California has enchanting small towns bursting from every creek and crevice of its old Gold Country. There's the perfectly preserved Auburn, replete with craft beer and coffee shops. There's the one-time stomping ground of Mark Twain himself, Angels Camp. There's also the antiques, shops, and art of Placerville. And, somewhere in there, is the fabled "Queen City of the Northern Mines." Otherwise known as Nevada City, it's a place that touts a motherlode (pun totally intended) of attractions that'll
get you packing your bags and planning a road trip in no time.
Once upon a time, Nevada City was at the epicenter of the California Gold Rush, growing from a cluster of tents to a thriving camp of thousands sometime in the early 1850s. The pickaxes and pans are long gone, but the place retains an age-old, vintage charm largely thanks to a historic district that brims with over 90 preserved buildings. But it's no museum exhibit. In fact, it's positively buzzing with life — visitor numbers are soaring, and there are ever more tales of settling emigrants from San Francisco charmed by the liberal vibe, compactness, and cultural energy. True enough, you can flit from theaters to breweries to tattoo parlors to independent art galleries without even thinking about hailing a cab.
What's more, this queen of the mining country is hardly isolated out on its own. Yes, the great, green Tahoe National Forest might swirl on its doorstep, but the legendary driving route of Highway 49 can bring you to the interstate in just 35 minutes. Meanwhile, the big state capital of Sacramento — where there's also an airport — is only a whisker over an hour's drive away.
Read more: The 5 Best Hidden Hot Spring Hikes In California
The Buzzing Cultural Scene Of Nevada City
The 150-year-old center of Nevada City is the main attraction here. But not just because it's a vision of the past, very handsome, and packed with take-photos-of-me Victorian facades. It's also a hubbub of local life and subculture. Just check out the shopping. You'll find curious crystal emporiums selling good luck charms next to teahouses turned art galleries where chaga mushroom blends are the order of the day.
Established in 1865, the Nevada Theatre is perhaps the perfect example of how Nevada City fuses the old and the new. It's one of the most venerable playhouses in the state, but hosts art house film showings and world dance troupes. One former visitor summed it up on TripAdvisor: "This adorable little theater will transport you back in time to the gold mining era of this historic town. The building itself is in surprisingly good condition considering how old it is, and it's a fun/funky little spot to go watch an indie movie."
Just down the road is the National Exchange Hotel, another remnant from the Gold Rush where you can settle in for gin and Campari cocktails in the very room where Mark Twain once delivered lectures. More on the outskirts is another curio of a hotel: Flume's End. Built right beside one of the creeks where gold was discovered in the 1800s, it comes packed with antiques, trinkets, and interesting furnishings.
Nevada City Is A Stepping Stone Into The Sierra Nevada
Look at the map. See Nevada City? See how it's just about the last piece of civilization before State Route 20 delves eastward into the mountains? That highway is actually a ticket through the great Tahoe National Forest, whisking you through valleys once trodden by pioneers and past centuries-old lumber mills raised along the South Yuba River. In under an hour it will have linked up with Interstate 80, taking you over the legendary Donner Pass, where hikes go through miles of abandoned, graffiti-clad train tunnels built by the Union Pacific Railroad.
In the other direction, you can follow the meanders of the South Yuba as it winds away from the Sierra Nevada all the way to its namesake state park. The area contains a long section of the river itself, flanked by lovely hiking routes like the Buttermilk Bend, which comes alive with wildflowers during early summer. The park is also famous for hidden swim holes and canyons.
Then, there's the alternative way going south from Nevada City on Highway 49. There's adventure there, too. Known as the Golden Chain Highway, it's positively spectacular as it wiggles all the way through the foothills of the mountains to umpteen other mining towns and reserves.
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Read the original article on Islands.
