A bucket list check for sure and I'm genuinely glad I can say I did it. But once was enough…read more The Vista Dome Lunch includes a three course meal, dessert and a glass of champagne which sounds like everything Napa represents. The experience is unique and the train itself is a novelty worth appreciating at least once. Service was funny, quick and very informative , telling us about the area, they did a wonderful job handling our large party. However when I think Napa I think wine tasting hopping between venues, exploring different wineries and really immersing yourself in what the valley has to offer. So make time to do both! The Wine Train doesn't quite deliver that and the views from the dome were honestly just okay. For the price point I think the better Napa experience is booking a private driver and hitting multiple venues at your own pace. You get more wine, more variety and a fuller picture of what Napa actually is. No regrets! just a one and done for me.

This review is for the Legacy experience. Listen. This is…read morefor people with money. PERIOD. But its absolutely worth the money and if you can find a big enough group to book tickets with even better. The staff is fun and knowledgeable. I appreciated the history given during the tour. It was a gloomy rainy day but I still enjoyed myself. First off the lobby area is great, check in is smooth and they have a cool 360 operator that you can take videos on! The food is upscale and could use seasoning in my opinion. But still good. You get 4 courses. Breakfast, Dinner (refer to pic of menu), a cheese course, and a Dessert course. Look - Beef or Chicken- delicious- you cant go wrong and pick the creme brulee as Dessert. If you drink wine (and i mean DRINK WINE) you will absolutely get the bang for your buck. But if youre just there for vibes maybe spring for the lesser price ticket. We stopped at 2 wineries. The last had an Italian market with snacks and sandwiches. The tours itself were informative but wouldnt say fun. Personally wish they had a later start time. The check in starts at 945a and we were done by 4:30p. I feel like my group was tired and took us a minute to get into it. It also rained. But didnt stop our group from dancing in it and the employees joined in which was amazing!! Special shout out to Nick and Alicia. They made the experience one to remember. Looking forward to coming back on a Sunny day!

This was such a romantic experience! A friend and I elected the gondola experience as part of our…read moreleisurely trip in Napa. The guide was extremely informative and knowledgeable. Honestly, I was so relaxed that I dosed off. His singing while paddling on the river was all I needed to relax and enjoy the sun and wind. I highly recommend!

This was my first time ever going on a gondola and I took my family as well. The staff were so…read morepatient and kind as they assisted my grandmother, who was having a hard time getting into the gondola. They tried different ways to assist her and she finally got in. In my party, there was 5 of us, who were all curvy and we all got in and had a fun time. Shawn, our gondolier and owner, played music, gave us information, and even sung songs. I would definitely be back to experience it again and try their other cruises as well. It was such a peaceful and beautiful moment. I believe everyone should try it at least once. Big thanks to Shawn and Nolan.

Amazing experience with the join in tour. I was a little hesitant at first but I have made friends…read morefrom all over the country visiting. They offer a private side as well which the curators can plan and schedule for you. You give them an idea of what you want and they make the magic happen.

We went on a Platypus wine tour in 2019 and it was wonderful. We visited Lassiter winery, wine…read morecaves, and two other very nice wineries. We returned to Sonoma in 2026 with a small group and booked another tour. Booking and communication was a breeze. Very good. Ends up the property I rented offered a wine passport and we were to receive a discount. I called to confirm and they let me know the driver would apply the discount when we paid him the day of the tour. All sounded wonderful and was very clearly communicated. The tour in 2026 only went to 3 wineries. Two were just ok and one was not good. I don't think anyone on our tour purchased anything here. The time at each winery was like a typical tasting with some information on their winery. But no real information on Sonoma and Napa and the history of the area. At the end our driver had no clue on our discount and kept telling me he would get in trouble for charging me less. He insinuated I was making it all up. In the end he did honor the discount but seemed he did it as a favor not that it was a program that Platypus participates in. All in all I was disappointed in this wine tour and would no go on a platypus tour again and would not recommend them. Maybe we just caught them on a bad day. Luckily all the people on our tour were delightful so that made for a nice day.

