Calistoga, CA

Calistoga is where the Napa Valley runs out. Highways 29 and 128 meet at the town, Mount St. Helena stands over the north end, and the whole place lives off the hot ground beneath it. Sam Brannan, an early San Francisco millionaire, bought about 2,000 acres here and opened a resort in 1862 meant to rival Saratoga Springs in New York. Local legend says the town's name was born when he tangled his tongue trying to say Saratoga of California. Mineral pools and mud baths made with hot volcanic ash are still the signature. Just outside the neighborhood, the Old Faithful geyser sends hot water some sixty feet into the air about every half hour, a small show that draws a steady stream of visitors. Outdoor options go well beyond town. Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, on the road toward Middletown, has a trail to the summit of Mount St. Helena, and a clear day gives a long view. Closer in, the Calistoga Fairgrounds hold the Mt. St. Helena Golf Course, an RV park, a speedway and the annual Ag Fair, and a community pool serves the town. Dinner often means the Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery at 1250 Lincoln. It brews its own beer in a historic water tower and runs a 150-seat patio beside the Napa River. For a casual bite, Sam's General Store, part of the Brannan Hotels collection, is another downtown stop. Homes range from compact places near the center to larger properties out among the vineyards. Daily errands happen on Lincoln and Washington, and the bigger stores are a drive away down valley. Calistoga is among the Napa towns that bar fast food and chains, a rule that suits a main street built for hot springs and tasting rooms. Distance is the price. The narrow roads in are the only way to arrive, so a quick run to a big store takes planning. Calistoga suits people who like their town small enough to take in from one street, with a mountain waiting at the end of it.