5 Reasons Why You Should Take Your Child To A Family-Friendly Winery

A lot of people believe that wineries and vineyards are no place to take the kids. After all, it’s where parents get to enjoy a little “me” time while tasting some of the finest wine that the country has to offer during a well-deserved date night or night out with the girls. And while that part is definitely true, many wineries are also encouraging families to bring along their kids during their visits, too. Luckily, you no longer have to struggle with finding a babysitter because there are many wineries that are encouraging parents to bring their kids in order to make it more of a family-friendly experience for everyone to enjoy all together.

In fact, Hollywood director Francis Ford Coppola once said that during his time, families spent more quality time together as a unit. These days, there are too many places that are dividing families with “adult-only” or “kid-only” activities. According to Mr. Coppola, he wanted to establish a place where parents and their children can enjoy all of the finer things in life without having to feel separated. That’s why he transformed his Northern California winery into one of the first family-friendly wineries in the country.

Here are five great reasons why you should take your kids to a winery, too.

1. You Can Spend The Night At A Farmhouse

A lot of people believe that visiting places like Napa Valley or Sonoma County in Northern California are just for couples or young people looking to have a girl’s weekend getaway, but that’s not necessarily true. The Larson Family Winery in Sonoma, California has family in it’s name, meaning it’s a great place for kids of all ages. The Larson family rents out a farmhouse on the grounds of their Sonoma Estate. It’s a great winery with many different activities including a bocce court along with a huge open area for games like tag and corn hole. There’s also coloring sheets for kids while parents taste their wine.

2. Winery With Activities

Just because your visiting a winery, that doesn’t mean there’s nothing else to do but sit around and taste wine with food pairings all day (although that doesn’t sound like a bad idea, either). Take Red Cliff Lodge in Moab, Utah for instance. It’s a fantastic family-friendly winery that has a small playground and an outdoor pool. In addition, there’s also an area nearby for families to hike, bicycle of whitewater raft. In other words, you can turn your winery visit into an outdoor experience and vacation.

3. Visit A Farm

There are plenty of wineries all throughout the country that also have on site farms where kids get to check out chicken coops, chase goats or check out guinea fowl. Hilmy Cellars near San Antonio, Texas is another great family-friendly winery that allows children to explore the grounds in a real working farm where the animals are part of their “vineyard management.” In other words, they all have an important role of job to do.

4. Swim, Climb And Explore

One of the best wineries in Northern California would have to be the Francis Ford Coppola Winery in Geyserville, California, and in the heart of Sonoma County. The Hollywood director himself said that he wanted a place where kids of all ages could enjoy the best things in life, along with their parents at a winery, no less. That’s why he came up with the idea of making his winery a resort, or a wine wonderland if you will, where families can relax while having wonderful food and wine while enjoying good music, games, swimming and performances of all types. His winery offers a huge Olympic-sized swimming pool, cabins, bocce, a lending library, and a family fun night once a week.

5. Enjoy Life-Sized Games

Castoro Cellars has got to be one of the best wineries in Central California, and that’s because it also caters to families and children of all ages. After all, it is the one place where you get to play a giant life-sized game of Jenga (which kids will absolutely love) made out of two-by-four planks of plywood. There’s also cornhole and an 18-hole disc golf course. There’s also picnic tables and coloring books for kids to enjoy while their parents taste wine in a nearby Mediterranean-style tasting room.