Exploring California Gold Country and the state capital

For families interested in California history, a trip through Gold Country and Sacramento will hit many highlights, focusing on the Golden State’s storied gold rush past.Raft and gold pan in the same river where gold was first discovered in 1848, ride historic steam locomotives, tour the state capital…and visit countless historic museums.

Start or end in Sacramento:

old-sacramento

The state capital is, in many ways, the heart of the California history experience. Here’s what not to miss:

Explore Old Sacramento:

In addition to one of the best railroad museums we’ve ever seen (the California State Railroad Museum may even be THE best), Sacramento’s historic district hosts fun shops and eateries and carriage rides along the river. Go during the evening to avoid the heat of summer, or visit any time during the off-season. Read our review of Old Sac and the museum, and also be sure to check the fun schoolhouse museum!

Tour the Capitol:

It’s architecturally stunning, rich with history and free to the public. The California State Capitol Museum is open daily, except for major holidays. The Capitol is located on 10th Street between L and N streets, downtown Sacramento. Learn more here.

Learn even more about Sacramento history:

Don’t miss Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park, which is located in the city but feels a world away. Read our review of Sutter’s Fort. Next, pan for gold yourselves at Amador County Park’s Volcano Memorial Park, located four miles east of the town on Sutter Creek-Volcano Road. The park provides a picnic area, grassy lawns and a gold panning area where you can pan for gold nuggets. Also try Sutter Gold Mine to pan for gold and visit sites (13660 Highway 49, Sutter Creek).

Raft on the American River in the foothills of gold country:

The American River packs a big punch with history and big rapids colliding in an adventure-filled weekend. We recommend rafting the Middle Fork of the American River with OARS.

Where to Stay:

The Citizen Hotel sits adjacent to City Hall and the Capital Building in Sacramento. The historic 1926 Cal-West Insurance building with modern amenities displays such “tongue-in-cheek” touches as leather-bound vintage law books in the lobby, famed political quotes in the elevators, black-and-white political cartoon drawings from midcentury Sacramento Bee cartoonist Newton Pratt throughout the hotel, and lampshades screen-printed with the constitution of California.

Embassy Suites Sacramento is located right on the river at the entrance of Old Sacramento. We even walked from the hotel to the railroad museum. If you’re looking for a location closer to this area than to the capitol building, Embassy Suites is a good bet with their large rooms and complimentary breakfast.

Explore Nevada City:

Nevada City, north of Sacramento on Highway 49, sprang up almost overnight during the California Gold Rush. There’s a lot of history here, including museums and mine tours.

el-dorado-mine

Check out the Firehouse No. 1 Museum:

This museum is run by the Nevada County Historical Society, and despite its name, features exhibits ranging from Victorian-era bridal wear to Chinese railroad workers’ artifacts. Afterward, stop by the Nevada Theater, a big brick building downtown that has hosted the likes of Jack London.

Get more of your train fix:

If you haven’t gotten your fill of train museums, check out the Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum, located between Nevada City and Grass Valley. Learn more about the Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum.

Check out a mine shaft:

Visit Empire Mine State Historic Park, where kids can take a mineyard tour, see a mine model, visit a blacksmith shop, and hike or horseback ride over the park grounds. Daily tours are offered, and many seasonal events and special programming days occur throughout the year.

Visit Coloma:

Coloma California is where California’s gold rush began. Located on Highway 49 between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe, the Coloma-Lotus Valley is central to California’s Gold Country. Right on the South Fork of the American River, the town offers families the opportunity to bike, hike, and raft in addition to getting their California history on.

coloma with kids

 

Start at Marshall Gold Discovery Park:

See the site of the gold discovery that started the 1849 California Gold Rush, and the working replica of Sutter’s Mill, then learn to pan for gold. Meet docents dressed in period clothes and working as blacksmiths or doing other crafts of the time. The park is pretty touristy, but the history is definitely there.

Stroll through town:

The downtown streets of Coloma is lined with historic building in varies states of repair; some are dedicated historic sites in their own right, others are crumbling in disrepair. Read the plaques on the buildings and stop for a few ‘fun’ detours to souvenir shops and ice cream parlors.

Where to stay:

Whether you’re camping or looking for a cabin stay, the American River Resort is our pick: it’s located right on the water, has plenty of activities for kids.

