California Travelers Recommend - page 2

Experience the finest wine in northern California on a tour to both the Napa and Sonoma regions. Once you reach the historic wine regions, you'll visit famous grape-growing centers such as Rutherford, Oakville, St. Helena, Yountville, Stags Leap, Los Carneros, Sonoma Valley, Kenwood, and Glen Ellen. Tours include visits to Nicholson Ranch Winery, Madonna Estate, Mount St. John and Sutter Home, with lunch in Yountville at V Marketplace. Take a day tour from San Francisco to wineries including Domaine Chandon, Andretti Winery, V. Sattui and Rutherford Ranch. Or take a two-day tour to these wineries combined, on the second day, with a visit to the famous prison island of Alcatraz. Combine your wineries visit with a stop at Muir Woods, home to some of northern California's famous redwood sequoia trees. This national monument is the site of a virgin forest of California Coast redwood trees, among the oldest and tallest on Earth.

Palm Springs has just what you’d expect: great shopping, good eating, relaxing spas and pools. Wander down mile-long El Paseo Shopping Street – the Rodeo Drive of the desert. There’s upscale couture and furnishings for those that don’t need to check the price-tags, for the rest of us there is The Gardens on El Paseo with its quality chain stores, and art both on the street and in galleries. Sit in a café and watch how the other half shops. If that makes you a bit hot under the collar, head for Knotts Soak City waterpark, 21 acres of slides, rides and splashing around. And of course there are those golf courses singing their siren song: PGA anyone? Take the Palm Springs Aerial Tramway from the desert floor to high up on Mt San Jacinto in a revolving gondola. Sometimes there’s a temperature drop of up to 40 degrees, so if the heat’s getting to you, this is the place to go. Once up there you can hike, picnic or just look at the views from the State Park and Wilderness.