Such an incredible experience!! My boyfriend has always wanted to take pictures of the city from…read morethe sky so I booked us a helicopter tour with Tim. Tim was so helpful and accommodating. The ride was smoother than expected by far and the views were unbeatable. I would without a doubt recommend Tim and this experience for anyone!

I won't discuss what an amazing job my husband did for our anniversary. What I will talk about is…read morehow awesome Tim and Tom are and what an even more awesome time I had on their helicopter tour. Ok, fine, just a tidbit about the anniversary...my man booked Golden Gate Helicopters to take us to Napa for a special dinner. When we drove up to the super exclusive (never before known by us) private airline portion of SFO airport, I had the opportunity to meet Tim and Tom. Both greeted us with welcoming smiles and gave us a little insight on what it feels like to go on a helicopter (think of yourself as sitting on a washing machine was their analogy). Basically, we weren't blindly led to a helicopter for the first time and told to put on our seat belts. A very good explanation was provided to us and it really calmed me down because I realized I was slightly freaked out. Tim and Tom have a ridiculous amount of experience and they share a great sense of humor. The ride to Napa and back was beyond excellent - I got to experience the Bay Area in a never before seen way - from thousands of miles up in the sky! Everything was smooth except for one funny little episode where my husband asked if Tim and Tom wanted to "crash" at our place due to the fog rolling in...while we were in mid air! Haha...not. Helicopter tours/rides ain't cheap, but I highly recommend this luxurious "ride" for a truly unforgettable, special and unique event in your life. Kudos and thank you again T&T! We will surely be repeat customers!

Walt from Walt's Adventures adventuring at the Menagerie Hill Ranch in Vacaville, California…read more Life can be interpreted as more fulfilling when filled with adventures. It is wise to step outside your environment and, in the case of this current venture, go visit an Alpaca farm. The Menagerie Hill ranch has beautiful animals. The host was awesome and knowledgeable. We increased our knowledge of the animals and of the farm but also got to feed them. We also had the opportunities to get close and personal with them for pictures. They were all friendly and fluffy. I recommend this unique experience for all because if you do not just break your usual pattern to stop and smell the roses or to pet and feed an Alpaca, life will pass by before you know it. Put your life on pause just for a few hours and go see the Alpacas. They would like to share peace with you. You can find them at the Menagerie Hill Ranch

This was a memorable trip. We were originally slated to visit in late June before my birthday but…read moreboth Deb and Kirk were recovering from surgery. We stayed in touch over the next several weeks before settling on an August date. We braved the high temps and winding roads to arrive at the ranch. It's a beautiful space on a hillside and you can see the herd and their guardian llama as you pull into the parking lot. We learned a lot about the alpaca life cycle, fed the boys, and my daughter got to hold and carry a cria. We bought two cute alpaca shaped soaps. I didn't experience any of the negativity others have complained about. It is a working ranch so it's not a petting zoo or a tourist attraction. Go with the flow and you'll have a great experience.

Took the guided tour at the Kennedy Gold Mine. Both myself and my boyfriend had not been to the…read moreKennedy Mine other than passing by it when in the area. They have a large outdoor area that has some of the old equipment on display. There is also a small museum area and gift shop. They have a cute little area with trinkets you can purchase. They staff was very friendly, greeted us with a warm welcome when we arrived. We had about a half hour before our tour started so we browsed the museum. There is a restroom located outside the museum in a building just across the walk way. Our tour was just over 90 minutes and our guide was extremely knowledgeable. The tour started in the museum, we watched a video on the mine as well as learned about the placer mining and hydro mining. We visited a few buildings around the property, saw how the large rock grinders work and the machinery used to extract the gold from the sand. How they tested samples. We were able to see the engineers office, the pay station, safe, office and bunk house. They have a small building dedicated to the 47 lost in Argonaut mine. It was really cool seeing all the machines they used and getting a history of the Mine back in its operating days.

