Top Things to do in California
10 Art Galleries in California That You Shouldn't Miss
California is a fertile, peaceful place where you’ll find a near-equal balance of vineyards and deserts, beaches and mountains, hippies and traditionalists. Catch an epic wave in Big Sur or swirl a glass in Napa Valley. Be dazzled by the Joshua Tree night sky or just star-gaze in Hollywood. Swish down the slopes of a Tahoe ski resort, or cruise across the Golden Gate Bridge with the top down and the music blasting. Above all, don’t forget to soak up some Golden State sunshine.
Restaurants in California
1. Quent Cordair Fine Art
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 57 reviews
Quent Cordair Fine Art was established by artist Quent Cordair in 1996. As a premier provider of contemporary Romantic Realism in painting, sculpture and drawing, QCFA has grown to serve an international clientele of private and corporate collectors. Located in beautiful downtown Napa, Ca., the gallery features a large collection of uplifting and inspirational art. Subject matter includes figurative, narrative, allegorical, still lifes, seascapes and landscapes. Award-winning painters and sculptors of international renown are represented, as well as emerging artists of unique vision and accomplishment.
Reviewed By MargeeRose - Orlando, United States
My visit to Quent Cordair Fine Art Gallery was the highlight of my visit to Napa. Linda Cordair was a gracious and knowledgeable host; she welcomed us warmly, gave us a brief orientation, and invited us to enjoy the art at our own pace, letting us know she was nearby to answer any questions. I was there with a mixed group: my best friend, my two age-20-ish children, and my 94-year-old mom, and each of us found different pieces to fall in love with. The gallery features stunning works of art, so many and so beautiful that I want to return to experience it all again. Highly recommend this oasis of calm refreshment for the soul.
2. Patrick Amiot Junk Art
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 169 reviews
Reviewed By SonomaTrekker - Sebastopol, United States
Visiting Sebastopol without walking up Florence Ave. is like visiting Paris without stopping by the Eiffel Tower -- don't skip it. Florence Avenue is 1/3 of a mile (.33) in length and only 3 blocks off Main Street. Most, if not all, homes on the street have a whimsical Amiot in the front yard, many of which reflect something about the resident(s). It takes less than 10 min to walk the length without stopping and the art is wonderfully clever!
3. Beatrice Wood Center for the Arts
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 97 reviews
Admission is $5. Guided tours are $10. Led by Kevin Wallace, Director of the Center, the guided tour includes the Permanent Collection, Current Exhibitions, and Beatrice Wood’s Studio. Wallace shares insight into Beatrice Wood’s involvement in the New York Dada Movement, the Theosophical Society, the creation of the Happy Valley Foundation, and Beatrice Wood’s unique approach to art and life. The Center is located ten minutes from downtown Ojai. Who was Beatrice Wood? Beatrice Wood was an important contemporary artist, craftsperson and writer. Her life ran the course of the 20th century and included many of the figures that shaped it. Ultimately, her genius was in the marriage of wide-ranging influences in her work. The spirit of Dadaism, impact of Modernism, embrace of Eastern philosophy, influence of folk art and even the ornament of ethnic jewelry were all combined in her ceramics.
Reviewed By julesrichman - Ojai, United States
Beatrice Wood was a unique woman & her Center in Upper Ojai is worth seeing. It’s a fabulous large ranch like property, obviously she had money! You will able to see her famous high gloss ceramics & read a bit about her life —if you are unfamiliar with the “Mother of Dada.”
4. Mouche Gallery
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 9 reviews
5. Glashoff Sculpture Ranch
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 5 reviews
World-renown metal sculptors Phillip and Chad Glashoff are based in rustic Suisun Valley, and as you drive through the valley to there Sculpture Ranch, you’ll enjoy seeing their sculpted whimsical mailbox’s dotting the landscape of the beautiful valley. You'll be even more surprised when you arrive at the ranch, with countless sculptures each one unique lining the walkways. Don’t forget the many exotic farms animals grazing in pastures and hills. The artwork so interesting as the landscape is for photographic possibilities, all to inspire the inner artist within.
