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 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.
Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park
28.58 MILES
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
8.79 MILES
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
22.93 MILES
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…
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
28.66 MILES
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…
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…
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…
California Cavern State Historic Landmark
20.14 MILES
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…
26.33 MILES
The unusually family-friendly atmosphere makes the wine feel secondary at Ironstone. There’s a natural spring waterfall, a mechanical pipe organ, frequent…
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…
2.07 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…
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…
4.94 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…
6.54 MILES
This quaint small vineyard just outside Plymouth has a homely Spanish feel and its Reserve Syrah is excellent.
7.16 MILES
As if the fine rosé and award-winning Sauvignon Blanc weren't enough, here tastings are paired with complimentary artisanal cheeses.
7.93 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…
8.19 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…