St. Helena Makes Chronicle's 'Must-See Small Towns' List

St. Helena may be the most-charming town in the county.

The tiny Napa Valley town make SFGate's list of best small-town escapes published earlier this month.

The kudos came on the Get Lost travel blog, which highlighted cute towns within a couple hours drive of San Francisco that are worth a weekend visit.

If you need an excuse to visit this month, St. Helena art galleries and vineyards are offering several events as part of Napa Valley's Arts in April.

One of those is Markham Vineyards Gallery's  U.S. premiere of a photo show by legendary Rolling Stone magazine photographer Baron Wolman. The show, which opened April 1, will run through mid-June. Wolman is expected at the gallery this Saturday.

For more Arts in April events in St. Helena or elsewhere in the Napa Valley, check Napa Valley Arts in April™.

The Culinary Institute of America also is a popular spot when the school opens its doors to the public for graduate chefs and master chefs' events.

Other towns to make the list, published in the online version of the San Francisco Chronicle, included Monterey Bay gems Aptos and Carmel, coastal Half Moon Bay, wine country destination Healdsburg, Sierra foothills charmers Nevada City and Placerville, and Marin County favorites Bolinas, Mill Valley and Sausalito.

SFGate readers added their own favorites on this round-up of 20 more must-see small towns. No other Napa County towns made the cut, but communities in Sonoma and Marin counties garnered mentions.

Tell us: what are your favorite day trips within an hour or two?

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