Places to Explore In Sacramento and the Gold Country

Discover the best places to explore in Sacramento and the Gold Country with curated recommendations from our travel experts.

Amador City

The history of tiny Amador City (population less than 200) mirrors the boom-bust-boom cycle of many Gold Country towns. With an output of $42 million...

  • 3 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 1 Things To Do

Angels Camp

Angels Camp is famous chiefly for its May jumping-frog contest, based on Mark Twain's short story "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County." The writer...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Auburn

Halfway between San Francisco and Reno, Auburn is convenient to gold-rush sites, outdoor recreation opportunities, and wineries. The self-proclaimed "endurance capital of the world" is...

  • 5 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Coloma

The California gold rush started in Coloma when James W. Marshall discovered flecks of metal in the bottom of a ditch. “Boys, I believe I’ve...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 1 Things To Do

Columbia

Columbia is the gateway for Columbia State Historic Park, one of the Gold Country's most visited sites. It's a great place for families to participate...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Davis

Davis began as a rich agricultural area and remains one, but it doesn't feel like a cow town. It's home to the University of California...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Grass Valley

More than half of California's total gold production was extracted from mines around Grass Valley, including the Empire Mine, among the Gold Country's most fascinating...

  • 3 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 6 Things To Do

Jackson

Jackson wasn't the Gold Country's rowdiest town, but the party lasted longer here than most anywhere else: "girls' dormitories" (aka brothels) and nickel slot machines...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Jamestown

Jamestown supplies a touristy view of life during the two gold rushes in these parts. The first took place in the 1850s, the second in...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Mariposa

Mariposa marks the southern end of the Mother Lode. Much of the land in this area was part of a 44,000-acre land grant Colonel John...

  • 1 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Murphys

A well-preserved hamlet of white-picket fences and Victorian houses, compact Murphys has an upscale yet unpretentious vibe. Shops and restaurants line several blocks of Main...

  • 7 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 7 Things To Do

Nevada City

Nevada City, once known as the Queen City of the Northern Mines, is the most appealing of the northern Mother Lode towns. The iron-shutter brick...

  • 4 Restaurants
  • 4 Hotels
  • 3 Things To Do

Placerville

It's hard to imagine now, but in 1849 about 4,000 miners staked out every gully and hillside in Placerville, turning the town into a rip-roaring...

  • 7 Restaurants
  • 3 Hotels
  • 9 Things To Do

Plymouth

The most concentrated Gold Country wine-touring area lies in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, east of Plymouth—you could easily spend two or three days...

  • 2 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 11 Things To Do

Sacramento

All around the Golden State's seat of government you'll experience echoes of the gold-rush days, most notably in Old Sacramento, whose wooden sidewalks and horse-drawn...

  • 16 Restaurants
  • 5 Hotels
  • 25 Things To Do

Shenandoah Valley

The most concentrated Gold Country wine-touring area lies in the hills of the Shenandoah Valley, east of Plymouth—you could easily spend two or three days...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 0 Things To Do

Sonora

One of several southern Gold Country gateways to Yosemite National Park, Sonora was the biggest town in the Mother Lode. Reminders of the gold rush...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 0 Things To Do

Sutter Creek

Sutter Creek is a charming conglomeration of balconied buildings, Victorian homes, and neo–New England structures. At any time of year Main Street (formerly part of...

  • 3 Restaurants
  • 2 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Volcano

Many roads, all of them winding, all of them scenic, lead to Volcano, an off-the-beaten-path former mining town of about 120 people, the entirety of...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 1 Things To Do

Winters

Almonds, walnuts, and fruit are the main crops grown in this rural Yolo County town (population 7,600), whose several-block historic district's wine-tasting opportunities and restaurant...

  • 3 Restaurants
  • 1 Hotels
  • 2 Things To Do

Woodland

In its heyday, Woodland was among California's wealthiest cities. Established by gold seekers and entrepreneurs, it later became an agricultural gold mine. The legacy of...

  • 0 Restaurants
  • 0 Hotels
  • 0 Things To Do

Explore Sacramento and the Gold Country

Sights 64

Shopping 5

Nightlife 7

Performing Arts 6

Restaurants 62

Hotels 31
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