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 only this one operated until 1996 – it was the last water-powered foundry and machine shop in the US. At the time of research, the interior was closed to visitors, with plans in the works to reopen.

You can peek through the gates of the battered corrugated-iron buildings into the cavernous interior.


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1. Monteverde General Store

0.13 MILES

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…

2. Kennedy Gold Mine

2.07 MILES

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…

3. Amador Whitney Museum

2.13 MILES

This rugged little 1860s building looks like something straight out of a John Ford movie, and houses a replica schoolhouse scene and the obligatory mine…

4. Drytown Cellars

4.94 MILES

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…

5. Young's

6.54 MILES

This quaint small vineyard just outside Plymouth has a homely Spanish feel and its Reserve Syrah is excellent.

6. Wilderotter Vineyard

7.16 MILES

As if the fine rosé and award-winning Sauvignon Blanc weren't enough, here tastings are paired with complimentary artisanal cheeses.

7. Chew Kee Store Museum

7.93 MILES

Remnants of the bygone era are just outside of Plymouth. The Chew Kee Store Museum, 6 miles east in Fiddletown, is an old herbal shop that once served…

8. Mokelumne Hill

8.19 MILES

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…