Words by Andrea Gemmet
I’m not sure if the inhabitants of California’s Gold Country are unusually friendly or if the exquisite peaches from Twin Peaks Orchards should get all the credit. It might be a little of both.
Early into our four-day road trip through Rancho Cordova, Auburn, Nevada City and Grass Valley, my husband and I come away from a tour of Twin Peaks’ organic farm with a large box of perfectly ripe peaches, plus a dozen heirloom apricots. We can’t possibly eat all of them ourselves so, like a couple of Johnny Appleseeds, we hand out peaches to people we meet along the way. It proves to be an excellent ice-breaker.
Cover Photography Courtesy of: Kat Alves – Holbrooke Hotel / Photography Courtesy of: Rancho Cordova
Our first stop is Rancho Cordova. We stroll around Soil Born Farm, a sprawling urban agriculture project hosting a weekly farmers market, lively outdoor cafe and community hub. It’s a great way to start off a lazy Saturday but our visit happens to coincide with the annual California Mermaid Convention, just across the street at Hagan Park’s community pool.
The convention is one of the most joyfully eccentric scenes I’ve ever encountered. Colorful tails are laid out along the pool deck like fileted fish while their owners take a break and talk shop with fellow merfolk. In the sunlit water, several sirens glide beneath the surface while another sits half-submerged on a step, strumming a ukulele and singing sweetly while fluttering her tail.
Back on the road, we pass through Rancho Cordova’s Barrel District, stopping at cool, cavernous Movement Brewing Co. for a frosty fruited sour. Dinnertime finds us in Auburn at Restaurant Josephine, the perfect intro to what becomes a culinary theme to this trip: creative farm-to-table cuisine, adeptly prepared and absolutely delicious. Josephine has a destination-restaurant menu but the friendly atmosphere of a neighborhood hangout. The combination is pure Gold Country.
Photography Courtesy of: Rancho Cordova
After a relaxing night at the Hotel Vista Sierra in a sleek, spacious room with a view of the majestic mountain range, we’re off to Twin Peaks Orchards’ farmstand in nearby Newcastle to talk with Camelia Enriquez Miller about the region’s rich agricultural history. She and husband Justin are the fourth generation to farm this hilly land. First cultivated in 1912, now certified organic and producing an array of heirloom fruits, Twin Peaks is among the first farms to win recognition from the global Slow Food movement.
Old Town Auburn offers an abundance of Gold Rush history, from the rustic Joss House Museum’s Chinese artifacts to the Placer County Museum located in the 1890s courthouse. At The Pour Choice, a three-story craft coffee bar and tap room, the rosemary ham & cheese sandwiches are a gourmet treat—thinly sliced porchetta on house-made focaccia with mornay sauce and a zippy Fresno chili-spiked apple relish.
Photography Courtesy of: Visit Placer
Box of peaches in hand, we hit the Placer Wine Trail, chatting with Pamela and Zane Dobson, owners of PaZa Estate Winery, while sipping 2021 Cotes du Placer in their rustic-chic tasting shed. At Vina Castellano, we retreat into the cave-like tasting room to sample Spanish varietals like tempranillo and verdejo as well as Abuelita, a blend of cabernet franc and syrah. The affordable tasting flights and easygoing vibe of Placer County’s wine region, which dates back to the mid-1800s, reminds me of Sonoma County 25 years ago.
Next stop, Nevada City. The 16-acre downtown historic district looks like a movie set—and it once was. Hallmark’s The Christmas Card was filmed here during its annual Victorian Christmas fair. With so many shops selling housewares and western gear, the front window of Solstice stands out with its explosion of sequins, Day-Glo and feather boas. Once I learn there’s a sizable contingent of Burning Man enthusiasts in town, the eye-popping second-hand attire makes perfect sense.
Photography Courtesy of: Haley Wright
GO OUTSIDE Nevada City’s Tribute Trail along Deer Creek offers historical insights from its indigenous inhabitants—plus a bouncy suspension bridge over the creek. A short drive from the twin cities, walk across the South Yuba River on the 1862 Bridgeport Covered Bridge. Outdoor recreation on the South Yuba includes fishing, swimming, biking, horseback riding and hiking, but be mindful—snowmelt can cause hazardous water conditions into mid-summer. Dig into Gold Rush history at Empire Mine State Historic Park in Grass Valley. For a day on the water, the Sacramento State Aquatic Center in Gold River (near Rancho Cordova) offers classes and water sports rentals at Lake Natoma.
The thriving local art scene in this part of Gold Country is deeply rooted. The twin cities of Grass Valley and Nevada City comprise one of California’s 14 Cultural Districts, a well-earned honor. Along with art galleries, the small towns boast an outsized number of entertainment venues and a packed calendar of live music, theater and dance performances, including the two-day KMVR Celtic Festival held in Grass Valley each May.
One great place to tap into this creative spirit is Wolf Craft School and Collective, where you can try your hand at making all kinds of things, from jewelry and ceramics to sandals and textiles. For art and cultural exhibits, visit the ‘Uba Seo Gallery. Run by the Nevada City Rancheria Nisenan Tribe, it offers a thought-provoking counterpoint to the typical Gold Rush narrative of scrappy miners and wily entrepreneurs.
Photo Courtesy of: Rachel Valley
Nevada City’s historic downtown is so compact that, when looking for breakfast, we accidentally walk into the still-closed Heartwood Eatery before realizing our destination—Three Forks Bakery and Brewing Company—is right next door. Back at Heartwood for lunch, I peruse the chalkboard’s list of local farms that supply the restaurant and note that the decadent toast menu features breads from The Baker and the Cakemaker in Auburn. Locals are obsessed with the bakery’s Meyer lemon-rosemary sourdough and I can see why.
The twin cities each boast a lovingly refurbished historic hotel—the Holbrooke Hotel in Grass Valley and Nevada City’s National Exchange Hotel. We thoroughly enjoy a dinner at each hotel’s elegant restaurant, where local wines pair with well-crafted farm-to-table fare. Our room at the National Exchange had high ceilings, a private patio and a tastefully eclectic array of antique furnishings, including a wooden pew that could easily seat 10.
Photo Courtesy of: Visit Auburn
Grass Valley is also home to the annual Cornish Christmas street fair and several pasty shops, a nod to the many gold miners who came from Cornwall, and the pedestrian-only Mill Street Shopping District with several blocks of picture-perfect shops. “People in Grass Valley are very friendly, they go out of their way to help you,” declares Robin Galvan-Davies, head of the Chamber of Commerce.
From what I’ve seen on this trip, that’s true all over this part of Gold Country.