6. Fiesta Hermosa
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 8 reviews
Reviewed By TravDevine
One of the largest, most friendly, fun event you can hope for. Literally hundreds of venders with everything from high end art to inexpensive clothing. Foods from all over the world. Kiddy games and Carnival. 2 stages of live entertainment. A fun Beer Garden. All on Pier Avenue and Hermosa avenue next to the Beach and the dozens of outstanding Restaurants Hermosa Beach offers.
7. Mumm Napa
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 908 reviews
Reviewed By nonanureen - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
This winery is so popular we had to wait 25 minutes as we did not have a reservation. It has a French influence due to the founder. The staffs were so friendly especially our server Penn he explained in detail about the wines and his recommendations. He also got to know each of us which was pleasant. We tried the Santana sparkling wine ( not in the menu ) instead of going for the wine tasting menu which was 3 glasses or you can also choose the 4 glasses. They provide crackers as well which is a good nibble with the sparkling wine we had. They also serve a plate of cheese if you would like to purchase. I like the view of the vineyard and the big barn. It is a pet friendly place and you can sit indoor or outdoor. The souvenir shop is cute too. Overall it is worth a visit.
8. Annenberg Community Beach House
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 132 reviews
We miss our Beach House community and hope you and your loved ones are well. In light of the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting budget crisis, the Beach House summer will be different than in years past. A notable change at the Beach House includes the pool closure through June 2021, and the Splash Pad and Playground closures until further notice. We are as heartbroken as you may be about these extended closures, and are re-imagining the Beach House as a restorative public space with recreational and cultural programming. For more information on what’s open at the Beach House and to sign up for our newsletter, visit annenbergbeachhouse.com. Please stay tuned!
Reviewed By khochajee - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
This is an absolute joy. There was a need for a place with ample parking, a cafe, pool, clean bathrooms and showers for the kids, a play area and the location couldn’t be better. A wonderful addition to the Santa Monica beach
9. Paradise Ridge Winery
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 171 reviews
We invite you to come visit our newly reopened Russian River Valley Estate Tasting Room. We are nestled on a 155-acre estate in the heart of Sonoma County wine county, Paradise Ridge offers spectacular natural vistas overlooking our vineyards and the Russian River Valley. Expansive decks and terraces open to panoramic landscapes. Visitors sample handcrafted wines seated on the veranda or in our new tasting lounge. This magical wine country property was discovered in 1977 by Walter Byck & Marijke Byck-Hoenselaars. The winery was founded in 1991 and continues to be family owned & operated. Wander through the outdoor sculpture exhibit in Marijke's Grove, experience the Fountain Grove Winery historical exhibit and taste artisan wines. For those planning a wedding or special event, Paradise offers a romantic & magical setting. Whatever you desire, Paradise Ridge Winery is a wine country experience not to be missed.
Reviewed By jennywt1972 - Liverpool, United Kingdom
A little jem amongst the four wineries we visited ! Our tour guide Reiner was amazing so knowledgeable about the wines , the chocolate pairing and his wit just added to the tour - a definite must if in this area!
10. Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 183 reviews
Ma(i)sonry Napa Valley offers a unique lifestyle experience in wine country. Originally built in 1904 as a private residence, the manor is one of three stone buildings in Yountville, and one of only two listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As an art, design and wine gallery set amidst a contemporary, landscaped sculpture garden, Ma(i)sonry offers guests a respite and a retreat. Guests have a variety of choices for their wine tasting setting. They can enjoy the intimacy of one of our three private tasting rooms, lounge in either of the great rooms, or gather outdoors at individual and communal tables, around the fire pit, or while stretched out on a blanket on the lawn. The outdoor gardens are beautifully landscaped around architectural remnants and contemporary sculpture and are available for our clients to relax and enjoy a bite or a bottle of wine on their own before or after their tasting.
