Tuolumne County Lodging | Find historic lodging

The Jamestown Hotel

Find historic lodging

Tuolumne County is an historic region in California. Many of the original inn are still operating today. at the start of the gold rush, inns where need for the miners and many of the original hotels are still open today. This historic county in the northern California is primarily on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range. The history of many of the hotels in the county date back to the gold rush days. Many of the famed mines produced rich mineral deposits and the gold mines attracted waves of immigrants, known as the Forty-Niners.

When gold was first discovered in 1848 many people came from all over the world to find gold in Woods Creek. With all the people that flooded to California came to this area.

The transportation in Gold Country grew rapidly due to the Gold Rush. The first railroad in California ran through Gold Country. Railtown 1897 in Jamestown still exists and you can ride the same rails as the forty-niners did today.

.Tuolumne County - In Knights Ferry there was the largest covered bridge on the west coast dating back to 1862. In Jamestown they found a 75 lb. golden nugget. Sierra Railroad House was built in 1897. It was a very famous site for movie films. Eagle Shawmut Mine had $7.4 million mined out of it. Sonora is the county seat and the only incorporated city in the county.

The Evergreen Lodge
A lot has changed since the Evergreen first opened in 1921. Fortunately, much has remained the same. As in the old days, the Evergreen is still a meeting spot for all walks of life to come and enjoy a classic Yosemite experience.

However, these days you will be just as likely to enjoy the company of an international tourist as that of a Park Ranger, rock climber or local resident. Evergreen Lodge is suited for outdoor adventures. It is a timeless feel with modern comforts. Evergreen Lodge is the classic Yosemite experience.

For more information about the Evergreen Lodge, visit our main lodging page

Lake Tahoe Weddings | Always a magical time in the Sierra

by Writers Workshop

Beach Retreat & Lodge

Planning Your Wedding In Lake Tahoe

Are you dreaming of a Lake Tahoe wedding?

Lake Tahoe offers some of the best locations for a Sierra Wedding. A wedding on the beach, or a ceremony on the lawn, or a dazzling winter celebration in the ballroom, Lake Tahoe, offers some of the best hotel that offer beautiful and romantic setting for your special day. Many hotels have dedicated wedding planners that will work with you to design the perfect event.

When selecting a venue to accommodate your party or creating the perfect wedding packages make share your location is suitable for capturing the moments that are set against the majesty of the mountains. or the lake.

Yosemite National Park | A place where history is found and made!

by Writers Workshop

Yosemite Falls

Yosemite is a place where history is found and made. Yosemite was our nation's first park dedicated to recreation and enjoyment. As the precedent for all future American national parks, we truly know there would be no national parks without Yosemite.

Located in central California, Yosemite National Park was established in 1890 and draws four million annual visitors. Almost 95 percent of the park’s 747,956 acres (roughly the size of Rhode Island) is classified as wilderness.

Yosemite National Park offers an abundance of activities and sightseeing destinations. The Valley is a 7 mile wide canyon with incredible rock formations, including El Capitan, the world's tallest granite monolith and one of the world's top rock climbing destinations.

Sierra Culinary Adventures | Find restaurants

by Writers Workshop

Glen Morey House

by Writers Workshop

The Glen Morey House

The Glen Morey House

Built in 1859, the Glen Morey House is the third oldest home still standing in Placerville. This home was built just ten years after the gold rush and ten years before completing the transcontinental railroad, Glen Morey Bed and Breakfast is a rare find at over 150 years old!

It's original owner and builder, Dr. Isaac Titus, only stayed in the home ten years before being elected to the state senate. He then sold the home to Henry and Ellen Morey, who raised three children in the house while running a successful foundry business. One of their children also raised their family here. It had several private owners in the 1950s and '60s before it became bed and breakfast until 1977.

The present owners purchased the home in 2001 and returned it to a bed and breakfast operation so that many people could enjoy the history of this great home. You, too, can stay at this piece of California Gold Country history.

For more information, contact the Glen Morey House.

Behind the Cellar Door

by Writers Workshop

Behind the Cellar Door - Saturday, March 25th to Sunday, March 26th, 2024 - 10:30 AM to 4:30 PM

Have you ever dreamed about becoming a winemaker?

Behind the Cellar Door is perfect for wine enthusiasts and newbies alike. This is a weekend filled with world-class Amador wine, delectable small bites, barrel samples, hard-to-find vintages, and wine education, all in an intimate Amador Wine Country setting.

For more than 25 years, Amador Vintners’ member wineries have had guests Behind the Cellar Door for one of the most entertaining and educational wine events anywhere.
Guests will be able to reserve experiences at five different wineries each day from over 45+ wineries in Amador in the beautiful Sierra Foothills.

Enjoy tasting flights, behind the scene vineyard and winery tours, and an educational experience delivered by our winemakers and winery teams. For tickets and more information, contact the Amador Vintners Association direct.

