Nevada City evokes California's mining past

There's autumn gold in them hills, pardner. The beautifully preserved Sierra Nevada foothills settlement evokes California's mining past and sharpens the senses with a whiff of fall.

By Matt Lait, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
12:00 AM PST, November 14, 2004

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You can stare at a palm tree a long time before you realize it's fall in Southern California.

About the only clues that I, a native Angeleno, see of autumn's arrival are the shorter days and football on TV. Seeking more traditional evidence of the season, my wife and I headed to Nevada City in California's Gold Country two weeks ago to have a quiet weekend together and check out the changing foliage.

Nevada City isn't New England or the Shenandoah Valley, but it's not a bad alternative. In fact, for a guy who lives near the beach and rarely sees leaves in colors other than green, the old mining town is downright spectacular.

We flew to Sacramento on a Friday and rented a car for the scenic, hourlong drive to Nevada City. Oaks, maples and dogwoods with brilliant red, orange and yellow leaves lined Highway 49 along the way.

My wife, Leslie, had booked us a two-night stay at the Red Castle Inn, a bed-and-breakfast in a historic four-story red-brick mansion built in 1857 and run today by the mayor of Nevada City. The inn, with its Gothic Revival architecture, has been well preserved and boasts that it was one of the first B&Bs in the state.

The grounds are lushly landscaped and have sitting areas and gardens where guests can read, enjoy a glass of wine or simply rest. Inside, the mansion's décor is decidedly Victorian.

The rooms, $120 to $165 a night, all have their own personality. Some come with high ceilings, verandas or private gardens. Our room, which was on the children's floor of what originally was a private residence, was "cozy." Translation: a tad small. I'm 6 feet 1, and I was bumping my head on doorways. Still, our room had a sitting area, a private bathroom and a nice view.

The inn is known for its gourmet breakfasts. During our stay it served a tasty baked egg dish, a pastry filled with creamy mushroom sauce, a "harvest pie," stuffed tomatoes, potatoes, muffins and fruit smoothies. The breakfast was good enough and big enough to carry us through to dinner on both days.

Echoes of the Wild West

Another nice feature was the inn's location. Just a short walk down Prospect Hill led us to the edge of town. Shortly after checking in, we made that walk.

Nevada City, originally called Deer Creek Dry Diggins when it was a mining camp, is a charming, homespun place straight out of the days of the Wild West. The entire downtown is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Looking at the western-style storefronts and restored gaslights, one almost expects to run into Hoss and Little Joe moseying down the street.

Today, tourism is the town's gold. Many of the 2,800 residents are artisans, musicians and small-shop owners. Galleries, saloons, a theater and fine restaurants lie throughout the business district. Visitors can find live music on the weekends with no cover charge.

Les and I window-shopped and visited tasting rooms, where we sampled the local wines. We scouted out restaurants for dinner and made it back to the inn for afternoon tea, which is served daily at no extra charge.

For dinner, we took the advice of some townsfolk and went to Friar Tuck's, where the house specialty is fondue. We had a cheese fondue and a hot oil fondue in which we cooked chicken, shrimp, scallops, meatballs and sirloin, dipping the items in one of several sauces. I was looking forward to the chocolate fondue for dessert but was too full by the end of the meal to order it.

The only setback that evening: I accidentally scratched my eye shortly after dinner. We went back to our room and went to sleep, and by morning it was fine.

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