NAPA. An afterthought of the California Gold Rush, Napa Valley didn't see its first influx of settlers until after 1850. Those who did stay found a fertile area ideal for growing crops, especially grapes (the first vines were planted by priests from the Sonoma mission). Napa models itself on quaint European towns, as is evident in Old Town, which boasts 19th- and early 20th-century cottages and mansions, tree-lined sidewalks, and Victorian gardens that recollect an era long-forgotten. The charming downtown is peppered with shops, galleries, first-rate eateries, and an old-fashioned opera house, making the town a "must" on most travel agendas.

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