Winter in the Tri-Valley
Winter in the Tri-Valley
While the rest of the country bundles up and heads indoors for the winter season, the Tri-Valley embraces the crisp air, clear views, and café lounging. Cozy up next to fire pits with a glass of wine, binge on warm comfort foods, and venture out to one of the clearest vistas in the entire world. Here are our favorite things to do during winter in the Tri-Valley.
Visit Mt. Diablo State Park
Mt. Diablo’s summit sits nearly 4,000ft above the rest of the Bay Area, acting as a gorgeous backdrop to the entire Tri-Valley. Given how low the foothills and surrounding area is, Mt. Diablo has some of the best summit visibility in the entire world. On clear days, visitors are able to spot San Francisco to the west, Yosemite to the east, and even Lassen Peak, 181 miles north of the State Park. The best time to score clear panoramic views from the summit is the day after winter rains have had a chance to clear our air.
Snag a Couch Seat at Vine Cinemas
Vine Cinemas & Alehouse in Downtown Livermore isn’t just a great place to catch a flick, it’s the comfiest seat in town! Featuring local beers and wines, artisanal appetizers, and comfortable love seats in addition to regular theater seating, this isn’t your normal movie night experience. While recent releases are often making appearances on Vine Cinema’s marquee, they also host live sporting events and celebrations like Superbowl parties and The Bachelor screenings. With a giant 30ft screen, the Vine has the largest sporting screen in the entire Bay Area!
Winter Wine Tasting
Nothing keeps you warm like a glass of wine on a chilly day, and the Tri-Valley is home to more than 60 local wineries to taste at. Rubino Estates Winery (pictured above) is a California-Italian winery with an authentic deli, decked out tasting room, and an outdoor bocce court to get your blood pumping. Each Sunday, Retzlaff Vineyards invites guests onto their sprawling lawn to cuddle up around fire pits, roast up some s’mores and enjoy live musical performances. Rather stay indoors? Take a tour of the Wente Vineyards wine caves at their Arroyo Road location, or sign up for one of their wine workshops at the award-winning Wente Winemakers Studio off of Tesla Road.
Hop on the Caffeine Trail
The Caffeine Trail consists of 20 cafés, tearooms and coffeehouses in the Tri-Valley, each with their own set of peps and perks. Between breakfast and brunch spots with creative caffeine concoctions, cafés with extensive herbal tea selections, and shops that feature sweet boba tea in a variety of flavors, winter is by far the best season to hit this caffeine-centric trail. Visit one stop in each city and we’ll gift you a limited edition Tri-Valley coffee mug!
Indoor Ice Skating
Enjoy the thrills of ice skating without turning into an icicle at one of the indoor ice skating facitilities in the Tri-Valley. Dublin Iceland (pictured above) and Tri-Valley Ice are both open year-round and rent skates to the public. Fun Fact: Kristi Yamaguchi (National World, and Olympic Champion) completed a majority of her training at Dublin Iceland!