Going to sample wine with your little loved ones tagging along may not seem like the best way to spend your Napa Valley excursion, but several wineries have recognized the need for family and kid-oriented tours and events. Whether or not you’re traveling with toddlers, young children, adolescents, or teenagers, your kids will not be bored at these top five kid-friendly Napa Valley vineyards.
- Napa Valley Wine Train
The Napa Valley Wine Train is a great way to view iconic Napa Valley scenery while dining and relaxing aboard a luxury locomotive. Offering lunch and dinner, this 3-hour train ride will undoubtedly entertain your kids while you kick back, relax, and enjoy some wine tastings. If 3 hours is simply too long for you and your kids to be aboard a train, there are several tour stop packages to wineries along the route where you can stretch your legs and tour vineyards by foot. The Napa Valley Wine Train also offers seasonal events and Murder Mystery Theater shows for young adults.
- Larson Family Winery
If you’re looking for a home away from home in Napa Valley, look no further than the Larson Family Winery. Expansive lawns, shaded picnic tables, Sunday brunches, and an open pet policy are sure to offer you a warm and welcoming place to spend your wine tasting vacation. Try their famous Chardonnay variety while renting one of two picturesque properties on the vineyard grounds, both 4-bedroom homes suitable for large families of 6-10 people.
- Robert Mondavi Winery
Robert Mondavi Winery’s Discovery Tour is one of the most popular attractions for parents visiting Napa Valley wineries with their children. Each tour lasts 30 minutes, costs $20 per person, and includes 2 wine tastings for tour-goers over 21 years of age. Also included in the Discovery Tour are peeks into the vineyard, cellar, and aging room. No reservations are necessary, so this is a great idea if you have younger children with shorter patience spans and you still want to experience a taste of Napa.
- Castello di Amorosa
Castello di Amorosa is one of the most visited vineyards in Napa Valley today. Due to its impressive grounds and medieval Italian architecture, this winery offers many different options for visitors of all ages to experience its wonders. The castle itself is over 120,000 square feet with 8 floors, a drawbridge, and a moat, among other interesting features. Castle tours for young adults under the age of 21 are just $25 per person, but due to its popularity, tickets must be reserved in advance.
- Francis Ford Coppola Winery
Occupying the former Chateau Souverain near Alexander Valley, Francis Ford Coppola has purchased and cultivated another winery, but this time with the intent of making his establishment with family and children in mind. Noted for its large swimming pool lined with colorful cabines (changing rooms), the Francis Ford Coppola Winery will make you feel like you and your family are at a water park more than a Napa Valley vineyard. Be sure to make reservations well in advance, as this resort vineyard’s cabines fill up quickly, sometimes two months in advance!
