Getting the flavor of … Après vineyard in Napa Valley

Après vineyard in Napa Valley

There’s more than just wine in California’s beautiful Napa County, said Christina Talcott in The Washington Post. The small town of Calistoga, situated at the north end of wine country, is the perfect place to unwind after a long day of tastings. Known for its hot springs and the spas they spawned, Calistoga is now home to 10 resorts that offer every kind of spa treatment, from body wraps to herbal baths. Golden Haven Spa & Resort specializes in a couple’s mud bath, which involves soaking in a tub of mud and peat moss, a mineral water bath, and a warm blanket wrap. Even the city’s name was born out of relaxation and self-indulgence. In the 1860s, millionaire Samuel Brannan was planning to make the region “California’s version of the New York town Saratoga Springs.” Reportedly, after getting tipsy one night, he mistakenly “called the town the ‘Calistoga of Sarafornia,’ and the malapropism stuck.”

Contact: Calistogavisitors.com

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Massachusetts’ other cape

“In the book of New England conventional wisdom, Cape Cod is where beautiful people go, and Cape Ann is where cod fishermen come from,” said Christopher Reynolds in the Los Angeles Times. But you’ll miss an awful lot if you come to Massachusetts and never stop in this headland 40 miles north of Boston. A “great stretch of rocky coast,” Cape Ann comprises the towns of Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, and Manchester-by-the-Sea, and contains a “cross-section of Yankee humanity.” Gloucester, America’s oldest seaport, has become a premier spot for whale watching. Stop by the Historical Museum to see the sloop that Howard Blackburn, “alone and fingerless,” sailed to Portugal in 1901. Rockport, a longtime tourist destination, has a quaint main street lined with appealing eateries, charming shops, and a white-steepled church. On the outskirts, a “finger of land” known as Rocky Neck houses a venerable art colony where you’re sure to find a memento of your visit.

Contact: Seecapeann.com