History Meets Modern Comfort

Ink-and-watercolor illustration of the Napa River, used as a decorative section divider on Napa River Inn pages.

While the Historic Napa Mill dates back to the 1800s, for today’s modern traveler we’re all about convenience at every turn with world-class restaurants and specialty shops situated under one historical roof, and located right next door to the Napa River Inn.

Aerial photo of Napa River Inn and the Historic Napa Mill complex along the Napa River at golden hour, showing the ivy-covered Plaza Building, the iconic red Napa Mill tower, and the surrounding Downtown Napa Riverfront District.

A Modern Cornerstone of Napa

Following a decade of restoration efforts, the Historic Napa Mill opened as a hub of local artisans, restaurants, art, and even a spa! All this is located just outside your room when you stay at Napa River Inn, providing you with the best local amenities as though part of a larger resort footprint.

Front entrance porte-cochère of Napa River Inn at the Historic Napa Mill, with the carved Napa River Inn and Historic Napa Mill sign over the brick driveway.

The Restaurant Collection at the Historic Napa Mill

A curated collection of independent restaurants — each a distinct, authentic expression of Napa’s legendary food culture, all under one historic roof.

Angèle Restaurant & Bar

540 Main St, Napa, CA

French country restaurant and bar situated on the Napa River Walk. Offers refined bistro fare, wine, and cocktails. Dine alfresco on the charming patio, or enjoy the intimate restaurant inside. The historic dining room is located in the 1890’s ship chandlery. Angele is a favorite of locals and visitors alike. Lunch and Dinner.

Celadon Restaurant

500 Main St, Suite G, Napa, CA

Global comfort food served in a lovely courtyard setting with a stunning outdoor fireplace, or in the elegantly-appointed dining room. Michelin Guide Recommended, and recognized for its strong, local wine list, you will find the menu a slight Asian slant mixed with delicious home-style cooking. Lunch and Dinner. 

The Fink

530 Main St, Napa, CA

Indulge in an enthralling cocktail experience at The Fink, a venue that has captivated distinct-drink devotees with something exquisite, alluring, and amusing. Nestled in the Historic Napa Mill, The Fink serves as Napa’s neighborhood bar for the global traveler. While it’s best known for its cocktails, there’s also an insider’s variety of wines available, many of which are local, complemented by a selection of world-favorites. To accompany your drink, the bar offers delightfully delicious small bites. The Fink welcomes patrons from Tuesday through Sunday, opening its doors at 4pm nightly.

Sweetie Pies Bakery & Café

520 Main St, Napa, CA

Sweetie Pies uses fresh, high-quality ingredients to prepare their morning pastries, specialty cakes, cheesecakes, pies, cookies, bars, wedding cakes and more. Join us for breakfast, lunch or just come in to relax in our comfortable atmosphere and enjoy a coffee and one of our delicious desserts.

Vintage Sweet Shoppe

530 Main St, Suite A, Napa, CA

This is Napa’s candy store. Custom chocolates and great souvenirs — if you don’t eat them before you get them home. You can also pick up fudge, truffles, chocolate covered wine bottles, as well as Jelly Bellies, ice cream and shaved ice. Unique little corner for wine tasting (with or without chocolates!). Open late.

Explore the Mill

Find your essentials, and relaxation, at the Historic Napa Mill.

The Spa at Napa River Mill

Small, quiet, and entirely about the treatment. There are no whirlpools or fireplace lounges here, just massages, facials, wraps, and exfoliations tailored to you. The star is the in-house Napa Valley Organics line, made with local wine grape seeds and other organic, wild-harvested, hand-milled ingredients. Pick your body butter scent, sink into the wine country pace, and walk out feeling like a million bucks. Open daily; located in the old Napa Police Station building.

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Landscaping

The gardens were designed by L. Diane Row, who trained in the English and French estate tradition and studied under British landscape designer John Brooks. What looks like a happy accident of flowers and foliage is anything but. Every color, texture, and placement is deliberate. The result is part oasis, part frame for the historic buildings around it. Wander the paths between the Mill’s buildings and you’ll see her hand everywhere.

Historic Napa Mill Gateway

The Historic Napa Mill Gateway at the Napa River Inn is a prominent iron and metal sculpture designed by noted local artist Gordon Huether. It serves as a striking, historically sensitive entryway for the landmark mill building and the surrounding property.

Gift Shop

Named for Captain Hatt’s daughter Amelia, also the name of the steamship he ran along the river, this little shop sits in what was once the Mill’s business office, right off the lobby. Browse local artisan goods, eclectic handbags and jewelry, Napa Valley souvenirs, wine, t-shirts, and the grape seed spa products from next door. The perfect spot to grab a gift before you head home, or something for yourself.

