The Napa Valley Wine Train is exactly what it sounds like; a tour train in northern California on which you can drink and feel fancy.
Oh, but you don’t know the half of it. Because, faithful readers, they offer sooooo much more than just a luxurious, 3-hour loop.
This year they’re partnering with The Murder Mystery Company (which is also exactly what it sounds like) to offer up exclusive whodunnit experiences over dinner as you coast through the California countryside and inevitably slip into a mid-Atlantic accent hunting down your killer.
If you’ve got the cash to make the trip (you’ll need $350-$500 per person), you can pick the theme of your sleuthing adventure from a lineup on offer throughout the year. These themes include Death of a Gangster, Totally 80’s Totally Murder, Dance with Death, and, most intriguing to Harry Potter fans ’round the web, Wizarding World (aka “Wizard and Witches,” as it’s listed elsewhere on their site.)
The wizard theme does not appear to be an official Harry Potter experience; probably a different story set in the same genre. Nevertheless, the ears of muggles everywhere perked up at the chance to be part of the enchantment.
Word spread fast, and at time of posting, the limited dates for Wizarding World are already sold out – 7 months in advance.
You can browse the other intriguing themes and watch for any opening on their ticketing site here.
Here’s all the dates remaining, and their themes:
Crime and Punishment:
Saturday, March 21st
Saturday, April 25th
Friday, May 29th
Saturday, June 27th
Saturday, October 10th
Saturday, November 7th
Saturday, November 14th
Death of a Gangster:
Friday, May 15th
Friday, June 12th
Thursday, August 27th
Totally 80s Totally Murder:
Thursday, July 16th
Dance with Death:
Thursday, July 30th
Now You See It, Now You Don’t:
Thursday, August 13th
Till Death Do Us Part:
Thursday, September 10th
Thursday, September 24th
Wizards and Witches:
Saturday, October 17th
Saturday, October 24th
The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year:
Saturday, December 5th
So what do you think? Does it sound worth the price?
Tell us which experience you’d be most excited to try in the comments.
(Full disclosure – this isn’t a sponsored post or anything, but coincidentally I actually used to work with The Murder Mystery Company and am a little jealous of the cast that gets to work this quirky venue. Though I’d imagine the green room is a little tight.)