Restaurant Week in the Sierra | Our Sierra Travel News

by Writers Workshop

Restaurant Week in the Sierra

Restaurant Week in the Sierra
Find food at its best at participating restaurants!

January is a time to experience the culinary treasures found in our Sierra restaurants. We will showcase selected restaurants and promote their menu. These Sierra restaurants offer incredible value.

Restaurant Week is an excellent time for an opportunity for you in fine dining and to sample culinary treasuries that are waiting to be found.

During January, Restaurant Week is one of our Sierra Foothill locations that will allow you to participate in different places. Selected Sierra restaurants will have special items on their menu for you to sample that include other foods and wine pairings.

We bring attention to selected restaurants in the Sierra and make it easy to locate specific restaurants and what they have to offer. Restaurant Week is backed by information that we have collected from many different Sierra restaurants.

Featured Restaurants:

Wild and Scenic Film Festival is virtual in 2021

by Writers Workshop

Virtual Festival

The 19th Annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival
January 14 to 24, 2021, Nevada City, California

The festival is considered the nation’s largest environmental and adventure film festival of its kind. The 19th annual Wild & Scenic Film Festival combines stellar filmmaking, cinematography, and first-rate storytelling to inform, inspire and ignite solutions to restore the earth and human communities while creating a positive future for generations to come. A wide variety of award-winning films, including nature, community activism, adventure, conservation, water, energy, wildlife, and environmental justice. The Wild & Scenic Film Festival is hosted and produced by South Yuba River Citizens League (SYRCL) at several Nevada City and Grass Valley, California venues.

Wild & Scenic Has Gone Virtual!

For the last 18 years, we’ve welcomed you to Nevada County, CA, for the Wild & Scenic Film Festival every January. This year things are different, so we are bringing the festival to you! Between January 14 and 24, you will be able to watch the 2021 lineup of films from the comfort and safety of your home. We realize this will be a significant change for everyone, but we are here to help guide you through this new experience.

With the festival occurring over 11 days rather than five days, we’ve worked to provide you with plenty of time to enjoy everything this year’s virtual event has to offer.

During the event, you will be able to enjoy all the Wild & Scenic programming on our virtual festival site: WSFF.EVENTIVE.ORG. We are thrilled to be working with Eventive to host our virtual festival. The platform allows for beautiful video playback and a simple integration allowing for seamless ticket and passes purchasing. The virtual screening room (Coming Soon!) will show all the different content that will become accessible during the festival, including ticketed film sessions and free programming like workshops. The content will be available as on-demand content, available to enjoy on your schedule.

Once inside, you’ll be able to browse all film sessions, which are organized by theme tracks, just like how you’d experience our films in the theater. Rather than checking out individual films, we curated sessions for you to share a cinematic journey that links subject matter together in thoughtful ways and to encourage surprising connections. Once you purchase your pass or ticket and unlock your session, the films will play in succession for uninterrupted film viewing.

For more information, visit Wild-and-Scenic Film Festival.

Fair Play Harvest Wine Festival 2019 – List

by Writers Workshop

Winery Happenings!

Bom Vinho Vineyards
Food: Street Tacos
Music: 11/2 - Ticket To Ride a Tribute to the Beatles & 11/3 - TriTones
Ativities: Wild Women Herbal, Kathy Smiley - Herbalist/Atist, Reclaimed Wood Specialties - Patrick Knost, Massage Therapist - Jackie Pence, Livedge Company (handmade furnishings) - Kevin Ramos.

Bumgarner Winery
Food: Expertly paired small bites by Chef Kara Taylor from The Farm Table Restaurant in Placerville
Music: Jaclyn Lovey, talented singer-songwriter, as seen on Season 14 of NBC’s The Voice, both days.
Ativities: Live art print-making demonstrations by Artist Oran Miller and flower crown making taught by Gavin Michael Sellers

Busby Cellars
Food: Gourmet menu includes marinated grilled French Dip sliders with a provolone, garlic, Chardonnay drizzle, and three-cheese tortellini salad. For dessert try our Port with decadent chocolate brownies.
Activities: Sample our unique Barbera Flight! Enjoy three different Barbera vintages: one in bottle, one in barrel, and one straight from the press, for a complete harvest experience!

Cantiga Wineworks
Food,: Zin Chili
Activites: Learn about harvest and the wine making process with demonstrations and hands-on activities. local artists featuring jewelry, paintings, and barrel stave art & furniture

E16
Food: Small bites from Creekside Cork & Brew
Music: 11/2 – Elizabeth Unpinco Jazz Trio & 11/3 – Singer Songwriter Morgan Wenter
Activities: Cave tastings, games

Element 79 Vineyards & Winery
Food: Sharon’s sloppy joe’s, cheese pairings
Music: Tom Power
Activities: Walking vineyard tours and lawn games

Fleur De Lys Winery
Food: Harvest themed dishes, soups and desserts with an emphasis on pairings.

