Winters, Winters, CA

Main Street is the heart of Winters, a Yolo County town on Putah Creek where Victorian homes and tall shade trees line the historic blocks and an old opera house looks down the street. Interstate 505 connects the town to Vacaville and on toward Sacramento, which keeps it within commuting range without losing its farm-town feel. Older homes cluster near the historic district, while farmland and orchards ring the rest of town. Walking and cycling routes run out into those orchards, including a loop with views of the Berryessa Mountains, and the creek corridor runs right beside the old downtown. Outdoors is the strongest suit. Putah Creek Nature Park, at the railroad trestle on Railroad Avenue, has walking trails along the water, and smaller parks such as Rotary Park and Winters Park sit within town. Farther west, Lake Solano Park at the foothill base offers fly fishing, kayaking and a county campground, and the Stebbins Cold Canyon trail and Lake Berryessa lie in the same direction, the lake being a place for kayaking, paddleboarding and wakesurfing. Putah Creek Cafe, at One Main Street, has served breakfast, lunch and dinner downtown for more than 35 years and puts live music on the street on Friday evenings from April through October. Steady Eddy's Coffee House at 5 East Main Street is where the coffee crowd lands. Hooby's Brewing makes beer in town, and Buckhorn Steakhouse is the local steakhouse. Daily errands are simple. Town and Country IGA Market handles groceries, the Winters Community Library is in town, and the Winters Opera House hosts the Winters Theatre Company. Most trips inside the core can be done on foot or by bike, and the nut processors and orchards at the edge of town keep the farm economy in view. Summer is the honest challenge, because July afternoons run hot enough to push everyone indoors or into the creek. On a warm Friday evening, the music drifting down Main Street is the clearest sign of what Winters does well.