Reviewed By mrg0137
On our last trip to Napa, my wife and I had a wonderful experience at the Ma(i)sonry tasting room, which is now called RH Wine Vault and is part of Restoration Hardware’s campus in Yountville. We loved the chance to sample a variety of wines from small local producers, and since the tasting menu changes a few times each year, we were happy to come back and try new wines on this trip. I’m happy to report that this continues to be a great place to visit for wine tasting. One thing that initially attracted us to RH Wine Vault and brought us there again this time is that they have longer hours for tastings than just about any other tasting room in the area. RH Wine Vault closes at 8:00 pm, while most tasting rooms end tastings by 5:00 or soon thereafter. In this case, we were arriving from the airport in the afternoon and wanted to start off our vacation with some wine, but our arrival time was just slightly too late to make it to most wineries before they would close. A 5:30 reservation at RH Wine Vault was perfect to do a wine tasting before dinner. It’s also nice that you don’t have to do a full wine tasting here if you prefer not to. They have an interesting list of wine by the glass or bottle if you just want to stop by for a drink. We’ve only done full tasting flights, but would also enjoy stopping in for just a glass. All tastings are being held outside right now, which is great, because the outdoor portion of the property is beautiful, with gorgeous seating areas and landscaping, outdoor fireplaces, and twinkling chandeliers. RH Wine Vault was designed with taking advantage of the outdoors, so it’s a perfect outdoor venue for a wine tasting. When we arrived, the staff got us settled in and brought us a complimentary glass of champagne while we decided which of the three tasting experiences we wanted to do. The tastings come at three levels for a tasting of red wines: classic ($50), connoisseur ($75), and collector ($100), and tastings of whites are also available at the classic and connoisseur levels. We were only interested in tasting reds, and noted that the classic and connoisseur options are a bit more varied, while the collector tasting features only cabs. In all cases, the focus is on small, boutique wineries, which typically have very limited distribution and don’t have their own tasting rooms. We both went for the $75 red connoisseur tasting, which is the same tasting we did last time and really enjoyed. Our guide for the tasting was very nice, and he brought everything out quickly and got us nicely set up. They like to encourage you to taste the wines “blind” to see what you like, which essentially just means that they don’t like to provide tasting notes or really discuss the wines until after you’ve had a chance to try them all. However, when he came back after we had tried them, he was happy to go over more details of the wines, particularly the ones we really liked. The four wines we tasted were: 2018 RAEN Fort Ross Seaview Pinot Noir, 2016 Blackbird Vineyards Blackmail Cabernet Franc, 2017 DiConstanzo Cabernet Sauvignon, and 2017 Complant Cabernet Sauvignon. We didn’t love all four of the wines, but we could appreciate that they were all of a high quality. The RAEN pinot really stood out to us, so we took a couple bottles of that one home, and the Complant cab was our second favorite of the group. Tasting fees can be waived with wine purchases (I forget exactly how much you’re required to spend to waive each tasting fee). Two bottles of the RAEN pinot noir that we wanted to take home were just shy of whatever the threshold is, and they were strict with not allowing us to waive one of the tasting fees unless we spent a few more dollars to reach the limit. This was also the case last time we were there, and it’s a little annoying that they’re such sticklers on this. I understand if I’m far off from the amount needed to waive the fee, but it was such a small difference that it seemed stupid I needed to find another whole bottle to buy to make up the difference. We ended up deciding to buy one of their more affordable whites to add to our order, and it was nice that he offered us tastings of both the Spottswoode and Lail Vineyards sauvignon blancs that we were interested in before picking one to add to our order. Both were excellent, but we really loved the Spottswoode. By adding that to our order, we were able to have one of the $75 tasting fees waived. Just like the first time we visited, we were both very happy with our experience at RH Wine Vault and will come back to try other new wines in the future. The staff here is incredibly nice, and the space is beautiful, with a great variety of interesting wines from small producers. RH Wine Vault has stood out to us twice now as providing a great and unique tasting experience within the Napa Valley.