Iverson Winery & Vineyard
Food: Chili and flavored champagne and award winning wines.
Music: Music daily

Kehret Vineyards
Food: Sauvignon Blanc and Roasted Red Pepper & Butternut Squash Soup, A Bruschetta Bar and Barbera Barrel tasting, Tortellini Mac N Cheese and Malbec Barrel tasting
Music: Will Hogan, both days.

Mediterranean Vineyards
Food: 2016 Albarino will be paired with a creamy Lemon, Corn, and Shrimp Chowder. 2016 Garnacha will be paired with Toasted Ravioli with Vodka Sauce and a Pesto Drizzle. 2016 Syrah will be paired with open-faced herbed focaccia, Turkey, Chestnut Stuffing, and Orange Cranberry Sauce
Music: 11/2 - One Leg Chuck
11/3 - Sierra Gypsies
Activities: Come make your own cider at the Cider Station

Mellowood Vineyard
Food: Enjoy a French picnic with owners Martine, Gui and baby Sophie. Visit our Fromagerie for cheese and charcuterie pairings with a selection of wines
Music: Enjoy the French Cafe music

Mastroserio Winery
Food: Italian rice salad
Music: Live Jazz!

MV Winery
Food: Meaty Wild West Chili made with Gold Medal award winning 2013 Syrah.
Music: Saturday Nov 2, 2019 from 12-4 Live music by Rachel Cargill
Activities: Bocce Ball and yard games weather permitting

Oakstone Winery
Food: Gourmet Harvest Fare by Diane Wilkinson
Music: Guitar Music & Vocals
by Deb Smith
Activities: Handmade Jewelry by Artisan Sisters Jan & Carol

Perry Creek Winery
Food: Pouring our award-winning wines along with amazing food pairings for your palate’s enjoyment!
Music: Live music both days by Shauna Lea
Sentivo Vineyards & Winery
Food: Slider bar, Charcuterie & dessert bar
Activities: 1:00 - 2:00 pm, Line Dancing contest with prizes, Harvest games with prizes!

Saulti Cellars
Food: Wood fire pizza and chocolate pairings
Activities: Tractor pulled wagon ride, pumpkin patch and bonfires at 3 locations! (weather permitting)

Sentivo Vineyards & Winery
Food: Slider bar, Charcuterie & dessert bar
Activities: 1:00 - 2:00 pm, Line Dancing contest with prizes, Harvest games with prizes!

Skinner Vineyards
Food: Enjoy a selection of Skinner’s Rhone-style wines thoughtfully paired with seasonal bites bursting with flavors of fall
Activities: Challenge your friends and loved ones to some friendly competition with our harvest inspired games all while taking in the expansive views of Fair Play from our tasting room patio.

Shadow Ranch Vineyards
Food,: Warm up with a bowl of Spicy Chipotle Pumpkin Chili
Activities: Don’t miss our “Syrah Vs. Petite Sirah” demonstration. Taste and learn about these two very different wines. Let your senses decide. Which one is your favorite?
Visit the Selfie Station! Grab a prop and strike a pose when you visit our outdoor photo booth. Take some selfies or let us help you take a group shot. Tag us on Instagram and Facebook! #shadowranchvineyard #fairplayharvestwinefest

Toogood Estate Wine Caves
Food: Barcelona Stew with our Estate Spanish varietal Tempranillo and Porto Zino Estate Zinfandel Port with goat cheese drizzled with delicious blue berry sauce.
Windwalker Vineyards & Winery
Food: Festive foods... Soup, Flat Breads, spiced Nuts and maple cookies

Windwalker Vineyards & Winery
Food: Festive foods... Soup, Flat Breads, spiced Nuts and maple cookies

Sonora, California | A city with a history to the gold rush

by Writers Workshop

Downtown Sonora, California

Sonora, California - Founded by Mexican miners of the state of Sonora, in Mexico, this community during the California Gold Rush was once a booming center of industry and trade in California and come to be known as the Mother Lode. Most of the gold that was removable with traditional mining techniques and was quickly extracted, leaving miners to use more complex and expensive mining techniques to reach deep pockets of quartz and gold.

The area economy was historically based on the mining and timber industries but now relies on tourism. Sonora is one of the closest cities to Yosemite National Park and provides services to some of Yosemite's visitors. The city also benefits from its proximity to Railtown 1897 State Historic Park in nearby Jamestown.

The newspaper of record for the Sonora area is the Union Democrat and this daily community newspaper is filled mostly with local news. Because of the cities historical past, the Tuolumne County Film Commission describes Sonora as "one of the country's most versatile locations", where more than "300 films and television series" has been made. Sonora is also home to the Tuolumne County Arts Alliance. In the heart of Downtown Sonora