Didn’t Snag Tickets to BottleRock? Plan Your Own Festival Weekend

Downtown Napa is gearing up for its 5th annual BottleRock music festival later this month. Crowds flock to this annual event to see some of the biggest names in music while indulging in Napa Valley’s fine culinary cuisine, wine, brews, and spirits. This sold-out festival is a blast, but for those of us who didn’t score tickets, the Valley has plenty of musical and culinary delights - minus the festival crowds.

Live Music

Blue Note Napa in downtown Napa is a jazz club and music venue set in the Historic Napa Valley Opera House. This intimate club puts on shows from world renowned and local Bay Area artists almost nightly. Book a table for two or a Sapphire Booth for six and enjoy a show in this New American Eatery. The club offers a full menu with main courses and small plates to share with the table. Try the Snake River Farms pork belly tacos with lime avocado puree and pomegranate salsa atop their house made corn tortillas or get the shareable artisan cheese board with seasonal fruit compote, local honeycomb, and Model Bakery baguette. The soft blue lighting and the brass instruments, drum sticks, and wine corks hung beautifully on the walls give this small club a funky ambience. For a fun night out, check out their full calendar of shows at Blue Note Napa.

There are many musical performances to catch around the valley. JaM Cellars in downtown Napa puts on weekly shows featuring local musicians in their eclectic space. And Goose and Gander, a local favorite gastropub in St. Helena, is gearing up for their Summer Sunday live music series beginning in June. Explore more live music events at Visit Napa Valley.

Wine

Skip the wineries and go straight to one of Napa Valley’s many wine bars to try a variety of local vinos. Head over to The Saint wine lounge in St. Helena, located in the old Bank of St Helena constructed in the 1890s. Order a cheese, charcuterie, and caviar board and develop your palate with a wine flight highlighting regions and varietals from Napa to Bordeaux. Also pay a visit to Carpe Diem Wine Bar for regional vintages and a seasonal menu highlighting the best flavors Napa Valley has to offer.

Beer

BottleRock is set to feature plenty of local craft beer from California, but did you know Napa Valley is home to quite a few breweries? Start at Mad Fritz in St. Helena, who is brewing up unique styles of beer using local ingredients and barrel aging. Then stop in downtown Napa and create your own brewery crawl by visiting Fieldwork Brewing, Downtown Joe’s, St. Clair Brown Winery and Brewery, and Trade Brewing. Who said Napa Valley is only for wine lovers?

Spirits

Celebrate classically focused cocktails from large format “for the table” drinks, to reserve cocktails crafted with rare spirits at The Charter Oak in St. Helena. Indulge in their extensive cocktail menu or order for the table and try their Original Punch with Batavia Arrack, black tea, citrus, and nutmeg. Enjoy your cocktail at this chic Napa Valley establishment while also grabbing a treat off of their traveling dessert cart. Try the buffalo milk ice cream with olive oil, salt, and caramel or the olive oil custard cream Pavlova meringue topped with strawberry jam.

A spirit tour of Napa wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Napa Valley Distillery, the only Distillery in the city of Napa since Prohibition. Reserve a distillery visit and taste through a seasonal flight of their limited release and unique craft spirits and artisan cocktail bitters.

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Want to plan your own Napa Valley weekend of food, drinks, and music? Book your stay with the Wine Country Inn & Cottages and Cottages, a luxury boutique hotel located in the heart of Napa Valley.