WHERE IS THE WEDDING WEEKEND?
The festivities are in Napa Valley, which is a BIG valley. Specifically, Saturday's event is in Calistoga, and Friday's event is in St Helena. Calistoga and St Helena are 15 minutes away from each other by car, 30-45 minutes away from the city of Napa, and 35 minutes away from Santa Rosa.

WHICH AIRPORT SHOULD I FLY INTO?
We usually fly into San Francisco (SFO), which has the most options and cheapest flights. From there, it's a two-hour drive to Napa Valley. You can rent a car at the airport, or you can take the Sonoma County Airport Express Bus to the city of Santa Rosa, which is 35 minutes away from Calistoga. We have even taken an Uber from SFO to Calistoga, which at the time of writing costs $150. Another option is flying into the Santa Rosa Airport, which is about 40 minutes away from Calistoga. This is Barry's favorite airport!

DO I NEED A CAR?
A car will be helpful this weekend. Ubers and Lyfts are available in the Valley but this isn't the most reliable option. If you want to go wine tasting before Friday and Saturday evenings' events, you may be able to hire a car in advance. Basically, we recommend a car. There's also the always-great Calistoga Shuttle, an on-demand transit service within Calistoga city limits, including to Scott's family vineyard where Saturday's event is taking place. Check out their hours of operation and how to reserve: https://vinetransit.com/routes/calistoga-shuttle/. $1 a ride!

WHAT SHOULD I WEAR?
Dress code is wine country fabulous! What does that mean? We don't really know, but if you show up in an outfit you love, then you will be wine country fabulous. Friday evening is a casual welcome get-together at a lovely winery -- jeans or whatever you're comfortable in. (Jeans really are wine country fabulous.) The Saturday party will be on a working farm, so leave the high heels at home. Think dressy and comfortable.

WHAT WILL THE WEATHER BE LIKE?
Dry and hot. Expect (hopefully) bright sunny skies and temperatures in the 80s or 90s. Napa isn't humid but fitting sun protection into your wardrobe is a great idea. In the evening, things often cool down so bring a warmer layer like a light jacket.

WHERE SHOULD I GO WINE TASTING.
Oh, we have thoughts ;) We'll update this section soon enough! Many wineries use Tock for booking visits

WHERE SHOULD I STAY?
The wedding events are in St Helena (Friday) and Calistoga (Saturday). Those are great places to stay with cute main streets for strolling, shopping, and eating. Calistoga is a spa town and hotels book up in the summer. Other hotels in Napa Valley (Saint Helena, Napa) can be very expensive in August. Santa Rosa in Sonoma County has cheaper hotels (the best is the Astor Motel), but the road over the Mayacama mountains between Calistoga and Santa Rosa is a twisty, dangerous road at night (with no-cell areas), and unless you are renting a car and not planning to drink at the wedding after-party, or have a designated driver, we do not recommend booking in Santa Rosa. We’ll worry about you.

FAQ

STEVE'S GUIDE TO WEDDING HOUSING IN CALISTOGA:

Important things to be aware of: (1) Airbnbs are not allowed in Napa County...but you may find an outlaw place. (2) Know that most hotels use dynamic pricing, which means the price goes up the later you book. (3) The sooner you book, the better. You can always cancel without penalty until a month or so before the wedding. In the following FAQs are my recommendations for housing in Calistoga. There are other places, also, but this covers most places in town. Check pricing and don’t rely on mine. My estimated price ranges are rough cuts and include taxes. You are welcome to email me with questions: Steven Rasmussen, stevencras@gmail.com

LUXURY HOTELS ($750/NIGHT TO $1500/NIGHT):
Napa Valley is a tourist mecca. There are no end of luxury places to stay if you want to splurge—and I mean really splurge. My recommendations are Indian Springs Resort, Solage, Francis House and the Four Seasons. Indian Springs is the original hot springs spa around which the town of Calistoga was built in the 1860s. It features mud baths and various massage treatments and has the original geyser-fed Olympic size swimming pool kept at 104°. You’ll love it. Solage is an Auberge property and has a terrific restaurant, an outdoor Tequila/Mezcal themed bar called Pico Bar. Francis House is a new hotel in a restored historic hospital. Expensive, but cool. Only a few rooms. The Four Seasons is new and my least favorite of the four luxury options.

UPPER MIDDLE HOTELS ($400/NIGHT TO $600/NIGHT):
• Dr. Wilkinson’s Backyard Resort and Spa (Historic and newly retrofitted as “retro-cool") • Calistoga Spa Hot Springs (Large complex with a variety of geyser-fed pools of varying temperatures) • Cottage Grove Inn (Bungalows with indoor jacuzzi tubs. A bit “worn") • Embrace Calistoga (Best B&B in town. Everyone’s favorite for a romantic getaway) • The Atlas (Three beautiful large units in a B&B that our family built and sold to current owner) • The Bergson (Nice boutique hotel) • Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa (An old refurbished motel, now a spa. Closest hotel to the wedding site. Overpriced.) • Roman Spa and Resort (Old school resort. Nothing special, but it does have a spa and hot pool)

MIDDLE HOTELS ($400/NIGHT TO $450/NIGHT):
• Up Valley Inn and Hot Springs (a very conventional small hotel, little charm) • Best Western Plus Stevenson Manor (the only “chain” small hotel grandfathered and allowed in town. Nice, but nondescript) • Aurora Park Cottages (I know nothing about them)

LOWER MIDDLE HOTELS ($350/NIGHT TO $400/NIGHT):
• Carlin’s Cottage Court (Motel”ish” rooms. Nothing special, a bit worn, but a place to stay) • Golden Haven Spa (an old school resort that has been here forever)

BUDGET HOTEL ($300/NIGHT “ISH”)
Our pick is the Calistoga Inn. The restaurant there is a great place, especially for lunch. They have fire pits at night. It’s a popular brewery and bar. They have 15 rooms with queen beds, BUT… The 15 rooms are small. They have a nice sink in the room. But, all 15 rooms share two bathrooms—one for men and one for women—and each of those bathrooms have only two showers and two toilets. If you book here, shower early for the wedding. Because it’s a popular bar, ask to be on the side away from the outside bar or you will hear people partying in the evening. The bar closes by 10 or 11 as do all bars in Calistoga except the legendary Susie’s. If you are staying at the Calistoga Inn, chances are you’ll find Susie’s on Friday night after the winery welcome event.

FREE
We have lots of space on the property to camp! We will have bathrooms (no showers) for the wedding that you can use. Temperatures will likely be in the 50s at night. Send us an email and let us know if you’re planning to camp.