The Old Faithful Geyser of California is located in Calistoga, Napa County. It is one of three geysers named Old Faithful. The most famous is located in Yellowstone National Park, Wisconsin, and the second one is Pohutu Geyser, located on the North Island of New Zealand. These three geysers were given their name because they erupt faithfully with expected time intervals. The one located in California erupts every 15-30 minutes.

The location sits on a place which used to be an active volcano. The magma chamber provides the heat for the geyser, and water from precipitation (rain, snow, etc.) works its way into the subterranean chamber. A woman named Olga Kolbek bought the property containing the geyser in 1973, and it was opened to the public in 1974. She was a geyser enthusiast and could predict earthquakes based on the eruption patterns of the water. There is more information about the geyser, earthquakes, volcanoes, and Olga Kolbek in the geology museum located inside the park.

When you first enter the place, there is a gift shop where you can purchase souvenirs, as well as animal food. The area outside the gift shop has umbrellas, chairs, tents, tables, and places where you can sit down while still having a full view of the geyser. You could stay there for lunch by bringing food.

There is also an animal farm, which houses llamas, goats, and sheep. With the food from the gift shop, you can feed the goats and sheep. The goats are quite intelligent and know that humans mean food. One of the goats was so hungry that he/she followed us around, wanting to be fed. So in sympathy, we went back to the gift shop to get them some food. After feeding them, I had goat spit all over my hands. The llama and the sheep simply ignored us.

All in all, this is a great place to go to that is kid-friendly, fun, and not too crowded.

After visiting the Old Faithful Geyser of California, we visited Chateau Montelena Winery. It has a Chinese garden and a lake on its grounds. The lake is called Jade Lake. Jade Lake has willows along its borders, swans swimming in its waters, and red bridges leading up to gazeboes, which are available to those who reserve them. It has a very picturesque setting.