As a Destination Partner of the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee, Visit Napa Valley (VNV) and the Napa Valley Vintners (NVV) have joined forces to promote America’s leading wine region during Super Bowl Week. Activities celebrating Game Week are less than a two-hour drive from Napa Valley.
The San Francisco Bay Area Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has created suggested itineraries on how to spend 50 Hours in Napa Valley, St. Helena and Calistoga. Additionally, here are 50 “Super” reasons to visit the Napa Valley before, during, or after the Big Game festivities:
Food, Wine & More
- Experience a food & wine pairing at one of Napa Valley’s more than 400 wineries (95% of which are family owned)
- Pack your bags for an extended stay in one of Napa Valley’s nearly 150 accommodation options, including hotels, resorts, country inns, and bed and breakfasts
- Explore a wine tasting room in downtown Napa, Yountville, St. Helena or Calistoga
- Visit the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) at Greystone, which is open to the public and features two restaurants; a bakery; public tours of the campus; food and wine classes; and events
- Blend your own wine at one of the “Barrel Blending” classes offered at Napa Valley wineries
- Stomp grapes or enjoy a hands-on, boot camp experience during harvest season
- Sample beer at one of Napa Valley’s microbreweries
- Meet other visitors on a curated Napa Valley wine country tour
- Dine in one of Napa Valley’s more than 125 restaurants, which have earned more Michelin Stars per capita (11 total) than any other wine region in the world – choose one that prominently features Napa Valley wine
- Take a cooking class at a Napa Valley cooking school
- Taste olive oil at one of Napa Valley’s olive oil companies
- Live like a local and explore one of Napa Valley’s farmers’ markets
- Source local, artisanal ingredients at the Oxbow Public Market in Napa
- Dine by rail on the Napa Valley Wine Train
- Taste wine underground by visiting a winery that has caves
- Stop by the Napa Valley Welcome Center for complimentary winery tasting passes, guidebooks, maps, and brochures
- Plan your winery visits and view winery event listings using the Napa Valley Vintners comprehensive Winery Finder
Health, Wellness & Adventure
- Play a game of outdoor bocce ball at a scenic Napa Valley location
- Connect with nature at Napa’s Connolly Ranch
- Ride a horse in Coombsville, Napa Valley’s newest AVA’s (American Viticultural Area)
- Observe the Napa Valley from above with a hot air balloon ride
- Ride a bicycle or take a stroll on the Napa Valley Vine Trail
- Kayak or paddle board on the Napa River
- Catch a fish in Lake Berryessa
- Hike in one of Napa Valley’s numerous parks and recreation areas
- Take a yoga class at one of Napa Valley’s resorts and spas
- Unwind with a luxurious spa treatment or relaxing mudbath
- Visit the Old Faithful Geyser of California in Calistoga and witness one of its regular eruptions as one of only three “faithful” geysers in the world
- Pack your clubs for 9 or 18 holes of golf at one of Napa Valley’s five public golf courses
Arts & Culture
- Learn a bit about Napa Valley’s past at one of the valley’s historic wineries
- Visit one of Napa Valley’s museums including the Napa Valley Museum in Yountville; the Robert Louis Stevenson Silverado Museum in St. Helena, the Sharpsteen Museum in Calistoga or the Carolyn Parr Nature Museum in Napa
- Sip some wine while enjoying a bit of culture at one of Napa Valley’s wineries that feature art displays
- Smell the roses at one of Napa Valley’s many wineries which feature lovely, outdoor gardens
- Find treasures at one of Napa Valley’s unique clothing boutiques and antique shops
- Take a historic walking tour of downtown Napa or Yountville
- Listen to live music at one of downtown Napa’s live music venues
- Add to your art collection with Yountville’s Art Walk, which includes 29 unique sculptures, many available for purchase
- Experience di Rosa – which features a 35-acre lake and wildlife preserve and more than 200 acres of indoor and outdoor gallery space showcasing Bay Area art in a variety of mediums, all located in the Carneros region of the Napa Valley
- Learn about local artists by visiting one of Napa Valley’s many public art galleries
- Meet local celebrity artist Gordon Huether at his open studio in Napa
And, for Football Fans….
- Take in the Big Game at one of Napa Valley’s upscale sports pubs, where big screen TV’s merge with wine, craft brews and food
- When in downtown Napa or Calistoga, stop in at one of former pro football champion head coach Dick Vermeil’s wine tasting rooms, Vermeil Wine
- When in Yountville, visit former pro football executive Carmen Policy’s winery Casa Piena, Italian for “full house”
- Anticipate the opening of the tasting room for TwentyFour Wines, created by pro football player Charles Woodson
- Taste former pro football’s Rick Mirer’s Mirror wines at Napa Wine Company in Oakville.
- Stop by Bell Wine Cellars in Yountville, owned by pro football team owner Alex Spanos
And, a Few Last Facts for ALL Sportsfans…
- Andretti Winery on Big Ranch Road in Napa, is owned by legendary auto racer Mario Andretti and is open to the public
- Lewis Cellars, a family winery, also on Big Ranch Road in Napa, is owned by auto racer Randy Lewis, and is also open to the public
- Former pro baseball player Tom Seaver makes wine from the Diamond Mountain District Appellation in Calistoga
- Auto racer Jeff Gordon makes his Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Red Blend in the Napa Valley
Visit Napa Valley and the Napa Valley Vintners will support the Host Committee’s Thank You Party during Super Bowl Week, where Napa Valley wines will be featured exclusively, and will also use the designation to encourage sports fans to visit Napa Valley while they are in the area.
In addition to managing the overall planning, production, fundraising and community engagement activities for Super Bowl 50, the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee has pledged to make Super Bowl 50 the most giving Super Bowl yet through its legacy initiative, the 50 Fund.
Napa Valley joins Pebble Beach and Sonoma County as one of three regional Destination Partners named by the Super Bowl 50 Host Committee. Fans are encouraged to contribute images to the countdown clock ticking down the days until February 7, 2016. More than 5,000 volunteers will be recruited to support Super Bowl 50. More information is available at sfbaysuperbowl.com.