In 1859, wealthy San Francisco entrepreneur Sam Brannan followed the lead of Native Americans – who had been utilizing the health-improving qualities of the area’s hot springs for generations – and opened a spa resort in the town he named Calistoga.

Although Brannan would later die penniless, the town he created quickly flourished as a health resort and is still synonymous with the improved mental and physical well-being which results from a combination of bathing in its mineral-rich waters, being smothered in its volcanic mud, and having one’s bones kneaded by nimble-fingered masseurs.

Should your mind and body already be on an even keel, Calistoga’s wineries might have more appeal than the town’s spas. Sterling Vineyards, 1111 Dunaweal Lane (http://www.sterlingvineyards.com/age_gateway?destination=home), is the only Californian winery visitable by way of a spectacular cable car ride. Its Mediterranean-style main building nestles on a hillside overlooking the valley. Also boasting better-than-usual landscaping is Chateau Montelena, 1429 Tubbs Lane (www.montelena.com), where the 1973 Chardonnay which put California on the world wine map was produced, and where the winery’s stone-built head­quarters overlooks a lake and formal Chinese gardens.

After the spas and wineries, spare a thought for Calistoga’s history by visiting the elaborate dioramas of the Sharpsteen Museum (http://www.sharpsteenmuseum.org), 1311 Washington Street, which re-create critical moments in the town’s past. 

Detour – Langtry Estate and Vineyard

In the 1880s, allegedly in pursuit of the quick divorce that Californian residency would permit, English actress Lillie Langtry purchased a country estate six miles east of Middletown (a crossroads community on Hwy-29 between Lakeport and Calistoga) along Butts Canyon Road, and imported a French vintner with the intention of founding a winery. While Langtry’s wine-producing plans came to little, her former estate is now home to the Langtry Estate and Vineyard, where the tales of Langtry’s Californian exploits make an enjoyable accompaniment to sampling the estate’s wines: (https://www.langtryestate.com).