Guest Post by Allison Day
Photos by Sarah Anne Risk
Meet Allison Day
Allison Day lives, loves and makes a livelihood in Napa Valley and has called this special spot home on and off (but more on) since 2009. She is the founder of Good Things, Done Right a digital marketing agency specializing in social media, content and Google advertising. Hungry people are her favorite people, whether it’s for great food or great ideas. As an early adopter of social media platforms, she’s been deep in social media and content development for close to 10 years. From Napa Valley destination marketing to the food crowdfunding world, she directs the planning and execution of all things social media, content and digital advertising. She founded GTDR in 2015 when she saw a demand for more authentic voices and straight forward work ethic in the marketing world.
Alison’s Favorite Places to Travel
Allison has two favorite places in the world to travel to: Palm Springs and the Netherlands.
For Allison, Palm Springs is the perfect ground zero for decadent relaxation. You’re *supposed* to just lay by the pool in a fantastic caftan and order drinks, rinse and repeat. She also really likes the dining scene there, and recommends staying at a hotel vs. Airbnb because the offerings, ambiance and vibe are 100% at Palm Springs hotels.
Visiting the Netherlands was *not* on Allison’s travel Bingo card until last year. Allison spent a hot second in Amsterdam but THEN rented a yacht and navigated it themselves (only a drivers license needed!) for a week through the canals of Netherlands. It was in short, MAGICAL.
Alison’s Top Travel Tip
Allison’s travel tip is to plan an entire trip using Tik Tok so you can find all the cool stuff (hotels, restaurants, activities and more)!
Q&A GUEST POST with Allison Day: Downtown Napa 🍇
Q: Tell me why people should visit Downtown Napa?
A: Over the last 5 years, Downtown Napa has exploded with new shops, tasting rooms, restaurants and events. It’s the gateway to wine country and a wonderful way to kick off a week or weekend in the valley!
Q: How long should one plan to visit?
A: You can do so much on a long weekend in downtown Napa, come in Thursday night and leave Monday morning. For a full Napa Valley experience definitely stay a week!
Q: What’s the best time of year to visit?
A: Seriously any time of year: Spring the trees are blooming, bluejay days with crisp 60* temps and warmer afternoons, Summer is poppin’ with so many events, the heat of the valley, endlessly sunny skies and a ‘lets hang out and indulge’ attitude, Fall is dreamy with the signs of leaves changing in the vineyards, the heat of summer is lingering still, the smell of harvest is in the air and lots of fun events, Winter is an under the radar must do – the mornings are gorgeous with fog rolling off the mountains, rain keeps things cozy in cute tasting rooms and restaurants and the temps are always moderate.
Q: What’s the best way to get to Napa? Best airport options? Rent a car? Uber from Bay Area?
A: Uber from the Ferry Building in SF or drive up but once you’re downtown you won’t need a car. Closest airport in Napa Airport but that’s expensive, followed by Santa Rosa – SO easy to fly into and an hour drive to downtown (but you’ll get to see the valley!) or Sacramento is the biggest and closest airport.
Q: Where do you recommend staying? Favorite hotels? Is renting a place via Airbnb an option?
A: It can get expensive to stay here for sure but there are some tips: midweek always the best for pricing, Winter/Spring are best pricing for hotels.
Favorite hotels include:
Stanly Ranch for the big spenders (an Auberge property)
Archer Hotel is in the heart of it all right downtown with a great rooftop restaurant and Charlie Palmer Steakhouse in lobby
Milliken Creek for a more tranquil, riverside experience walkable to downtown
Favorite B&Bs:
The George – so chic, renovated victorian, no creepy old b&b vibes
Airbnb:
Love this spot – just blocks from downtown and the beds are heavenly
Under the radar, inexpensive:
My parents stayed at the River Pointe Resort – it was super inexpensive and they were very happy with the accommodations, beautiful setting, walkable to downtown, safe and clean!
Q: What are some not-to-miss sites and places to visit in Downtown Napa?
A: My favorites include:
Oxbow Public Market – the place for foodies, a new Moroccan Street Food spot from Moro SF is opening soon, they have a chef-in-residency program, and lots of exciting things always in play. I love to go to Oxbow and pair places together like Lappert’s Ice Cream and Ritual Coffee for an affogato, Hog Island Oysters and Oxbow cheese and wine & Fieldwork beers and Kara’s Cupcakes!
RAD Napa – Rail Arts District (more on that below)
Walking the Riverfront
First Street for shopping, but what’s been fun is each street has started to develop its own personality – Second Street gets lively on the weekends!
