From topography to culture to cuisine, Northern California is blessed with some of the Golden State’s most diversely rich destinations, including Napa and Sonoma counties.
Long known simply as Wine Country, these two great escapes have matured over the years into so much more. Nowadays, visitors, including meeting attendees, are as drawn to its wine and food scene as they are to its arts, history, farms, healthy lifestyle and great outdoors—and the increasingly interesting ways to experience it all.
Napa County
A little Pilates with your cabernet? At Vineyard 29, groups can partake in just that, with innovative programs developed to cater to the growing wellness trend.
“Vineyard 29 is just one example of how wineries and other establishments are becoming savvy in attracting groups,” said Clay Gregory, president and CEO of Visit Napa Valley.
Vineyard 29 is a very high-end winery, and they developed a program where groups go up to the top of a hill in the vineyard and have a Pilates or yoga class and then come back down and have a wine and food pairing in the cellar.”
Art enthusiasts in the bunch can sip fine vintages while getting creative at Gordon Huether Studio. Huether is Napa’s most well-known artist, famous for his large-scale projects. He opens his studio for hands-on programs such as making glass coasters, according to Gregory.
“You make your own art using whatever colors and glitter you like, and Gordon watches the whole process and helps you out while you enjoy wine,” Clay says. “It’s a very unique, only-in-Napa experience.”
Art is becoming an important part of the community and a big attraction for the destination, Gregory said, pointing to the Arts in April annual event that began a few years ago, as well as art walks in downtown Napa and Yountville.
Public art installations will be an integral part of the Napa Valley Vine Trail, a 47-mile walking and biking trail system that will run from Calistoga in the north to the Vallejo Ferry Terminal in the south.
“So many hotels in the area are now providing bicycles for guests, so it will be a perfect thing for groups,” Gregory said.
The trail is being developed in phases over the next few years, with an important portion set to be finished by the end of this year: a 12-mile stretch running south of Napa to Yountville.
Meanwhile, the city of Napa has blossomed with great new restaurants, hotels and other venues.
Next spring, downtown’s hotel lineup, which already includes group favorites like Andaz Napa and Westin Verasa, will be complemented by the hip Archer Hotel. The property will feature 180 rooms and the Charlie Palmer Steak restaurant, and be a great option for small groups, according to Gregory.
Other notable newcomers in downtown Napa that double as unique group venues are Copia, a wonderful educational center for food and wine that was purchased by the Culinary Institute of America and just reopened in October; Kitchen Collective, a slick cooking club where groups can partake in teambuilding through cooking classes; and Blue Note, which will showcase jazz and other live performances nightly in the historic Opera House.
In St. Helena, Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel, will open in January.
“It’s going to be a beautiful property with a restaurant by well-known chef Chris Cosentino, and it will be a very exciting place to hold meetings,” Gregory said.
Another impressive offering in St. Helena is the newly reopened Freemark Abbey, a legendary Napa Valley winery. Following an extensive renovation, Freemark Abbey now features a signature restaurant and attractive spaces for groups.
Other hotels under construction include a Four Seasons in Calistoga and farther south, VieVage, a 110-room property with individual casitas in the vineyards.
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“There are more opportunities on the hotel side than ever before to cater to demand,” Gregory said. “The domestic market is still our largest but international is growing. It cements our place as an internationally important wine, food, arts and wellness destination.”
Sonoma County
Sonoma’s claim to fame is variety. With one million acres of land, roughly the size of Rhode Island, only 6.5 percent is planted with grapes, so while this Wine Country destination is renowned for its delicious varietals, it packs a punch when it comes to its ever-evolving experiences that run from the valley to the coastline.
“We are very fortunate to have so much diversity for any planner with a group of up to about 250 people,” said Mark Crabb, chief sales officer at Sonoma County Tourism. “That’s what makes us so unique. If they want to be out on the coast, in the redwoods, in a vineyard setting or in a corporate hotel, we can make all that happen.”
Like Napa County, Sonoma has a lot of new product coming online.
Graton Resort and Casino is adding a 200-room hotel plus 20,000 square feet of meeting space and a 10,000-square-foot spa. The project is slated for completion Nov. 15.
“It’s a $175 million project, and it’s spectacular,” Crabb said. “We’re going to be able to create somewhat small citywides in Rohnert Park since the casino is only limiting us to 50 room nights because they want to use the rest of the 150 for their high rollers.”
To that end, Rohnert Park is home to the Doubletree by Hilton Hotel Sonoma Wine Country, which has meeting space, and the Oxford Suites, which will open next year and feature meeting space.
“They’re working together, which I think is unique,” Crabb said.
Meanwhile, along the coast, where meetings standbys include Inn at the Tides and Bodega Bay Lodge, Timber Cove is an impressive new option for group retreats.
“Timber Cove is creating an incredible new resort on the coast,” Crabb said. “The company that bought them has about 20 rooms open now, and they’re finishing up the whole facility. It has these incredible vistas and the design is modern and cool while also being retro. The rooms have record players, and there’s a vinyl collection of 600 albums that you can check out.”
In Santa Rosa, Hyatt Vineyard Creek renovated its meeting space and lobby and will soon renovate its rooms and break ground on a new 90-room tower next year.
In the increasingly popular small town of Healdsburg, where property options currently include places such as h2 Hotel and Dry Creek Inn, a boutique hotel by the same owners of h2 Hotel is planned. In Sebastopol, which caters to groups with the vibrant Barlow art, shopping and dining district, new hotels are also on the drawing board.
In the quaint town of Sonoma, where group property options include everything from the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa to the smaller Sonoma Valley Inn, the historic Buena Vista Winery was renovated a few years back and is a wonderful event venue with a new museum dedicated to the history of the wine industry, according to Crabb.
While events in wine caves such as Roth, Deerfield Ranch and Buena Vista continue to be one of the most popular options for groups in Sonoma, trending experiences include food and drink tours out of Healdsburg and Petaluma, according to Crabb.
“It’s great because groups can go to various places and taste their specialty food along with wine and beer—and the brewery scene has really taken off here,” Crabb said, adding that the Russian River Brewing Company and Lagunitas Brewing Company are the anchors of the movement and especially popular with groups.
Savor in Healdsburg and Petaluma Food Tours are two options for group programs.
While wine and food are near the top of Sonoma County’s best traits in visitor surveys, Crabb said outdoor beauty is at the top of the list, especially considering its popularity as a true escape destination.
“We’re lucky to have things like kayaking and canoeing on the Russian River, hiking and biking among the giant redwoods and ziplining 200 feet above the forest floor,” Crabb said. “When you do these activities as a team, it gets people out of their comfort zone, helps them work together and can really be life-changing.”
