Krista Minard

The largest city in Amador County, Jackson has all the conveniences of home—supermarkets, chain coffee, good cell coverage—as well as a downtown Main Street that’s very walkable. You’ll find an old jail site, an...

Main Street is tiny, home to Taste and Rest—an award-winning restaurant with the mushroom cigars and 16-room boutique inn respectively, owned by super-hosts Mark and Tracey Berkner (who also own Volcano Union Pub). Across...

The quintessential little foothills town, pretty and clean, Sutter Creek welcomes visitors for walking, wine tasting and antiques shopping. A number of inns make turning it into a weekend a good possibility. The whitewashed...

Take a drive through the hills and into the pines to this little brick-laden Gold Rush town located on The Divide, a spot of land between the South and Middle Forks of the American...

The American River flows beside this historic site, beneath a narrow automobile and foot bridge, skirting the spot where it all began for these little towns in 1848: the (James) Marshall Gold Discovery Site...

One of the larger small towns in the foothills, Placerville is bisected by Highway 50, a rest stop for travelers between Sacramento and South Lake Tahoe. Its downtown district—rife with storefronts, restaurants, museums—is anchored...

Among the fruit murals of Loomis, plenty of spots are open for a bite, mostly on Taylor Road.Reds Bistro—Open for dinner, Red’s partners with local farmers to create seasonal dishes, including a bone marrow...

This rural town, along the route of the Central Pacific Railroad (the western portion of the first transcontinental railroad) and now an Amtrak stop, is tiny but charming, with a historic downtown. The restored...

Unless you’re there to pick mandarins in winter or taste wine out along the Placer Wine Trail, a visit to Newcastle revolves mostly around the packing sheds, which have been converted to restaurants and...

Just 33 miles from Sacramento, Auburn’s Old Town comprises a couple of streets anchored by the gorgeous courthouse (and a candy-striped firehouse with a witch-hat roof) and a park that hosts a Saturday farmers...