Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park
Gold Country
An otherworldly testament to the mechanical determination of the gold hunt, Malakoff Diggins is a place to get lost on fern-lined trails and take in the…
Must-see attractions in Gold Country
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
Gold Country
This state park comprises a fascinating collection of buildings in a bucolic riverside setting at the site of James Marshall's riot-inducing discovery…
Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park
Gold Country
Two miles southwest of Volcano, this sacred area for the local Miwok comprises a museum in a traditional wooden roundhouse, a village site, a limestone…
El Dorado County Historical Museum
Gold Country
On the El Dorado County Fairgrounds west of downtown (exit north on Placerville Dr from Hwy 50), is this complex of restored buildings, mining equipment…
Empire Mine State Historic Park
Gold Country
Atop 367 miles of mine shafts tunneling almost a vertical mile beneath the surface, Gold Country’s best-preserved gold-quartz-mining operation is worth a…
Gold Country
Cool off with a dip at South Yuba River State Park, which has popular swimming holes and hiking trails. It's near Bridgeport, which has the USA’s longest…
Gold Country
This is a park of deep gorges cut by the rushing waters of the North and Middle Forks of the American River, which converge below a bridge on Hwy 49, 4…
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
Gold Country
Home to giant sequoia trees that reach as high as 250ft with trunk diameters of over 25ft, these leftovers from the Mesozoic era are thought to weigh…
Railtown 1897 State Historic Park
Gold Country
Five blocks east of Jamestown’s Main St, this 26-acre collection of trains and railroad equipment is the photogenic sister to Sacramento's rail museum. It…
Gold Country
You can't miss the ominous steel headframe of the mine from the road, rising to 125ft. Its pulleys lifted ore and miners from the bowels of the earth…
Gold Country
This small, painstakingly curated museum is run by the Nevada County Historical Society from a unique white wooden building with a tall bell tower. From…
Gold Country
In the former 1857 Tuolumne County Jail, you'll find this great little museum with a fortune’s worth of gold on display in the form of nuggets and gold…
Gold Country
The so-called ‘Gem of the Southern Mines’ is like a miniature Gold Rush Disneyland, but with more authenticity and heart. Four blocks of town have been…
Gold Country
In its prime, Sutter Creek was Gold Country’s main supply center for all things forged. Three foundries operating in 1873 made pans and rock crushers, but…
Gold Country
The 1st floor of the domed 1898 Placer County Courthouse has Native American artifacts and displays of Auburn’s transportation heritage, including a…
Maidu Museum & Historical Site
Gold Country
This museum of tribal history is built on the edge of an ancient Maidu village, where families thrived for over 3000 years. Exhibits of beautiful…
Gold Country
This building goes back in time to when the general store was the center of the town’s social and economic life, represented by the chairs that circle the…
Gold Country
A museum for those who ache when they see machinery set aside to rust. The engineering-minded docents here have polished and oiled their extensive…
California Cavern State Historic Landmark
Gold Country
California Cavern has the mother lode’s most extensive system of natural underground caverns. Regular tours take 60 to 80 minutes, or get a group together…
Gold Country
Built by the Yue family in the 1920s, this clapboard residence stands on 'Chinese Hill,' one of many Chinese communities established during the gold rush…
Gold Country
The unusually family-friendly atmosphere makes the wine feel secondary at Ironstone. There’s a natural spring waterfall, a mechanical pipe organ, frequent…
Gold Country
Amid vineyards that were planted in the gold rush era, relegated to producing sacramental wine for the local church during Prohibition, and then restored…
Gold Country
The somewhat undiscovered settlement of Mokelumne Hill is 7 miles south of Jackson just off Hwy 49. Settled by French trappers in the early 1840s, it’s a…
Hangtown's Gold Bug Park & Mine
Gold Country
About 1 mile north of town via Bedford Ave, this historical park stands on the site of four mining claims that yielded gold from 1849 to 1888. You can…
Gold Country
The name is a good hint that this place approaches history with a humorous touch. Housed in an 1856 building, it has an inscrutable tintype of the outlaw…
Gold Country
Less than 1 mile east of Volcano, this National Natural Landmark has the whiff of a tourist trap, but one look at the array of helictite crystals – rare…
Gold Country
Inside a modern glass-walled tasting room, Andis Wines pours a rich array of reds, especially Barbera, Zinfandel and Grenache. Buy a carafe and linger a…
Gold Country
This hilltop farm, 2 miles northeast of Volcano, is blanketed with more than 300,000 daffodil blooms in the spring. The McLaughlin and Ryan families have…
Gold Country
This family run winery pours the juicy red varietals that made them famous in their lively tasting lounge. At times, the place feels like the community…
Gold Country
A family of oenophile-geologists picked this spot for its volcanic soil, which grows very fine wine grapes. Free tastings, though sips from their limited…
Gold Country
This popular winery excels with Syrah and Zinfandel varietals, which you can savor while touring the production facility in the old Miners' Foundry Garage…
Gold Country
This museum, built in 1851 as the Traveler’s Rest Hotel, exhibits depictions of typical 19th-century-farm family life. Volunteers in period garb show you…
Gold Country
The highly commercial Renwood Winery crafts outstanding Zinfandel, which you can taste in a flight of five wines, optionally paired with 'culinary small…
Gold Country
This is one of the most fun tasting rooms in Amador County, thanks to vintner Allen Kreutzer, a gregarious host, and his array of big reds. At the time of…
Gold Country
A family owned vineyard established in 1979, where they happen to make the best Barbera in the world. Tour groups of seven or more, by appointment only.
Gold Country
As if the fine rosé and award-winning Sauvignon Blanc weren't enough, here tastings are paired with complimentary artisanal cheeses.
Gold Country
Toward the back of the fairgrounds, the Gold Country Museum includes a reconstructed mine and gold panning, both great for kids.
Gold Discovery Museum & Visitor Center
Gold Country
Guided walking tours of the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park start here.
Gold Country
This quaint small vineyard just outside Plymouth has a homely Spanish feel and its Reserve Syrah is excellent.
Gold Country
A true family affair going back 150 years, where nearly everyone pouring has the last name on the bottles.