Discover "Timeless Joy"

Historic Napa Mill Complex

On the Riverbend Plaza, you’ll find “Timeless Joy,” a stunning piece by Desert Storm Veteran and talented metal artist, Lieutenant Mustardseed. This unique dragonfly sculpture is a perfect example of Mustardseed’s knack for turning everyday objects into something extraordinary.

“Timeless Joy” is crafted from a mix of materials, including a Harley Davidson gas tank, giving it a bold and colorful look. Each piece used in the sculpture has been carefully chosen and transformed, showcasing Mustardseed’s dedication to honoring past traditions while creating art that speaks to our present.

Guests of Napa River Inn can explore this remarkable work and see how Mustardseed breathes new life into recycled objects. The dragonfly not only represents resilience and creativity but also captures the vibrant spirit of Napa’s art scene.

Whether you’re an art lover or simply curious, Lieutenant Mustardseed’s “Timeless Joy” is sure to inspire. Come and see how everyday items can be reborn into playful and meaningful art.

Mosaic Fountain of History

Historic Napa Mill Complex

Alan Shepp’s mosaic fountain is an artistic rendition of the Napa Valley’s role in the epic of the American West. The work of art seeks to capture the essence of the whole Napa Valley story, its glories, and its tragedies.

A beautiful glass waterfall tumbles over images of the Napa River’s inhabitants, including salmon, turtles, a beaver, and sunken boats. Tiles known as “The Living River” flow from the fountain throughout the plaza.

The fountain is particularly spectacular at night when the tiles twinkle with reflective light and give it a completely different look than daylight does. Day or night, it makes for a lovely stop along the Napa River Trail – the perfect place to see some of the flora and fauna depicted in the fountain.

Local multimedia artist Alan Shepp creates large-scale sculpture and public art that has been exhibited from Italy to Singapore, Egypt, England, Israel, and throughout the U.S. Shepp’s commissions can be found in many northern California locales. He and his wife Diane, also an artist, keep their studio right in Napa.

Fish On by Terrence Martin

Historic Napa Mill Complex

Created by the eminently interesting Terrence Martin, who quit his day job in cardio surgery in 2004 to focus on large-scale public sculpture, “Fish On” is part of Martin’s large body of work that can be seen outdoors in and around the Bay Area. His most recent public works include the 100th game commemorative sculpture for the Rose Bowl, multiple pieces for the Sacramento Kings and a 26-foot-tall metal guitar sculpture for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Lake Tahoe, Nevada.

Black-and-white historical photo of mule teams hitched in front of a brick warehouse at the Napa Mill in the late 1800s, when the property operated as a working flour mill.

A Storied Past

The Hatt/Napa Mill buildings are the last vestiges of a once-thriving Main Street industrial and commercial center of late-1800s and early-1900s Napa City. This historical significance has garnered the complex local landmark status and National Register of Historic Places listing. Within their walls, the Hatt/Napa Mill Buildings have been a warehouse for more than just commodities. This complex stores the histories of the lives and times of the owners, workers and community of Napa.

The first signs of Captain Albert Hatt’s plans to build a new warehouse were on January 20, 1882 when the Napa County Reporter documented the sale of a block of property at Main and Fifth streets. Hatt purchased the property from Napa founder William H. Coombs for just $1. Hatt also owned a steamship in connection with the business, which he named after one of his daughters, Amelia.

Sepia-toned aerial photograph from circa 1950 showing the original Napa Mill warehouse complex along the Napa River, the site that is now Napa River Inn.

Some Common Questions

Q. What is the Historic Napa Mill?

A:The Historic Napa Mill is a landmark riverfront complex in downtown Napa built around the original Hatt/Napa Mill buildings, which date to the 1880s. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and today houses restaurants, shops, a day spa, and the Napa River Inn.

A:The Historic Napa Mill sits along the Napa River in the heart of downtown Napa, with the Napa River Inn located directly within the complex. Guests can step from their room into the Mill’s courtyards, restaurants, and shops without ever getting in a car.

A:The anchor structure, the A. Hatt Building, was constructed in 1882 by Captain Albert Hatt, who purchased the land from Napa founder William H. Coombs for just one dollar. The buildings served as a working grain mill and feed operation well into the 20th century before being redeveloped.

A: The complex offers dining at several restaurants including Angele along the riverfront, shopping at Amelia’s gift shop and the Vintage Sweet Shoppe, a day spa, and the Riverbend Performance Plaza, an outdoor venue hosting art, theater, wine, and music events on the river.

A: Absolutely. Although guests staying at Napa River Inn have the obvious advantage of being steps away at any hour. The Mill is one of the best-preserved examples of 19th-century commercial architecture in the Napa Valley and a working destination in its own right, not just a backdrop.

A: The Mill was built at the center of Napa’s riverfront commerce, at a site that had served as a steamboat landing since the 1840s. Goods moved in and out by water for decades, and the river remains central to the Mill’s identity. The Riverbend Plaza, river-view dining, and the Napa River Inn’s riverside rooms all reflect that history.