Winters: History, Wine and Nature on Putah Creek

Winters combines the landscape along Putah Creek with the history of a California agricultural town and a distinctive food and wine culture. The town is located in the western Sacramento Valley near the California Coastal Range. This provides a diverse mix for planning your trip: you can explore the development of Winters, discover local products, plan wine tastings or choose nature and cycling experiences.

Landscape along Putah Creek

One prominent natural area is the Putah Creek Wildlife Area. It covers 673 acres and extends across slopes ranging from gently to steeply sloping. Forested riparian areas with Fremont cottonwoods, blue oak woodlands and natural chaparral communities of chamise shape the character of the area. Fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and birdwatching are possible in the Putah Creek Wildlife Area. If you would like to combine different types of activities during your trip, you can include this area as a separate nature component in your plans.

History, Townscape and Museum

Settlement of the Winters area began in 1842, when John R. Wolfskill took possession of the Mexican land grant Rancho Rio de los Putos, comprising 17,754 acres of land along Putah Creek. There, he raised livestock and planted vegetables, fruit trees and grapevines. Winters was later founded after the Vaca Valley Railroad agreed to designate the town as the northern terminus of its line.

The Winters Main Street Historic District makes the transformation of commerce visible, particularly in connection with agriculture from the late 19th century until shortly after World War II. At the same time, the district preserves the scale and architectural character of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. First Christian Church is an example of the Mission Revival style that was widespread in California in the early 20th century. At the Winters Museum, the town's history is conveyed through educational programs, research, oral histories, and photo and artifact exhibits.

Farmers Market, Garden and Wine

The Winters Farmers Market is located in Downtown Winters at the intersection of E Main Street and Railroad Avenue. Local products, fresh flowers and food vendors' stalls are among the offerings. This makes the market a specific place to visit if you would like to include regional products and the local character in your trip.

Park Winters' garden tours offer further culinary impressions. They include a kitchen garden where organically grown produce and flowers are cultivated for farm-to-table experiences. Turkovich Winery offers private wine tastings and winery tours by reservation. Turkovich Family Wines produces small-batch wines from vineyards in western Yolo County. This allows you to distinguish between a market visit, a garden experience and a reserved wine tasting when choosing your travel activities.

Cycling, Hiking and Special Events

The Davis Bike Club's Backroads of Winters Bike Trail runs through agricultural land and orchards. Those who would like to experience Winters from a more active perspective can combine this focus with other nature experiences. The trails in the Stebbins Cold Canyon Reserve are open year-round for hiking from sunrise to sunset. For a scenic drive, Highway 128 begins in the historic agricultural town of Winters and leads west toward the coast.

Downtown Winters also hosts the 4th Friday Kickback & Classic Car Show every fourth Friday from March through October. This regular event offers a different focus from a museum, hiking trail or wine tasting and can be taken into account when scheduling your trip.

Which accommodation suits your trip plans?

When looking for a vacation rental in Winters, you should first determine which part of the town and its surroundings is most important to you. If you are primarily interested in Main Street, the museum, the farmers market and local history, your trip will focus on downtown experiences and culture. For other travelers, Putah Creek, hiking, cycling, wildlife viewing or wine may be the main attractions. The best way to choose a vacation rental or vacation home is based on which of these interests you want to shape your days.

For further orientation, you can also visit the pages on West Sacramento, Esparto, Woodland, Davis and Rumsey.

For the overarching travel overview: Yolo.