Napa Valley has a rich history that dates back thousands of years. From its first inhabitants by Native American tribes who utilized the fertile land for hunting and agriculture to the Spanish explorers in the 18th century establishing missions and vineyards, the American settlers during the California Gold Rush, to the region’s first producing wineries, their impacts on how Napa Valley is known today are significant.

Napa Valley touts a remarkable collection of museums and historical sites that fall into a wide range of genres—from county history, nature/wildlife and geology, wine and culinary history, Native American history, California history, history of agriculture and industry, military history, art history to an assortment of other categories.

Though best known for its agricultural prowess, Napa’s geological history is represented in several museums, all worth exploring. A good starting point might be the Martha Walker Gardens at Skyline Wilderness Park in Napa, an outdoor museum featuring the native flora of California and Napa County. The surrounding park has trails that lead into the wilderness, where many plants featured in the garden can be seen in their natural habitat.

Following, consider a stop at the nearby Carolyn Parr Nature Center, a museum with exhibits about Napa Valley’s ecosystem. Through the use of dioramas, seasonal displays, hands-on exhibits, and adult and children’s libraries, the center promotes an understanding of the plants and animals indigenous to the county.

In St. Helena, the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, in addition to its miles of hiking trails, has a visitor center full of information on the park’s history and attributes. Next to this is the Native American Garden, another outdoor museum of sorts, which features plants important to the region’s first settlers. The park offers a guide for this garden, designed to promote an understanding of these people and how they used native plants.

Petrified Forest

Other historical attractions are the Old Faithful Geyser of California, with its intriguing Geology Museum (in addition to the featured geyser), and The Petrified Forest, which features unearthed petrified redwood trees from the Pliocene Epoch (over 3.4 million years ago), and numerous examples of volcanic rock formations.

History buffs will love a similar tour of boutique museums around the valley, starting with Napa County’s Historical Society at the Goodman Library in downtown Napa. In addition to the museum’s permanent exhibits, there are also walking tours showcasing historic buildings on designated days. The Napa Valley Museum in Yountville offers exhibits on various topics, including permanent displays on The Land and People of Napa Valley and the Veteran’s Home History.

Additionally, the museum has temporary and rotating exhibits on pop culture and local artists, and its ground floor space is devoted to major traveling exhibits on various topics, always with beautifully designed displays. The museum’s current exhibit is “Warrior Dogs: Honoring the Service & Sacrifice of America’s Four-Legged Fighters.”

Other points of interest on the history tour include the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum and The Heritage Center for the St. Helena Historical Society. The RLS Museum is tiny but packed with information on this renowned author, though a half hour to see all should suffice. The Heritage Center is only open on the first Saturday of each month, but it is well worth organizing a day around. This outstanding organization offers many of its “exhibits” online, including extensive, well-written articles and historical photos.

The society’s mission is to preserve information and artifacts on everything from the region’s ancient settlements of Native Americans to more recent St. Helena history.

While in St. Helena, visit the Bale Grist Mill, a water-powered mill built in 1846. This location was at one time the center of social activity in Napa Valley, a place where settlers gathered for meetings, community events, and to celebrate. Bale Grist remains a working mill, and visitors can tour the facility on weekends and Mondays.

When in wine country, tours and museums that highlight the region’s rich winemaking and culinary history should come high on the list of must-sees. Of those museums, two are in Napa County —the Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum in Napa, and the 1881 Wine History Museum in Oakville. 

Located in a landmark historic Victorian home next to the Oakville Grocery (the oldest continually operating grocery store in California), the 1881 Wine History museum offers a unique and immersive experience into the rich history of winemaking in Napa Valley, dating back to 1881 when the first vineyards were planted. Visitors can explore the exhibits showcasing the evolution of winemaking techniques, the impact of Prohibition, and the rise of Napa Valley as a world-renowned wine destination.

Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum

The Chuck Williams Culinary Arts Museum located in the CIA at Copia in downtown Napa, is home to more than 4,000 culinary artifacts from the Williams Sonoma founder’s personal collection that celebrate the craftsmanship, beauty, and diversity of cookware and kitchen tools. From duck presses to Jello molds, the collection is amazing not just for foodie nerds, but for anyone who appreciates ingenious culinary inventions.

Sharpsteen Museum

For the final stop on the history museum tour, visit the wonderfully quaint and imaginative Sharpsteen Museum in downtown Calistoga. This museum is the brainchild of 2-time Oscar-winning Disney animator and producer Ben Sharpsteen. Though the museum houses some memorabilia from Sharpsteen’s career, its primary purpose is to document the history of California’s first millionaire, Sam Brannan, and the history of the Upper Napa Valley. The museum includes dioramas, artifacts, and antiques displayed in realistic settings, all created by Sharpsteen’s talented and creative staff of artists.

Regional history aside, Napa also boasts some fun, whimsical museums, such as the Napa Toy Museum in downtown Napa. The small space is packed full of nostalgia — antique toys that will intrigue adults and kids. The Hubcap Ranch in Pope Valley is a unique folk art museum featuring hubcaps and license plates from far and wide, artistically and humorously displayed.

Photo courtesy of Ca’Toga Gallery

If architecture and art are of interest, a trip to Villa CA’TOGA is in order. Since 1978, artist Carlo Marchiori has brought his Renaissance, Baroque, and Neo-classical styles of painting and tromp l’oeil to California. Marchiori’s estate in Calistoga is open for tours on Saturdays from May through October. Its Palladian architecture, intriguing interior design, and rooms and walls full of art will light the imagination on fire — it is well worth making a tour of CA’TOGA the center point for a day in wine country.

The RAD (Rail Arts District Napa), founded in 2016, is a free outdoor contemporary art “museum,” which starts in Napa’s Oxbow District and continues north two miles on the Napa Valley Vine Trail. RAD’s murals and sculptures have transformed semi-industrial areas and urban neighborhoods in the region and give exposure to emerging artists. The di Rosa Center for Contemporary Art is another exceptional art museum in the region with primarily outdoor installations. It is situated in a bucolic vineyard setting and features internationally renowned artists.

Though not museums, per se, many of the region’s wineries have fascinating histories that helped shape Napa Valley as it is known today. They feature artifacts and tours that highlight that history. The historic Beringer Vineyards, Charles Krug Winery, Beaulieu Vineyard, Inglenook, Schramsberg Vineyards, and Chateau Montelena are particularly interesting and worth exploring.

Napa Valley’s museums offer a unique and diverse learning experience that will deepen one’s appreciation for the area’s rich history, art, and creative forces and provide a fascinating perspective of California’s wine country.

For more information www.napahistory.org // www.shstory.org/about/ // www.napavalleymuseum.org // www.donapa.com  // www.visitnapavalley.com