Fascinating tour - learned so much about the gold mining industry and the history of the area. Bob…read moredid a great job making it interesting and educational. The foundation has done an excellent job restoring history and making it available to everyone.

I would say this was one of my favorite weekends. The trails are breathtaking, the weather is…read morealways perfect. It felt so good to get out in nature. I always feel so much peace & serenity, when I am taking in the beauty that this world has to offer.

Truly an amazing way to experience the REAL Half Moon Bay!…read more The owner is one of the most genuine people I have ever met. I am so grateful I had the opportunity and time to make a quick getaway to Half Moon Bay... My tour guide was friendly, professional, excited, and passionate about showing me the natural and raw beauty of the city. First stop to visit the horses on a nearby ranch..he even had farm fresh carrots for me to feed them. They were so beautiful, charming, and such great models for the camera. We then ventured to the Redwoods... the ride up was breathtaking. I was looking out the window, in every direction soaking up the beauty! The hike through the forest was absolutely stunning! The smell, the scenery, the feeling it gave me is indescribable. To know that such a place exists, and such a short drive from SF, is unreal. Chad took his time explaining the age of the redwoods and pointed out things I would normally might have taken for granted. The presentation of these beauties is what made this experience. I drove home with such a refreshed, calm, and relaxed self of being. I am looking forward to making another appointment to see what else HMB has to offer... I know it was just the beginning!

We were in San Jose for Labor Day weekend 2026 and looking for something to do. I googled what to…read moredo in San Jose and the only thing that came up was the Winchester Mystery House beside shopping. They have some good shopping the Westfield Mall and Santana Row. We're good on clothing and other goods so we weren't really looking to go shopping. I've heard of the Winchester Mystery House, but have never been. This seemed like my best chance. My husband has been twice. When he has 12 and then again when he was 42 so it wasn't new to him. I looked them up on their website and was shocked to see how expensive it was to make a single 1 hour tour, but it's really the only thing to do in San Jose besides eating and shopping so we took the plunge and decided to go. I looked and there was plenty of tickets on Friday so we figured we could just show up and go. For some reason I was inspired to look Sunday night to recheck the ticket prices and ensure they were going to be open Labor Day. To my shock the 10am slot was sold out and so were most of the morning slots. There were tickets at the 10:05am tour time. I didn't want to commit so soon at the same time I didn't want to miss our opportunity to see the house. In the end I took the gamble that we'd be up and ready to go by 9am to ensure we would make it to the 10:05 tour time. It cost $92.22 for 2 people including taxes and fees. Wow!!! Steep. I'm glad there were tickets left and I was able to snag 2 for the early time as we needed to make the journey home afterwards. We arrived at around 9am and thankfully found parking. On their website they said they were under construction and parking was limited and you may have to park at Santana Row. I didn't want to have to walk that far so we my husband humored me and we arrived extra early and were first in the parking lot. Good for us. We hung out in the car till 9:40am and then headed to the gate to get in line. There was a crowd forming, but no actual line. They opened the gates at around 9:45am to get everyone through security. They inquired if we had any weapons including pepper spray and inspected our purses. Good thing I left the pepper spray in the car lol. After entering in the court yard we were directed to the gift shop. We were informed that the most important room of the house, the bathroom was though the glass doors and through the inner courtyard. Also look for the green and red sign as that is where you go for your tour. At 10am sharp they called the first group in. They scanned your ticket and then took your picture agains the side of the house and give you a card to look at your picture after your tour. In addition after your tour they email you a link to your picture in addition to being able to look up your picture via the QR code on the card they gave you. I didn't look at the pictures till I got home as I took a really good one of us in the garden. When I got home I used the QR code to look at our pictures and I was shocked that they looked so good. They superimposed a picture of the house behind us. It was a super fun pose and my husband actually smiled in the pictures. They are only $35 for the set of digital prints. I'm not sure how it works if you get the printed copy at the gift shop, if they also give you access to the digital prints as well. I sure hope they would as these days everyone wants it digitally so they can post it on social media and send it to friends and family via email or text. I'm still tempted to buy the picture set. We'll see how long they leave it up. We just look so good in the pictures. I'm a total picture person and a real sucker for photo ops, especially photo booths. To add to it they did have a Photo Booth in the gift shop that looked fun, but as I said we did take some really cool selfies so we really don't need more pictures. The first cool thing you see is the door with the stairway that goes nowhere. So cool. Excitement from the very start. I got a cool picture of the staircase. The house is huge, but the room inside are tiny and I mean tiny. It's like you're walking into a closet. You are walking in and out of a room before you realize it. We visited I belive 110 rooms in 1 hour. After the tour we took a tour of the gardens. I am so glad that we did as you can walk around to the front of the house and grab a. Great pic in-front of the house. A totally instagram worthy shot. The grounds are beautiful. With lawns, hedges, and flowers. In addition in back was one of the workers quarters, a really nice house out back. When you walked by it talks to you and tells you a bit about life working for Sarah. There is also a fruit cellar where they dried fruit and that talked to you too about the process.

