Napa

Napa sprawls for several miles. Ignore its unappealing outskirts and head for downtown, which has really improved in recent years, adding some delightful restaurants and an attractive shopping precinct. If you have a passionate interest in food, its history and origins, head for Copia (500 First Street, Napa, CA 94559), dedicated to the celebration of food, wine, and the arts in US culture. The entrance fee is $5. Open 10 am to 5 pm. 707-259-1600, www.copia.org. Take First Street through downtown to Hwy 29 (in the direction of Calistoga), turn left at the traffic lights on Redwood Road for the 6-mile drive to the Hess Collection winery (4411 Redwood Road, Napa, CA 94558). Leaving the town behind, travel ever higher up Mount Veeder though pretty wooded scenery with glimpses of distant vineyards. Watch for the sharp left-hand turn in the road after 4 miles. You emerge from the trees at the winery surrounded by rolling vineyards. Visiting here gives you the opportunity to enjoy a lovely garden with lily pond, wisteria-covered walkway, and wildflower garden, laid out in front of an early-20th-century winery. When Mr. Hess purchased the winery in 1986 he set apart a portion of the historic ivy-covered stone structure to showcase a selection of his distinguished collection of paintings and sculptures. The production of wine and Mr. Hess’s collection have been cleverly woven together and the visitors’ tour encompasses wine production—fermentation vats, wooden barrels where the wine ages, and the bottling process—as well as the art housed in two large galleries. Tasting costs $10 for four wines. Open 10 am to 4 pm. 707-255-1144 or 877-707-4377, www.hesscollection.com.