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nevada city streets

Rhythmic Nevada City, California

Rolling along Highway 49 in Northern California, we passed a chain of quaint towns that all sprang up to accommodate the floods of prospectors looking to strike it rich during the Gold Rush.  (I like to think if we were around in the mid 40’s, we’d be right next to those adventurers digging around in the California dirt!)  One town that really sparked our interest and seemed to stand out along the way is Nevada City.

nevada city streets

Nevada City is a mining camp that survived, and prospered, because it was able to transition to modern times while maintaining its vintage architecture.  At one time Nevada City was California’s third-largest city; then all those worldly fortune seekers who managed to strike it rich likely discovered the coast and said ‘sayonara suckers, I just bought myself a beach house…or something similar.  I have nothing to back this up, just making assumptions and feel free to correct me if I’m wrong…but I digress, let’s get back to the city today.

nevada city mining equipment

nevada city saloon

I often avoid using the word unique as I feel it’s overused, but unique is a word that should be associated with Nevada City.  This tiny “mod-ish” town certainly moves to the beat of its own drum and has a rhythmic cadence.  It’s historic and yet doesn’t rely on the laurels of being historic to attract visitors.  It has fascinating shops, cafés and hip people tucked into each one of those little Victorian buildings.  Oh, and I almost forgot, there is a random sprinkle of art deco here and there!  Because that’s what every Victorian village needs, a little art deco to break it all up.

city hall

rock shop

We loved it, but I think you have gathered that by now.  What you really need to know is:

When to Go:  Spring and fall are usually the prettiest times to visit because the summers can get toasty (like when we were there), however, we hear the holidays are beautiful!  The merchants apparently go all out.  We saw several contemporary windows luring us to “come in and shop”…we couldn’t resist!

Where to nosh:  New Moon Café has an upscale but comfortable atmosphere.  The food was tasty, perfectly prepared and most importantly supported local farmers and used natural and organic ingredients!  It was REAL food…the kind we like to eat.

new moon cafe

What to see:  Take a short walking tour of the city (free self guided map at visitors center) to get a brief history of the buildings and stop in to take a gander at the old Nevada Theatre, County Courthouse and historic cemetery.

visitors center

Who to chat up:  Inside the original 1861 firehouse is the Nevada County Historical Society Museum.  It has an extensive collection of artifacts and trinkets with everything from the Chinese mining laborers to 18th century clothing.  The real draw is the older woman who greets you; she is a wealth of random information and an all around great story teller (when she gets excited her eyes light up and it made us want to learn more).

fire house

Where to park it:  While we stayed at Thousand Trails Lake of the Springs because we were filming the campground, it turned out to be a real gem.  Now, for those of you that refuse to park in the trees because your TV Satellites won’t work, you may not like it.  But we loved our campsite because it felt like boondocking, or staying at a state park with really great amenities.  We had a beautiful view, the cutest furry neighbors and it was sooo blissfully quiet…at least in the “I” section where we were parked (plus we got great cell phone reception up on the hill).

lake of the springs campground

lake of the springs

What to skip:  If you don’t have much time in the area spend it in Nevada City and skip nearby Grass Valley.  When we asked the locals at one of the shops in Grass Valley for a restaurant recommendation they quickly directed us back to Nevada City.  Kinda funny right?

Disclaimer: While we were compensated to film the campground (thanks Thousand Trails!)…all of our experiences and opinions are NOT purchased and are still our own.

Hello there! I honestly don’t know what to say, so I am going to tell you a bunch of random facts instead. I'm a fish eating vegetarian who hates spiders and loves snakes. I almost never took vacations growing up. I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking (still do). I misspell about every other word I write and still struggle with grammar. I love splurging on a good high tea (which is really hard to find these days). And whatever you do, don’t tell me I can’t do something, because then I'll HAVE to do it!

Comments (11)

  • Gaylene Henderson

    You’re right. I used to live only a few hours from Nevada City and went there often. The holidays are gorgeous and local merchants dress in period costumes. There are carolers on the street. It is just a great place to visit. Also, it has been used in television and big screen movies. Most notable is the Christmas movie “The Christmas Card”. May I also suggest a similar town just a short distance away next time you are in the area. That is Placerville. Thomas Kincaide lived there and grew up there and most of his paintings were based on homes and buildings in the town. It is also a surviving mining town and has a great apple crop in the fall. The historic district is very much like Nevada City with original buildings and remaining landmarks. I love the whole Gold Country area and could tell you about many of the towns and communities along the American River. But be advised summers in the area are HOT!!! At and well into the triple digits without much night time cooling.

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    • We’ve just left Fair Play, CA and we’re sitting in 100 degrees in Lodi, CA. This valley is HOT! We did have the opportunity to visit Coloma, Placerville and several other old gold towns when we were traveling through in 2013.

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  • Barbara

    I just discovered your wonderful blog today! LOVE it! But I’m so sorry that someone in Grass Valley did them wrong! There are fabulous places to eat at, visit, and learn about there too! There’s Kane’s Restaurant, and Maria’s; and Charlies, and Sergio’s, and Wonderful lll, and Summer Thyme’s, just to name a few. I could go on and on and on. Then there’s the Empire Mine to explore…an all day excursion! There are world class concerts and entertainment at the Center For The Arts, as well. It’s a wonderful little town too! Just a bit of a different flavor than beautiful Nevada City. And they’re only 3 miles apart. Grass Valley has had to become the more modernized of the two towns, really, in order to support living in Nevada City. Otherwise, Nevada City would become unaffordable for all but the wealthiest among us, who don’t care how much it costs to buy a shirt at a tourist shop for $150. I love both towns, but one is Disneyland, and the other is real town.

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  • mary

    I enjoyed the read. I will have to put it on my list of many places I want to travel to. Be safe.

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  • hey you two!! wanted to say hello, great how to live on the road and make money series you’ve got going (; and as always, loving seeing all of your travel spots! i know i keep saying it but one of these days our paths are sure to cross (: enjoyed your post on tahoe, a spot on our list to visit at some point, and so good to know how big it is, i think we might have went in a little too blindly if i hadn’t read your post (:

    t.

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  • Melissa

    Beautiful!

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    • You’re sweet Melissa, it was a wonderful experience exploring this great little town and campground.

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  • Diana

    I was there back in 2011 while doing the work/study program at the Expanding Light Retreat in Nevada City. It was absolutely magical and I can’t wait to get back there! Thanks for the update, Wynns! Looking forward to the next one!

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