Had been wanting to go visit ever since I was in 3rd grade. Was so excited to go, even though it's…read more$50, but was deeply put off by a gift shop full of junk that has nothing to do with the beautiful house and the shooting game attraction. Signed on for the optional self guided attic and basement tour and I'm so happy I did. Got to speak with a guy named JT who works there and he was so full of knowledge regarding Sarah and the house. He really gave such a new perspective to the designs I had never thought of before. I understand the tour guides have a script and they like to lean into the paranormal but Sarah is such a character, just like her house. It almost felt disrespectful walking through and hearing they had 'ghost' noises playing in part of the basement. This woman was highly intelligent and did so many great things just to be painted as a crazy woman. Winchester needs to do better. Major shout out to JT, if he ran that place I just know it would be spectacular.

Sip, savor, and enjoy the incredible flavors of the cheese Trail…read more The California Cheese Trail features 46 artisan cheesemakers in 24 counties who welcome visitors to their farms, cheesemaking facilities and retail shops, offer farm tours, cheesemaking classes and events. Before you embark on a cheese adventure, download the latest Cheese Trail Map, and pick 3-4 stops. These are my favorite three cheese makers. But honestly - I love all the cheese! Every cheese shop offered wonderful service. - - Marin French Cheese Co. offers classic, delectable cheeses, local wines and ample lunch options which you can enjoy in their beautiful picnic area. Nicasio Valley Cheese offers a delightful variety of handcrafted cheeses and local wines. Wm Cofield Cheesemakers offers a beautiful selection of handcrafted artisanal cheeses, local wines, and perfect charcuterie lunch boards.

The Cheese Trail has been a fantastic gift to send during the holidays. The Grilled Cheese, Please!…read moreAnd Cows & More Cows have been the favorite hits. It comes with a kooky cow tea towel that makes the experience complete! The cheeses are fresh from the farm and feel like a unique gift of love rather than a box of something I can pick up from Costco. Plus, it felt good to support small businesses who were hit hard with Covid. You can put your mind at cheese. Thanks for the smooth ordering and delivery Cheese Trail. Nothing gets feta than this!