What’s your favorite California Gold Rush town?

 

 

Summer in the Sierras: guide to rustic lodges

The term ‘mountain lodge’ can mean many things to traveling families. It can conjure up images ranging from five-star luxury to bare bones accommodation, swimming pools and children’s programs to communal meals and do-it-yourself maid service. We love it all, but when we truly want to escape civilization and immerse ourselves in nature, we book a week at one of the following family-owned and operated lodges in Plumas and Sierra counties, California.


With dozens of ice-blue mountain lakes, hundreds of miles of hiking trails (including the famous Pacific Crest Trail), and stunning scenery, this region of the Sierra Nevada mountains in Northern California is rich with summer lodges. Amenities vary, but as a rule, you can expect to get a little dirty and have a lot of fun. All the lodges listed below provide comfortable cabins, lake or creekside access, showers and bathrooms, and electricity. Some serve meals, but to my knowledge (and trust me, I’ve tried), none offer reliable wi-fi. Instead, you’ll find crisp mountain air (at 6000 feet!), miles of wilderness in all directions, and every opportunity for family together-ness. And of course, all of them come Pit Stops for Kids approved–we’ve spent time at each and every one of them!

Gold Lake Lodge: Despite its name, this lodge doesn’t actually sit lakeside. Instead, guests walk a short trail to the shore of Gold Lake, which is just fine in our book, as Gold Lake is the largest of the area lakes, and therefore the most crowded in summer. (As it’s also the only lake in the area allowing motorized boats, this is the place to be if you’re towing your own craft.) The lodge itself is tucked in a forest adjacent to the lake, and features a two large free-standing buildings surrounded by small, individual cabins. The two buildings house the lodge recreational room (complete with board games, ping-pong, and a fireplace) and dining room. One of the only area lodges to include breakfast and dinner in their cabin rates, we recommend Gold Lake Lodge if prepared meals are a must. Cabins are comfortable but small. Expect heat, but no air conditioning (rarely needed) and bathrooms in most cabins. Our family’s only complaint: the central areas between cabins at Gold Lake Lodge can become dusty late in summer, causing more dirty laundry than strictly necessary! Rates: Cabins start at $235 for double occupancy (and includes breakfast, dinner, and lunch on the trail).

Packer Lake Lodge: Located directly lakeside at one of the area’s most stunning lakes, Packer Lake Lodge offers great swimming (with a floating swim platform) and rowboat and canoe rentals. We love that Packer Lake is small enough for kids to paddle around unaided (with life jackets, of course) and that the small size keeps day trippers to a minimum. The Packer Lake Lodge Restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and offers kid-friendly fare as well as steaks, burgers, and the like. Rates: cabins with kitchen and bathroom start at $175 a night or $1100 a week. Rates do not include meals.


Elwell Lakes Lodge: Elwell Lakes Lodge is unique in that it’s not situated near any particular lake, but rather all of them, as the lodge is directly connected to the Lakes Basin Recreational Area’s network of hiking trails. We love that visitors can hit the trail right from their front door and be at any of half a dozen mountain lakes within minutes (or a few miles). Young kids can hike to the closer lakes, while older kids and teens will want to try to conquer the whole ‘loop’, stopping to jump into icy waters every mile or so. Elwell offers a large main recreational room and comfortable upper lobby with an old-fashioned wooden wrap-around deck with fabulous views. Take a book and an snack up there, find a rocking chair, and you’ll never want to come down! Cabins vary from very rustic tent cabins (with communal bathroom) to three-room cabins with multiple beds and in-suite bathrooms. The only caveat: meals are not served. At the time of our last visit, the lodge did organize a guest-wide potluck meal that was a lot of fun, and all cabins have kitchenettes and BBQs. Rates: Cabin rates start at $118 (or $750 per week).

Gray Eagle Lodge: This lodge is closest in proximity to the town of Graeagle, and is also, in our opinion, the best-appointed. Visitors will find a full-service restaurant, beautiful lodge buildings, and a scattering of cabins creekside. Like Elwell Lakes Lodge, trails can be found right on-site, and during July and August, kids will love Gray Eagle Lodge’s swimming hole and waterfall. Cabins range in size and pricing, but you can be sure there’s something for every sized family. Rates: Cabin rates start at $280 a night.


