Published August 25, 2005

With more tourists than we can count - or, perhaps, even need - Sonomans can be pretty smug about the city's widespread appeal. Our historic plaza is easily accessible and continues to provide a downtown focal point and gathering spot.

The city of Napa has not been so fortunate. Its focal point is, literally, a moving object: the Napa River. But merchants and civic leaders are making it easier and more attractive for visitors to navigate the downtown streets by offering a free trolley and discount shopping packages.

Laid out in 1848 along a riverfront at the southern gateway to the wine country, Napa should have long ago blossomed into a premier tourist destination. As recently as four years ago, however, there were so few enticements in town that most of the six million people who visit the Napa Valley every year more or less shunned the county seat in favor of more charming destinations upvalley, as they say over there.

But after Copia opened in November 2001, the tide began to shift. Napa is now in the midst of a long-overdue renaissance that easily warrants a day trip or overnight visit. New hotels, inns, restaurants and wine-tasting rooms have opened downtown in the last three years, providing services for visitors lured by such attractions as Copia and the Napa Valley Opera House. An 1880 landmark that had to be saved from the wrecking ball a century later, the opera house is only one of hundreds of the restored historic buildings that now make downtown Napa an architectural showcase.

It's been nearly two centuries since Padre Jose Altimura led an expedition into the Napa Valley, followed by American settlers in the 1830s. Like Sonoma, Napa remained under Spanish and Mexican control until 1846. It is an irresistible historic footnote that until California was organized into counties in 1850, Napa Valley was technically located in the District of Sonoma.
In the late 1850s, miners disillusioned with the Gold Rush arrived to work on cattle ranches and in saw mills in what quickly became a boom town with crowded hotels, saloons and gambling joints. By the late 1900s, successful merchants, lumber barons and other thriving citizens were building hundreds of Victorians throughout the city, most of which survived the 1906 earthquake and fire.
By the late 20th century, however, the grandeur had largely faded. One factor in the city's stalled development was the river's increasing propensity for flooding. Today, however, Napa is midway through an eight-year flood control project that has already improved the river flow, replaced two downtown bridges and helped inspire the transformation of the long-abandoned Hatt Mill complex, now home to an inn, restaurants, a market, a day spa, jazz club, a bakery and a performance plaza.

The rehab craze extends to residential buildings as well as commercial ones.
Throughout downtown Napa you can see myriad architectural styles including Victorian Gothic, Spanish Colonial, Classical
Revival, Art Deco and Craftsman.

Two tasting rooms have opened in historic downtown buildings. In the 1888 Seminole Building, the Bounty Hunter sells cult wines by the bottle and dozens more by the glass. Lunch choices are on the light side but typical dinner entrees include baby back ribs and grilled, free-range steaks with Point Reyes blue cheese and bacon- wrapped shrimp.
The Vintner's Collective occupies a renovated landmark that is the town's oldest stone building. Its colorful past includes duty as a brewery in 1875 and then a saloon and then a brothel in the 1890s and, during Prohibition, the Sam Key Laundry. Today, visitors can sample from 18 small-production wineries.

Nearby, Back Room Wines is noted for its Friday night tastings, most of which cost only $10. They also offer food and wine tastings from noon to 6 on occasional Saturdays.
At these and other places, you can buy a $15 Taste Napa Downtown card good for discounts at any of the 10 tasting rooms and other stores as well as for admission to Copia. (For details and a map, visit www.napavalley.com.)

The free trolley circles the neighborhood every day, linking downtown with the Napa Town Center, Napa Premium Outlets, Copia and the Wine Train depot. The trolley operates every 20 minutes from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m. Monday-Wednesday, until 8 p.m. Thursday and Sunday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, when many shops and restaurants stay open late.

You can also get a blast from the past at the Napa River Inn at the Historic Napa Mill complex, where some rooms in the 1884 Hatt Building are decorated in period style. Accommodations in an adjacent building overlook the river, have balconies and are pet-friendly.

A couple of blocks south, the 1889 Churchill Manor offers full breakfast, croquet, tandem bicycles and a wine-and-cheese hour to guests staying in their rooms, many of which boast original features.

Downtown Napa offers a variety of restaurant options. Two years ago, the popular, eclectic Celadon relocated to the Napa Mill complex. Recommended dishes include the calamari and mussels for starters and the Moroccan lamb shank for an entrée. In the same complex, the Napa General Store is a specialty market, café and wine bar, with seating both indoors and outdoors overlooking the river.
Pearl's, operated by the couple who used to run the old Diner in Yountville, serves American comfort entrees and Mexican- and Asian-inspired dishes at moderate prices.
The décor and cuisine are more upscale at the elegant Pilar, where a small menu may include wild mushroom lasagna with Bellwether Farms ricotta and crescenza, grilled hanger steak, or a golden bouillabaisse.

Zuzu, a pioneer in the downtown revitalization, is known for imaginative tapas and an international wine list in a cozy, lively setting.

For Sonomans, the easiest way to tour Napa may be by water. Sonoman Jon McGuire charters his Phazetoo, a 42-foot-long motor-yacht with a mahogany salon and a sizable sun deck, for cruises from the Napa Marina to downtown Napa and back.