Can't believe I haven't left this review sooner! What a fantastic outing, experience, workout and…read moreall around good time! HUGE TIP INCOMING: Bring mouth, nose & eye protection! Read on.... We were staying at the Ione Hotel and saw the flyer. What an interesting concept, but I'll bet they charge something ridiculous for it. Nope! Went to their website and all the details, waivers and booking were easily done through there. $99 for a tandem bike make $48.50 "doable" so we booked "The Golden Hour Ride" for the next evening. Directions were perfect, with vertical flags at the turnoff point, leading to a large gravel parking lot. The small ticket window is on a blue and white, refurbished train car, housing the gift shop as well. Once you're checked in, you can relax under the tent on the Adirondack chairs, play corn hole, watch the crew get the rail cars ready and take pics/video of it! Once the rail cars were ready, we were asked to find our car and stand by it. On the loading side, each car had the name of the Reservation - How cool! And smart - what're gonna do, have John Q Public argue about which car he WANTS to ride? No, a temporary label on the car is perfect. We felt special seeing our names, the company looks organized and everyone wins! After a brief but thorough coverage of safety details and how the cars function, the guides got us underway. Because these inactive rails cross active roads, the guides space themselves ahead, behind and in the middle of the rail cars. I really felt the whole team was extremely safe, professional and personable. The journey up to the Sunnybrook Turnaround (about 30 minutes), was fun and a small bit of a workout - that's coming from someone who has a hard time remembering what a workout is! Put your strongest peddler in the "driver's" seat or, in my case, the one who WANTS to peddle. (Pssst...this also means the person in control of the speed and braking on the return downhill, so chose wisely! Hubs figured this out too late. Sorry, bud, should've volunteered to peddle uphill!) The turnaround was before sunset and it was lovely. There were more red Adirondack chairs dotting the hillside, spread out, to give couples and families some space, but also some clusters a few feet apart, in case you're a larger group or feel like getting to know your fellow riders. We were at the turnaround for 20-30 minutes. Other couples, having done this before, brought some light picnic goodies and a blanket and toasted to the hills. Sláinte! Watching the crew turnaround the rail cars was really interesting. Again, professional and safe! The return was THE BEST! Downhill almost the whole way. Remember that HUGE TIP I mentioned at the beginning? Well, try not to smile as much as I did and definitely DON'T laugh heartily with joy. I think I scraped at least 3 bugs off my teeth and swallowed one more before I remembered to raise my scarf over my nose and mouth. Thank goodness I had my sunglasses! Some little buggers met their timely demise during my euphoric return. When we returned, I quickly bought one of everything in the gift shop, so delighted was I with this experience. I now tell anyone I hear heading north into Gold Country 'You MUST try the Rail Explorers in Ione, CA!' and I, myself, look forward to returning. But also...I just might pack my scarf and sunglasses and head to one of their many other experiences, soaring through the bluegrasses of Kentucky? And elevated train trellis over a gorge in Iowa?? Or maybe creekside in the Catskills??? I could plan whole vacations around this fun way of exploring. Cheers! "CC"

Fun & Unique Railbike Adventure, inspired by Korean drama!…read more Apparently, modern commercial railbike tourism in the U.S. goes back to 2012, when Mary Joy Lu saw a couple riding a railbike on a Korean TV drama. She was so intrigued that she flew to South Korea to meet the designer, which eventually helped bring the railbike concept to the U.S. Pretty cool that a Korean drama helped inspire this whole thing! Parking: Free and plenty of parking in the complex. Restroom: 1 unisex porta-potty. I did not see a large multi-stall air-conditioned restroom at all! They also have a small gift shop in case you forgot your hat or need drinks/snacks. There's a 20-minute break in the middle, then the staff turns the railbikes around and you ride back the same way. The railbikes are custom 2- or 4-seaters with electric pedal assist, so you don't have to work too hard to keep them moving. We even passed through some hidden seasonal sunflower fields! The ride back felt much faster because we were going downhill. There are several railroad crossings along the route. The staff will stop the cars and put up the road barriers/signs so the railbikes can pass. It was actually pretty fun waving at the cars as we went by, and they waved back! For the 4-seater, one person sits in the right-back seat and is basically the designated "driver." They control the brake and have to keep pedaling the whole time, while the other 3 people can take a break from pedaling whenever they want. The railbike was going a little faster than my comfort level at first but after a few miles I got used to the speed and was able to enjoy the ride more. A few things I'd improve: * No shoe/foot latch. My feet felt a little unstable when the railbike was going fast and I had to keep pedaling. * No roof/cover on the railbike. It was scorching hot during summer. * No restroom at the midway break area. * Although the website says small kids and dogs can join, personally I wouldn't recommend it for safety reasons. The railbike can go pretty fast, and there's no shade. Overall, a pretty unique experience in Sacramento County! Definitely worth trying if you're looking for something different and a little adventurous.