Downtown Napa warms up in off-season

There was a time when the only regular visitors to Napa's grim and gritty downtown were winter floods and tourists stopping for gas and directions - to get somewhere else.

After a decade of efforts intended to make the floods go and the tourists stay, downtown Napa is finally measuring up to the rest of the valley that bears its name, with sophisticated art, dining and wine - and much less of the pretentiousness of its northern neighbors.

There are other benefits: While not all storefronts are filled, the ones that are can be downright eager for customers, especially now in the low season, which means a warmer welcome and (often) prices lower than up the road.

Based on recent developments (and bargain rates), I spent a weekend in downtown to find out if, like most things around here that spend a long time in a cellar, Napa just needed aging before being uncorked.

Why now? It's decidedly off-season. I found an offer at Avia Hotel's website for a suite that in the high season runs $400 a night, but that cost me $159, plus tax. Also, crowds are fewer and dinner reservations are easier.

The back story: Despite some serious setbacks and unfortunate timing - the Copia Center going (ahem) belly up and the sickly economy leaving a portion of those shiny new storefronts vacant - developers and the city finally completed the Riverfront complex (part condo and part retail and restaurant) and the picturesque Riverwalk from First Street around the bend. The combined project doubles as long-awaited flood control for a downtown that seemed to submerge on a regular basis.

Along with the structural upgrades, the downtown has been experiencing a culinary makeover for most of the past decade and now boasts wine bars, storefront tasting shops and enough chic, tony eateries - Neela's, Ubuntu, Morimoto, among others - to rival its Napa Valley neighbors (except, possibly, Yountville).

Checking in: The Avia Hotel Napa is the newest of the growing list of places swankier than, oh, say, the Travelodge. There's a broad range of modern, chic rooms (and prices), as well as a wine bar, a pleasant restaurant and a second-floor deck lounge with fire pit, bar and comfy chairs.

Spend your day: I started with a hearty breakfast at homey Gillwood's in the Napa Town Center shopping area, then worked my way up First Street to the river for the first of several strolls on the new Riverwalk.

It's well worth crossing the First Street bridge into the burgeoning Oxbow district, although I had to satisfy a morbid curiosity and continue on to the old Copia Center grounds. The sprawling property has languished since 2008, although a few of the gardens have been reclaimed and resuscitated by local chefs.

Make a leisurely loop through the Oxbow Public Market, a gymnasium-size space with most of the same type of boutique vendors you'd find at San Francisco's Ferry Building - big emphasis on locally grown, hand-picked and organic (and, possibly, chickens that received spa treatments).

Explore the tasting rooms in the Oxbow area and pick up lunch at Gott's Roadside, or turn south on Soscol Avenue and stroll back across the Third Street bridge to Fish Story in the Riverfront complex. Just down from Fish Story is the Napa River Velo bicycle shop, where you can rent bikes - which might be overkill for the walkable downtown but is an option for following the river for a ways.

First and Main streets are the main lines for shops and tasting rooms (without the driving), including the Napa Town Center complex, and the shops on Main north of First. Many shops carry a wealth of wine-tourist trinkets - and are, thankfully, flanked by more tasting rooms.

The Napa Valley Opera House ( www.nvoh.org) is another indicator of attempts to beef up local culture, drawing names such as Dana Carvey, Chanticleer, David Benoit, George Winston, Suzanne Vega and the SFJazz Collective. Check the schedule for shows.

While hardly a nightlife magnet, nighttime strolling downtown this time of year is popular.