Quick directions --> Plug “Berryessa Brewing Company 27260 CA-128, Winters, CA 95694,” or “Lake Solano County Park 8685 Pleasants Valley Rd, Winters, CA 95694” into your maps application.
More detailed directions: There are two ways to get to the city of Winters from Davis: either through Russell Blvd. or West Covell Blvd. Continue along whichever road you decide to take, it will take you right into the city of Winters. Note- there is a weird part of Russell Blvd however that veers to the right at the edge of town. Do not continue to the right, take the first left to stay on the straight path of Russell Blvd. If you find yourself in a residential area, you have gone too far to the right. If you are driving through a bunch of farmland, you are going in the correct direction.
Russell and W. Covell merge together as you approach the city of Winters. After about 20 minutes, you’ll drive over an overpass into the city. Continue straight onto Highway 128. Berryessa Brewing Company is located a couple miles down Hwy 128 on the right-hand side. Look for a big sign that says Berryessa Gap Winery or the A-frame sign that says Berryessa Brewing/ Parking.
You can either leave early and go paddleboarding first, or hit up the brewery first. I think your best bet would be paddleboarding and exploring the Lake Solano area, then hitting up BBC in the afternoon for great beer, good food, and phenomenal music. Berryessa Brewing Company is open Friday 4-8, Saturday 12-6, and Sunday 12-6. They have super friendly staff and really awesome brewers working behind the scenes to make the craft beer that has made Berryessa Brewing Co. one of the top-10 craft breweries in Northern California, as rated by SF beer enthusiasts. (see more at https://www.thrillist.com/drink/san-francisco/best-norcal-breweries-california-craft-beer-sf). One of these awesome brewers happens to be my awesome boyfriend, Nathan. If you see him, say hi and let him know you found out about BBC from this blog post!
BBC has a great variety of beers to offer for any drinker. Their IPA’s are their best sellers, especially the Separation Anxiety IPA, which can only be found at their taproom. Another great IPA is their Double Tap, which frequently flaunts a tap at bars in the San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento. On the malty side, they have some of my favorites; Whippersnapper, Station 26, and Big Brown Beaver, which is a seasonal, so get it while they’ve got it! Another seasonal favorite is Pumpkin Death, made with pumpkins the brewers smoked themselves. You can even buy 32-oz. cans or a 64-oz. growler to-go, for all your beery happiness.
The first thing you’ll need to do, though, is rent the paddleboards. As UCD students, we can rent all sorts of great gear for incredibly low rental prices from the UC Davis Outdoor Adventures program, located on La Rue Blvd. between the Rec Pool and The Colleges at La Rue apartments. Non-UC Davis students can also rent gear for just a few dollars more. We (I’m a rock climbing guide for OA so I’ll just say “we” because it’s easier J) just got 2 new stand-up paddleboards at the beginning of Fall Quarter 2015, and they are tons of fun! I have taken them out twice already- once to 9th Street beach in Benicia, and once to Lake Solano, which is discussed in this post.
The inflatable kayaks would be another great option to take out! Both the paddleboards and kayaks are super easy to load into the car, inflate, and use.
Both the Kayaks and the Stand-up paddleboards (SUPs) are $36 each and include the kayak or SUP, a life jacket, and a paddle. Depending on the season and weather, you may additionally choose to rent a wetsuit. However, the SUPs are pretty stable, so if you are already comfortable balancing on a SUP or surfboard, you probably don’t need to worry about a wetsuit.
For more information about OA rentals, see https://cru.ucdavis.edu/content/148-equipment-rental.htm
I did this local adventure with my friend Maria- we went paddleboarding after stopping by the brewery and we had a fantastic time. We paddleboarded in the early evening and watched the sun set while on the water. It was a great day! So whichever order you decide to do these activities in, you’ll have an awesome time!