Going beyond the gold in Nevada City

Definitely check out the Yuba River. With beaches and boulders, this river offers beautiful swimming holes, wildflowers along the banks, and great hikes.

As a small-town escape for culturally creative folks, Nevada County's also got some great festivals: Music in the Mountains, the Bluegrass Festival, Cornish Christmas, Victorian Christmas, the Storytelling Festival, the Literature Alive Wordslinger's Festival, etc. plus some interesting Theater.

Quick Tips:

Summer is hot (95 degrees is not unusual), Winter it can snow. Beautiful seasons, but pack accordingly.

Best Way To Get Around:

Possible to get there via Amtrak (bus from the Sacramento train station) and Greyhound, but a car is helpful around town as well. Like many rural communities, it's small but spread out.

This is the place to come to catch the local scene. Funky decor, hip teens through elders, art on display, sometimes events. Coffee, desserts, sandwiches, smoothies, etc.

The local followers of Swami Kriananda run this health-food market & cafe with decent vegetarian food. Some folks love it, some folks hate it, depends on your tastes. Stereotypical "hippy" food.

Some gorgeous spots, laze on a rock in the sun or dive deep (check for submerged rocks first). Ask at local shops for the best spots to go. Or just head down Highway 49 until you hit the river. The good beaches are usually a bit of a hike off the road. Bring towels, a cooler w/ food/drinks, and make a day of it! Away from the roads there are several nude beaches - whether you're clothed or not, be respectful and you'll get the same in return.

It's a tourist town, so specialty shops line the downtown area. But you can find some quality crafts & more at some shops. The Herb Shop has some intersting clothes, Vitae (website) has some great locally-produced bath & body products, BB Jackson's has fun knicknacks and gifts. This area is home to Victorian Christmas in December, with some good finds, and in June is the Tour of Nevada City Bike Race, so the town gets packed!

This trail system uses what used to be aqueducts for hydrolic mining to create a wide, flat trail for hikers and wheelchairs. The trail features waterfalls, scenic vistas, and a gentle switchback descent to a lovely mountain stream. There are restrooms with full wheelchair access at several points along the trail. Sequoya Challenge, a local nonprofit, helps maintain the trail and provides workshops on ecology, wildflowers, birding, etc. Click here for the website.

Year-round concerts (classical, pops, jazz, big band) at several locations throughout Nevada County. Some are outdoors. Cabaret concerts feature seating around candle-lit tables. For a schedule and directions, check musicinthemountains.org

Some people visit Malakoff Diggins as a spot on the gold rush tour, but I recommend it just as a beautiful spot. The valley created by hydrolic mining in the 1800s shows off the local geology: the high-pressure water technique washed away massive amounts of dirt to display colorful cliffs that are up to 600 feet deep. Hike through the valley or along the rim - both will give you gorgeous views.

Nevada City & the surrounding area seems to be home to politically conscious, creative folks who want to create a different way of life. Poet Gary Snyder lives here, as does Hobo-storyteller Utah Phillips, and lots of other folks who create an ecclectic culture.

Tune in to KVMR radio (89.5 fm)for an ecclectic mix of music, news, and politics. Some of these shows give better news that you get in bigger cities!

Several intentional communities and cultural centers have sprung up in the area. A few examples are:
- the North Columbia Schoolhouse Cultural Center, outside of Nevada City on the way to Malakoff Diggins State Park, and long-time host to the Sierra Storytelling Festival.
- The Magic Theater - showing arty movies and documentaries sometimes before they show up in big city theaters: themagictheatrenc.com
- The Miner's Foundry: museum, cultural center, and host to KVMR radio wrapped into one, the Foundry hosts more than 200 musical, dance and theater performances every year. minersfoundry.org
- The Nevada Theater is a great historic theater that still hosts live shows. Several professional theater companies call it home, including the Foothill Theater Company foothilltheatre.org
- The Nevada County Arts Council has more information on local artists and cultural centers: artmatters-ncac.org

It sounds goofy, but it's lots of fun! Local contra dancing happens one Saturday a month: click here for more info.

Check out the local literary magazine Wild Duck Review wildduckreview.com. Founder Casey Walker hosts monthly literary events called "Literature Alive!" 530-478-0134