Napa Valley is one of the most visited destinations in the world, garnering tens of thousands of visitors year-round. Even though I only find myself in Napa a few times a week these days, (usually for doctor’s appointments), every single time I drive by the famous grape crusher statue and recall my childhood as an East Bay tourist, I think about how lucky I am to live so close to one of the most beautiful places in the United States.
I didn’t truly realize its prolific nature until I moved here over three years ago. I don’t take enough advantage of what Napa has to offer, but what does it really have for young people?
I used to work on First Street in a heavy tourist area, so I got to meet many of the tourists that stop into Downtown after a tasting Upvalley. I noticed that many visitors were celebrating their 10- or 20-year anniversaries, mostly older than myself or even my coworkers.
There were a few bachelorette parties or destination weddings sometimes with younger crowds, but living in a tourist destination, there exists a palpable divide between us and them — I routinely had customers tell me “If I lived here, I’d quit my job and work here.”
If you’re under 21, where’s the fun of it all?
With so many twenty-somethings constantly coming and going, I got to thinking: what is there to do for fun when you’re young in Napa?
This reality hits even harder when you’re sober, like myself and a growing number of people. While my sobriety is purely a condition of my chronic illness rather than something I count the days and months of with pride, I still bear its weight in each and every conversation about Napa nightlife.
Even day life, for that matter. Working downtown, I was shocked that everyone was itching to sneak off to Cadet Wine Bar after work, or better yet, Wine Girl at 12 p.m. on a Saturday. I had grown up with the motto “it’s five o’clock somewhere,” but this was a mutually accepted all-day drinking culture.
Apart from the popular hobby of getting thoroughly inebriated by 3 p.m., what do young adults do for fun?
Personally, the best thing about being a local is taking visitors to your favorite spots, something my mother used to take pride in when showing our east coast relatives the hidden gems of the Bay Area.
When my sister visited, we started with our favorite old pastime: thrifting. We hit Napa Goodwill (I got some of my favorite dresses here prior to the pandemic), the Community Projects Thrift Shop downtown, even the Napa Library when their quarterly book sale was happening. I also took her to Jax Diner, my favorite lunch spot downtown. Is there anything better than Bottlerock Tots and beignets for the table?
My fiancée and I have also been known to spend a day at some local favorites. We love visiting cafes and familiar favorites he grew up with, like Barnhouse, Gott’s, and Hacienda of course.
As a disabled/neurodivergent couple, our Friday nights look very different from other adults our age. While our peers hit up Ace & Vine and other bars almost nightly, we get our sustenance from weekend coffee and hiking dates, usually in bed by 10 p.m.
Honestly, the fact that I can’t name more than one bar in Napa should tell you how little I know about Napa nightlife — a clear distinction between myself and my able-bodied friends. Needless to say, I was never invited to any functions outside of work, most of which occurred at bars.
If you asked me what my perfect day in Napa would be, here it is:
I would start at Community Projects (make sure to get there close to when they open), then hit up my tried and true favorite, Napa Bookmine. If I were by myself, I would grab a pistachio latte and pastry from Le Paris, but if I were with someone, it would be Jax or Napa Noodle for sure. Although, I do love my standing dates at Yak and Yeti with my local ostomy friend, and at Sushi Haku with my soon-to-be mother in law.
The Oxbow is also a favorite of the younger crowd, but not if you want to spend 20 minutes looking for parking. Although I love C Casa, the climate of the Oxbow is extremely overwhelming and overstimulating for a neurodivergent or disabled person, unfortunately.
There’s no denying it, we truly are blessed to have worldclass dining and entertainment here in Napa, but being a sober person with a disability makes it hard to partake in a lot of the culture that Napa prides itself on. Although I don’t get to take advantage of it as much as I should, it’s definitely a goal of mine to explore more of what Napa has to offer during this season of life. After all, many people would love to live here during the pivotal years of their twenties, so I guess that means I’m pretty much living the dream.
Chloe Moody is a graduate student in San Francisco State University’s English Literature department. She lives in American Canyon with her partner.
