Empire Mine State Historic Park

Bumping up against the west side of the Sierra Nevada range, the Sierra foothills are where California’s past, present, and future merge into one unforgettable destination. In the aptly named Gold Country, the 1848 discovery of glittering flecks sparked the largest mass migration in America’s history, when more than 300,000 pioneers headed west to California’s gold mines hoping to strike it rich. 

Visitors can get a feel for what it was like to be part of it at the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park in the don’t-blink town of Coloma, where period buildings like a general store and a tin-roofed post office are preserved. The park also features the immersive Gold Discovery Museum, and kids can give gold-panning a try.

Treasures of a different kind are to be found along the Gold Country’s winding country roads. From one milepost to the next on the Golden Chain Highway (Hwy. 49), historic hamlets overflow with authentic Old West charm, and a new generation of pioneers own and operate farm-to-fork eateries, top-notch wineries, intriguing antique shops, and elegant B&Bs—many housed in impeccably restored 19th-century buildings. Amid all this history, the Gold Country has gone surprisingly modern. You can sample Zinfandels and Rhône varietals at family-owned wineries in the Shenandoah Valley, sit down to sophisticated cuisine at Taste in Plymouth, sleep in a luxurious B&B in Sutter Creek, or take in big-name music shows at Ironstone Vineyards near Murphys. Or leave the small towns in your rearview and head to the cosmopolitan state capital, Sacramento, to hang out in swanky wine bars and rooftop lounges, or rub elbows with independent beer makers at more than 30 brew pubs, tap rooms, and craft breweries.

There are plenty of outdoor activities, too. Savor whitewater thrills as you shoot the rapids on the Stanislaus or the South Fork American rivers, or wander among the ancient, towering sequoias at Calaveras Big Trees State Park. Learn how California’s Gold Rush began at Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park, then go for a thigh-pumping hike to the top of Monroe Ridge, or visit one of California’s oldest, largest, deepest, longest, and richest gold mines at Empire Mine State Historic Park. On the hottest days, head for the cool underground world of Black Chasm Cavern, a National Natural Landmark. A 50-minute walking tour introduces you to stalactites, stalagmites, flowstones, and delicate helictite crystals. Kids can pan for gold like the 49ers or try their hands at gemstone mining.