Q: Tell me about the best places to shop in Downtown Napa. Any favorite stores?
Jeffries General – Chrissy curates the best things!
Antiques on Second – I never leave without some fun treasure
State and First – upscale shop with designer brands that doesn’t feel overly pretentious
Napa Bookmine – best bookshop in all the land
Juniper Station – a refillery & Mercantile specializing in sustainable home products, gifts, beauty, apothecary, and bulk refill items
Folklore – a record shop, bar and coffee shop
Riza Plants – Alyssa’s curation is impeccable
Q: Downtown Napa kid-friendly? If so, what are some great activities to do with kids?
A: It’s kid friendly, but you’ll definitely have more fun without them!
There is a lot of outdoor space to enjoy at Oxbow Commons, walking Napa Valley Vine Trail past all the murals in RAD Napa, spend hours at Napa Bookmine, Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream, Napa Toy Museum, Skyline Wilderness Park is just five minutes from downtown, Napa Paddle is a great spot to rent two person kayaks and peruse the gentle river, Fat Tire Bike rental has both kid and adult bikes.
There are a wide variety of kid-friendly restaurants that adults would enjoy including: Napa Yard (huge outdoor space), Azzurro Pizzeria, Restaurant Allegria, Don Pericos, and Los Agaves.
Q: Tell me about the Arts scene in Downtown Napa. Where’s the best place to see live music? Best museums?
A: As I mentioned above, one of my favorite things to do around art is to walk RAD Napa (Rail Arts District) that follows the Napa Vine Trail. I also like to stop into the Napa Historical Society as they always have a great special exhibit, the docents are so knowledgeable and Napa history is very interesting.
Favorite places to see live music are The Fink Napa, a wonderful cocktail lounge in town, Blue Note has some wonderful acts come through (try to get a booth, but skip dinner!), “The Get Down” happens at the JaM Cellars Ballroom every 1st and 3rd Wednesday and a night of DJs & record collectors spinning Funk, Soul, Jazz, Blues and Rare Grooves on vinyl!
Q: Any insider tips about visiting Downtown Napa during the Bottlerock Festival on Memorial Day weekend?
A: Come for the music, stay for the food because the local restaurants really show up. Don’t splurge on VIP, it’s gotten so ungodly crowded. Keep your eyes peeled for all the after parties and specials, so many places downtown are planning fun things. If you want ‘festival hair’ check out Whirlwind Drybar – they do really fun things like feathers, extensions, etc. for those who really want to lean in!
Q: Any unique experiences one should do while staying in downtown Napa?
A: Yes!
Napa Gondola – on the Napa River, so fun and romantic
Napa Lighted Arts Festival in Jan/Feb
Napa Porchfest in June (bands play on front porches all over downtown)
Napa Paddle Full Moon Paddle Tour (or really any of their offerings!)
Q: Let’s talk food! What are your favorite restaurants? Must-order dishes?
A: My favorite spots include:
Angele (French)- Forever and ever one of my favorites! Order their housemade tonic and gin, the risotto is always fabulous and french fries in a flower pot
La Taberna (Spanish tapas) – Porto Tonico, and literally every pintxo, and mains you can’t go wrong with server recs as they really know their stuff!
Scala Osteria (Italian) – order the tuna carpaccio, wood fired pizza and mandilli.
Q: Obviously, Napa Valley is a destination for wine. What are some of your favorite wineries that are close to the Downtown Napa area? Any insider tips for those wineries?
Cadet Wine Bar – so hip and cool, they have a great selection of wine and beer
Benevolent Neglect Wines – very laid back, vinyl is always on and unique vintage
Azur Tasting Lounge – a wonderful place to do a flight or just hang out with a glass, Elan (owner) is super fun
Vin En Noir – minority owner tasting lounge with a wonderful selection of wines, tons of great events and Leilani is wonderful
Q: What are your favorite spots to enjoy a cocktail or beer?
A: The Fink Napa is hands-down the best cocktail lounge in Napa! Their menu features cocktails inspired by The Bronx, The Big Easy, Hawaii, Western Europe and made my an incredible talented bartender Andrew Salazar (those who know, know!). I’m currently loving their Aperol Sour!
For beer, Fieldwork is great.
Q: Anything else you’d like to share about Downtown Napa?
A: Follow Our Napa on Instagram for ALL the insider local tips for Napa.
A long weekend is wonderful but if you get a chance to slip up midweek, of course much less crowded but come Wednesday at the earliest. Lots of places are closed on Mondays and Tuesdays!
