Taking children to wineries can be a little controversial. If you live in wine country, this feels slightly dramatic. Children live here too. Occasionally, their parents would still like to drink wine at a local establishment.
If you're traveling to Napa Valley with children, it becomes more complicated. Some wineries welcome them. Some tolerate them. Some would prefer that your child had remained at the hotel with a governess.
I learned this when I tried to make a reservation for six children and four adults and was told, quite directly, that wineries are not playgrounds.
Ok,fair.
In retrospect, I was trying to book what sounded like a preschool field trip with wine service. So there are rules. Tell the winery you're bringing children. Keep them supervised. And, if possible, do not allow the children to outnumber the adults.
Once we've established that, these are some of the places where I've genuinely enjoyed bringing my children - and where I've found something worth photographing while we were there.
The five places on my list are Castello di Amorosa, Frog’s Leap, AXR Napa Valley, Tedeschi Family Winery and The Village Calistoga. Each works for families in a slightly different way– and children’s policies can change, so always confirm before booking.
Castello di Amorosa: The Castle, Obviously
Castello di Amorosa is lovingly known around here as 'the Castle,' and it is the easiest winery to sell to your children.
It's a castle. We're done.
More specifically, it is an authentically styled Tuscan castle with stone courtyards, towers, underground rooms and enough medieval drama to hold everyone's attention. It is impressive even when you are an adult who has allegedly matured beyond castles.
If your children are in their Frozen era, the entire property feels appropriately dramatic. Mine don't require much direction here. Put them beside a stone wall, let them walk toward the castle and take the photograph. The setting does most of the work.
There is also what I would describe as a petting-free pet zoo. It is not a petting zoo. There are simply animals - goats, emus, chickens and others - for the children to look at. I am not particularly excited by zoos, but children seem to enjoy knowing an emu is nearby.
(*Children are currently welcome with general admission, although strollers are not permitted inside the castle..FYI)
Frog's Leap: For the Gardens
Frog's Leap has a completely different energy.
It feels more casual, more garden-like and a little less as though everyone must remain perfectly still while an adult explains Cabernet. There's a red barn, beautiful gardens, outdoor seating and enough to look at that children don't feel trapped inside somebody else's experience.
The photographs here feel softer too. Less castle drama, more children wandering through a garden while you pretend this is simply what your family looks like all the time.
There are plenty of green backgrounds, garden pathways and little corners where the pictures can happen naturally. You don't need to formally assemble everyone and destroy the mood.
(*One important distinction: Frog's Leap currently offers a specific Family Friendly Garden Tasting on weekend mornings. Book that one. Several of its other tasting experiences are adults-only.)
AXR Napa Valley: For the Fairy Circle
We always have a good time at AXR.
It is much smaller and more intimate than the Castle, and even Frog's Leap feels sizable in comparison. We've taken visiting friends here several times, including with our baby.
On a couple different visits, they placed us in a private room, which meant I didn't have to spend the entire tasting wondering whether every baby sound was ruining a very serious cabernet pour. It was relaxed, intimate and exactly what we needed.
Then there are the redwoods.
Behind the winery is an area we've been introduced to as the Fairy Circle. You stand underneath these enormous trees and look up, which is both very cool and an easy photograph. It feels slightly removed from the rest of Napa - quiet, shaded and a little magical.
It is one of those places where the photograph looks peaceful even if, moments earlier, someone was asking you for a snack.
(*AXR currently describes its tasting as including a walk through the historic estate and redwood grove followed by a private seated tasting. Its website doesn't clearly state a current children's policy, so this is one I would call before booking.)
Tedeschi Family Winery: For Actually Relaxing
I probably haven't felt more comfortable bringing my children to a winery than I have at Tedeschi Family Winery.
The first time I booked, we arrived to find a charcuterie table already prepared. The children were able to be outside nearby, and I didn't feel as though we had walked into a pristine tasting room carrying a collection of noise, crumbs and liability.
Tedeschi is small, family-owned and approachable. The family lives and works on the property, and the winery is easy to miss if you don't know it's there. It feels less like arriving at a production and more like being welcomed into someone's working winery.
And it is working. There are vineyards, a crush pad, barrels and people who are actually involved in making the wine. Nothing about it feels overly staged, which is part of why I like photographing it.
The pictures here aren't going to be grand-castle pictures. They're rustic, relaxed and much closer to what people imagine Napa was before every tasting room had a design concept. But you can bring your own food and picnic while sipping– what more could you want?
Their wine is also very good, which feels worth mentioning in an article technically about wineries.
Tedeschi identifies itself as family- and kid-friendly, but visits are by appointment and its standard estate tasting is designed for small groups.
The Village Calistoga: When the Children Are the Point
Finally, if the day is truly being planned around the children, go to The Village Calistoga.
The Village is not a winery estate. It is a tasting room built around the very specific problem of parents wanting to experience wine country after having children.
There is a smaller play area for younger children, plus a larger area with a climbing wall, foam pit, art activities and sensory play. I currently have an 18-month-old and a five-year-old, and this is the rare place that works for both of them.
They absolutely love it.
I can sit down with a glass of wine while they play, and I don't have to worry that they're interrupting an experience built for somebody else. This experience was built for them too.
Every other place on this list asks the children to meet the adults halfway. The Village gives them their own little world.
If Castello gives them a castle and AXR gives them a Fairy Circle, The Village gives them an entire miniature kingdom - while you remain seated nearby with wine.
Honestly, at this stage of my life, that is magic.
A Final Word Before You Make the Reservation
Wineries still aren't playgrounds. Except, apparently, for the one that intentionally installed a foam pit.
Tell the winery exactly who is coming. Choose the correct tasting. Keep the children close. And if six children and four adults are heading out together, skip the awkward phone call and go directly to The Village.
You're welcome.