlfriend & I to come along. I thought okay then let's do this trip before Ukiah got any hotter. It was in the early 90's when we got into town and I wasn't happy. We were told the temps would cool down considerably after 7 or so. Well, i was suspicious at best, but sure enough, the winds kicked in from somewhere & although it was still sunny the temperature became tolerable to the point that i didn't even need to run the A/C when we went to bed. Town Folks are friendly. The local Costco is the quietest & least busy of any costcos I've ever been to in many states. I was disappointed, however, that gas prices was almost 30 cents higher than my local Costco in Sunnyvale.

I heart Ukiah. I can't really speak about the living conditions since I live about 2 hours away…read more However, I really enjoy my visits here. I guess the fact that I live and work in fairly big cities is what makes me appreciate small cities and towns a bit more. Ukiah is kind of an escape for me. When I come to this town, it's usually to relax and to indulge in wine and nature: Two of my favorite things. When people think of Mendocino Wine Country, they don't often think of Ukiah. But, there are some great wineries right on the edge of the city that are putting Redwood Valley on the map. Testa and Barra are two wonderful wineries to visit if you're in the area. Aside from wine, the food scene is pretty legit out here too. One of the best burgers that I've ever had was at Ukiah Brewing, right in the heart of the city. Delicious brews, great burgers, and great food all around. Patrona is also another restaurant that I've come to really enjoy in Ukiah. If you're into gambling, the Coyote Valley Casino is just a hop and a skip away. What I also really love about Ukiah is its' endless naturalistic beauty. This city is filled with so many stunning rolling hills and scenic windy roads. There are also some great parks and other attractions here such as the City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Orr Hot Springs Resort, Lake Mendocino, and the Grace Hudson Museum. One of my favorite attractions here is the Montgomery Woods State Reserve. If your a fan of Old Growth Redwoods, I would highly recommend a visit. The Redwoods in this reserve are incredibly gorgeous and will have you second guessing whether you're still in Ukiah. Whenever I'm planning an overnight trip to the Anderson Valley, I usually stay the night in Ukiah. It's a little further away, but generally cheaper and more convenient since there's more available. As I mentioned before, I can't really say too much about "living here" because I don't. Maybe it is as bad as the other reviews say, but visiting here ain't so bad. As a matter of fact, I've grown to really enjoy it.

The staff herewere beyond hospitable. We called in to say we were going to be late and they went…read moreabove and beyond to make sure we got a table. They were so responsive and kind, the host Brooke was such a nice person and called us to let us know when a spot at the bar was available even though we were and hour late and the guy behind the bar felt like a friend at the end of the night. Not to mention the food was out of this world delicious. I can't wait to come back.

When I randomly find myself in the Napa Valley, there is one, and only one, restaurant I want to…read moreeat at: Cook. Every other time I've been to Cook has been for dinner, so I was excited to finally try their lunch menu. We started with the mussels and clams, a dish I have to admit I only eat at Cook. They're amazing. The spicy broth might actually be the best part. It's the kind of broth you want to bring home and eat later that night with a giant baguette. But the star of lunch? A BLT. Sounds simple, but Cook somehow takes a few basic ingredients and makes a sandwich you're going to crave again. And the bacon? It was so thick it practically needed its own plate. I love this place. Cook is the GOAT of Napa Valley restaurants.