Sardine Lake Resort: Sardine Lake Resort is located in what I believe to be the most beautiful spot in the Sierra Nevada. (And yes, I know that’s saying a lot.) Situated right on the shores of Upper Sardine Lake, this resort only offers nine cabins, a plus for guests (if you can get a reservation). You can also rent rowboats by the day or half-day (the fishing is supposed to be the best in the area) and young families will want to walk the quarter mile to Sand Pond, where the water is shallow and warm with a nice sandy bottom and plenty of picnic areas. The views here are fantastic, as is the food (served daily at the Sardine Lake Lodge Dining Room). Even if you don’t stay here, I recommend stopping in for an evening meal to take in the view. Rates vary. Contact the resort directly at (530) 862-1196.

No matter where you choose to stay, I guarantee you’ll spend your days exploring some of the most beautiful mountains you’ll ever see, and your nights together as a family, playing cards and board games by the fire, reading, or just catching up on your rest! Most lodges book by the week (Gold Lake Lodge is an exception), and most fill up fast: plan ahead and book early!

Home (Away) for the Holidays: HeliTahoe Helicopter Tours

Calvin gives HeliTahoe two thumbs up!

If you’re looking for a truly unique experience during your winter family vacation in the South Lake Tahoe area, book a helicopter tour with Tahoe’s only helicopter sightseeing operation, HeliTahoe! With tour prices starting at just $70 per person, this breathtaking tour of the lake is no more extravagant than a day of skiing or afternoon of snowmobiling, and it’s a treat no one will forget!

Calvin and I enjoyed a morning flight under clear blue skies in HeliTahoe’s safe, quiet Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter, piloted by HeliTahoe owner Claudio Bellotto. With 29 years of flying under his belt, Bellotto quickly put us at ease with his friendliness and professionalism. After going over a few safety procedures, we proceeded to the helicopter and boarded. Calvin was excited to sit up front!

We were given noise-reducing headsets so that we could listen to Bellotto’s narration of the landscape unfolding beneath us without the noise of the blades and engine. Calvin and I were able to ask questions, point out landmarks, and simply sit back and marvel at the views. It was not only a thrill, but a great way to become oriented to the Tahoe area.

The Robinson R44 Raven II seats three, so if you want to book for a family of four or more, it may require spitting the group into two flights. In the new year, however, Bellotto has plans to add a seven-passenger helicopter to the operation (with the inclusion of helicopter back-country skiing packages!). Current tours include flights over such areas as Emerald Bay, Fallen Leaf Lake, Vikingsholm Castle, the South Shore, Sand Harbor, Zephyr Cove, and more!

Age and weight restrictions do apply, and flights may need to be canceled in the case of bad weather (in which case, they will be rescheduled as guest’s schedule allows).

Note: If you’re looking for a romantic night out instead of a family adventure, consider booking HeliTahoe’s Lake Tahoe Tour and Dinner, which includes a flight over Emerald Bay and dinner at one of Tahoe’s most talked-about restaurants, The Flight Deck. At only $165 per couple, it’s not only an unforgettable ‘date’, but an affordable one!

Get a sneak peak of a HeliTahoe tour with Pit Stops for Kids’ Kid Cam!

Date last visted: December 23, 2010

Distance from the Interstate: Touring Tahoe from the sky is easy for families, as HeliTahoe is based right at the South Lake Tahoe Airport, located right off Hwy 50. A very small airport, parking, meeting up, and boarding your flight is very convenient!

Cost: Tours start at $70 per person and increase to $315 per person, depending on the length of your tour.

Hours of operation: Touring hours are flexible, and depend on weather and flight conditions. Book online, or call 530-544-2211.

Directions: HeliTahoe is located at Suite 106 within the South Tahoe Airport at 1901 Airport Road. From South Tahoe, take Hwy 50 to Airport Road.As I disclose with all compensated reviews, HeliTahoe generously hosted us for this portion of our Tahoe Holiday review series. While we greatly appreciate their hospitality, this compensation came with no expectation of a positive review. Read all our articles in our Home (Away) for the Holidays series!

Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park

Village at Indian Grinding Rock, photo courtesy of Tripping with Kids

14881 Pine Grove-Volcano Road
Pine Grove, CA

Indian Grinding Rock State Historic Park makes for an excellent family road trip pit stop while you’re exploring California’s Gold Country. Located in the Sierra Nevada foothills eight miles east of Jackson, the park offers not only a great outcropping of marbleized limestone with some 1,185 mortar holes, but the Chaw’se Regional Indian Museum, which features a variety of exhibits and an outstanding collection of Sierra Nevada Indian artifacts. After visiting the museum, head over to the Miwok village complete with a ceremonial roundhouse that has been reconstructed in the middle of the small valley.

Reviewer Lora of Tripping with Kids comments on the excitement of exploring the village: “I watched the kids take off running to investigate some of the (other) teepees. Across from the hun’ge (roundhouse) was a large field, used even today as a playing field during living history events. Two trails are available to lead you around the woods, one is a half-mile and one a mile long. At the head of the trails, you can pick up a brochure that identifies particular local plants and what they were used for by the indigenous people.”

Date last visited: April 2010.

Distance off the interstate: 1 hour 15 minutes from I-5, 20 minutes from Hwy 49.

Hours and Admission Prices: Park hours are sunrise to sunset. Museum hours: Thursdays, Fridays and Mondays, 11 am to 2:30 pm. Saturdays and Sundays, 10 am to 3:30 pm. Admission: $8/car for day use.

Bathrooms: Located on premises.

Food Services: None. Picnic areas are available, or the town of Jackson offers several diners and a deli.

Directions: The park is northeast of Stockton in the lower foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains (or about 1 hour from Sacramento). Take State Highway 88 east through Jackson to the town of Pine Grove. Take a left turn on the Pine-Grove-Volcano Road, and about a mile and a half later you will enter the Park. The SECOND turnoff is the main entrance (the first is to the small campground).

Bassetts Station

Bassetts Station, CA

Bassetts Station, CA

100 Gold Lake Road
Sierra City, CA

Once a stagecoach stop, Bassetts Station is still a much-appreciated rest stop for travelers navigating US Hwy 49’s windy, tree-lined turns. Serving both campers, fishermen, and hikers in summer and snowmobilers in winter, Bassett’s sits conveniently at the junction between several prime locations for outdoor recreation, and provides all the conveniences of home: gas (both unleaded and diesel), a well-stocked store, a cafe, firewood, even sandwiches and ice cream. There’s a motel as well (although we stayed just a mile or so further down Gold Lake Road at Salmon Creek Campground, which we loved. If you need nothing else, stand on Bassett’s wooden porch and take in the breathtaking view of the Sierra Buttes and surrounding Sierra Nevada Mountain Range.

If you have time (or are headed further down 49 anyway), make another stop in the town of Downieville. From the Sierra County Visitor’s Guide: “Visit the historic gallows outside of the courthouse, the see Sierra County’s collection of gold nuggets in the lobby. Walk through the historic county seat, wander the shops on Main Street, laze at “The Forks” of the North Yuba and Downie rivers, and grab a copy of California’s oldest weekly newspaper.”

Also worth visiting, the Downieville Museum is open through the summer months and on many weekends through the spring and fall. Learn all about the gold rush which once made this tiny community a boom town. Located in a stone building on Main Street.

Date last visited: July 2009

Distance off the interstate: Bassett’s is directly at the junction of 49 and Gold Lake Road. Downieville is another approximate 20 miles.

Bathrooms: Yes.

Food Services: Grab a burger at Bassett’s and eat it outside in the alpine air.

Website: None.

Directions: From Sacramento: Take I-80 E to Exit 188A toward Truckee. Turn left at Donner Pass Rd. At the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit onto CA-89/State Route 89. Continue to follow CA-89, then turn left at CA-49/CA-89/W Main St. Continue to follow CA-49. Destination will be on the right.

From Reno, Nevada: Take the ramp onto I-80 W, entering California. Take exit 188 for CA-267/CA-89 toward Lake Tahoe, then turn right at CA-89/State Route 89 (signs for Truckee/CA-89/Loyalton). At the traffic circle, take the 2nd exit and stay on CA-89/State Route 89. Continue to follow CA-89 to CA-49.
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