From above Muir Woods looking to the Ocean
Last week I shared what we did with our 36 hours in San Francisco, and today I want to share what we did the next 36 hours. We picked up a rental car from Sixt on our way out of SF for the rest of our week. It was such a good decision not to have a car in SF – parking would have been a nightmare!
Muir Woods
We picked up our tricked out Tahoe (dream car!) and headed across the Golden Gate to drive to Muir Woods. I read online that the parking lots fill up by 9 am everyday (even on weekdays), but we got there around 11 and were able to find parking easily. We walked to the visitor center to grab a map and figure out where to go. After talking to a ranger we started on the 4.5 mile loop she recommended — it went through the most popular areas of the woods and then up above the forest.
This forest is so magical! They filmed Endor from Star Wars here and it is such a cool place. The trees are so large and the area is so quiet. This is a must-see if you are in the Bay Area! Here are some of my photos, I hope you can see the scale of these trees!
Handy tree for a bridge!
This photo shows the scale of the trees – they really tower over you!
Napa Valley
After Muir Woods we drove up to Napa. The drive was really beautiful and I can see why this area is so popular! Napa is literally a valley so you are driving between hills and ridges all the time. We stayed at the Westin Verasa Napa in downtown Napa and it was the perfect spot. We could walk around downtown and along the river to get to restaurants. They had free valet parking and the rooms were beautiful!
We went to dinner at Bounty Hunter which is apparently super popular! All of downtown Napa was quiet except for here – BBQ draws people I guess. St Louis has pretty good BBQ so we have high standards and this was delicious. The BBQ is vinegar-based so it tasted different than most BBQ I’ve had, but it was still so good.
The next morning we walked to the Oxbow Market and grabbed breakfast sandwiches at Model Bakery. They are known for their english muffins and they did NOT disappoint! It was the best breakfast sandwich I’ve ever had – so so delicious.
After that we drove up to Rombauer – which is my favorite chardonnay! Their tasting room is on a hill looking down over the valley and they have really beautiful gardens. Unfortunately it was rainy when we were there so we didn’t spend a ton of time outside, but it would be beautiful in warmer weather to sit outside! Be sure to book your tasting ahead of time (they don’t take walkins) because the room is very small. There was only one other couple there and we had our own guided tasting.
Jacket // Shirt // Pants // Boots // Earrings
Looking down into the valley from Rombauer’s garden
I can definitely see why Napa is such a popular place to vacation. The scenery is beautiful and the wineries are everywhere! We didn’t have the best luck with weather so it would be great to come back in later Spring or Summer.
Again it was another busy two days of exploring! Muir Woods and Napa were both beautiful for their scenery and peacefulness. If you want to get out of the city and explore I definitely recommend both places! Next week I’ll be sharing what we did in Lake Tahoe, so get ready for a true winter wonderland!
