American Association of Retired Persons. - AARP Napa & Sonoma, California

Opening up the world and the wonders in your own backyard.

Maybe youre finally planning that big trip youve dreamt of for years. Maybe youre ready to hop in the car and go where the road takes you. Or maybe youre visiting far-flung family and friends.

Welcome to travel for grown-ups. Where do you turn for help?

Dedicated to helping you enjoy and enrich your life through travel, AARP has teamed up with Frommers to offer the best advice on must-see destinations, from daytrips to journeys around the world. Well guide you to the best food, accommodations, shopping, nightlife, sights, and activities that suit your lifestyle.

And true to AARPs commitment to help you stretch your dollars, well show you how to get the best value, whether youre traveling near or far. Want to splurge on a fancy hotel and eat cheap, or vice versa? We offer all price ranges. And give you the flexibility to tailor your trip to your budget. Whatever you choose, whatever your budget, well make sure you have memorable and wonder-filled experiences.

So hit the road and enjoy every minute. Well show you the way.

About the Authors

Matthew Poole, a native Californian and San Francisco resident, has authored more than two dozen travel guides to California, Hawaii, and abroad, and is a regular contributor to radio and television travel programs. Before becoming a full-time travel writer and photographer, he worked as an English tutor in Prague, a ski instructor in the Swiss Alps, and a scuba instructor in Maui and Thailand. His other titles include Frommers California, Frommers Irreverent Guide to San Francisco, Frommers San Francisco Day by Day, and Frommers San Francisco Free & Dirt Cheap. You can follow Matthews weekly blog posts about travel adventures in Northern California at LocalGetaways.com.

A native San Franciscan, Erika Lenkert divides her time between San Francisco and Napa Valley, where she is forever seeking the next best restaurant, hotel room, and fun way to savor the region. She frequently writes Every Day with Rachael Ray party guides and offers up tasty local tips on the region for other various magazines. In her spare time she tours the region with her husband, Colie, and daughter, Viva, and authors books, such as The Last-Minute Party Girl: Fashionable, Fearless, and Foolishly Simple Entertaining; The Real Deal Guide to Pregnancy; and Healthy Eating During Pregnancy.

From tracking gorillas in Rwanda to scuba diving with sharks during a South Pacific cyclone, there's not much Kristin Luna won't do for the sake of a story. Kristin has written guidebooks for Frommer's and Globe Pequot Press and was a former contributing writer for Newsweek, Forbes Traveler, and the Travel Channel. She also freelances for Islands, Robb Report, Sherman's Travel, Destination Weddings & Honeymoons, the San Francisco Chronicle, Toronto Globe & Mail, Real Simple, Glamour, Self, and more.

Frommers Star Ratings, Icons & Abbreviations

Every hotel, restaurant, and attraction listing in this guide has been ranked for quality, value, service, amenities, and special features using a star-rating system. In country, state, and regional guides, we also rate towns and regions to help you narrow down your choices and budget your time accordingly. Hotels and restaurants are rated on a scale of zero (recommended) to three stars (exceptional). Attractions, shopping, nightlife, towns, and regions are rated according to the following scale: zero stars (recommended), one star (highly recommended), two stars (very highly recommended), and three stars (must-see).

In addition to the star-rating system, we also use seven feature icons that point you to the great deals, in-the-know advice, and unique experiences that separate travelers from tourists. Throughout the book, look for:

special finds those places only insiders know about

fun facts details that make travelers more informed and their trips more fun

kids best bets for kids and advice for the whole family

special moments those experiences that memories are made of

overrated places or experiences not worth your time or money

insider tips great ways to save time and money

great values where to get the best deals

The following abbreviations are used for credit cards:

AE American Express DISC Discover V Visa

DC Diners Club MC MasterCard

The Best of California

by Harry Basch, Tara de Lis, Mark Hiss, Erika Lenkert, Kristin Luna & Matthew Poole

I n my early 20s, I took the requisite college students pilgrimage to Europe, exploring its finer train stations and sleeping on the premier park benches from London to Istanbul. I was relatively anonymousjust another tanned and skinny, blond and blue-eyed American with a backpack. That is, until I crossed into the former Eastern Bloc.

The reaction there was dramatic, almost palpable. Like Moses parting the sea, I wandered the crowded streets of Prague and citizens would stop, stare, and step aside as if I bore a scarlet letter A across my chest. It wasnt until a man with faltering English approached me that I discovered the reason for my newfound celebrity status.

Eh, you. Where you from? No, no. Let me guess. He stepped back and gave a cursory examination, followed by a pregnant pause. Ah, Ive got it! California! Youre from California, no? His eyes gleamed as I told him that, yes, he was quite correct. Wonderful! Wonderful! A dozen or so pilsners later with my loquacious new friend, it all became clear to me: To him, I was a celebritya rich, convertible-driving surfer who spent most of his days lazing on the beach, fending off hordes of buxom blondes while arguing with his agent via cellphone. The myth is complete, I thought. I am the Beach Boys. I am Baywatch. Status by association. The tentacles of Hollywood have done what no NATO pact could achievetheyve leapfrogged the staid issues of capitalism versus communism by offering a far more potent narcotic: the mystique of sun-drenched California, of movie stars strolling down Sunset Boulevard, of beautiful women in tight shorts and bikini tops roller-skating along Venice Beach. In short, the world has bought what the movie industry is selling.