Grass Valley (California)

Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County in California's Gold Country. == Understand == Nestled in the heart of the Sierras, Grass Valley boomed during the California gold rush, with gold being discovered in nearby Gold Hill in 1850. == Get in == === By car === From Sacramento take I-80 East to Auburn and then take 49 from Auburn to Grass Valley. From Truckee take I-80 west and take the highway 20 exit towards Nevada City and Grass Valley. === By plane === Sacramento International Airport (SMF). The closest international airport to Grass Valley is Sacramento International (SMF). This is about an hour away by car and allows transfer to both bus and rail connections to Grass Valley. (updated Oct 2021) === By train === Amtrak. Provides regular service to Auburn Amtrak station, 23 miles south of central Grass Valley. From the station, you would need to take Nevada County Connects bus 5 to central Grass Valley (about an hour bus ride). Be sure to check the Gold Country Stage schedule as buses are infrequent and run only limited times per day. (updated Oct 2021) === By bus === Local buses. If you have time and the timing work out, you can get to Grass Valley from Sacramento by using local buses. From Downtown Sacramento, you can take Sacramento Light Rail to the Watt/I-80 station. Here, you can take Placer Transit Route 10 to Auburn Amtrak Station and then from there, you can take Nevada County Connects to central Grass Valley. == Get around == === By foot === Most of Grass Valley is accessible and best enjoyed by walking. While the town is full of hills, the sidewalks are generally well maintained and easy to navigate. === By bus === Nevada County Connects, ☏ +1 530-477-0103 ext 1004. Local buses that take people all over Nevada County including Grass Valley, Auburn, Nevada City, Penn Valley, North San Juan, Cedar Ridge, Lake Wildwood and Alta Sierra. == See == 1 Empire Mine State Historic Park, 10791 East Empire St., ☏ +1 530 273-8522. Nov-Feb 28 10AM-4PM; Mar-Oct 31 10AM-5PM; closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, & New Years Day. Empire Mine is the site of the oldest and richest gold mine in California. Despite having only 20% of the available gold extracted (5.8 million ounces of gold by weight) the mine closed in 1956 after 106 years of production and now is preserved as a California state park. The visitor center has diagrams and models of the mine, and numerous items of mining machinery are on show inside the park. Visitors have the opportunity to enter the top of the mine shaft. The state park also has many miles of riding, walking and mountain biking trails. (updated Feb 2026) 2 North Star Mining Museum. Museum that focuses on the mining history of the region, featuring mining equipment both indoors and outdoors. (updated Oct 2021) Victorian Houses. With Grass Valley being a major 19th century Gold Mining area in the American West there are a large number of Victorian houses in the area. Wandering the streets of the city is a good way to appreciate these buildings and there are many excellent photograph opportunities. == Do == Wine tasting. Enjoy wine tasting at various locations in the City of Grass Valley and at some of the surrounding wineries. 1 Del Oro Theater, 165 Mill St, ☏ +1 530 272-1646. Beautiful, historic movie theater in Downtown Grass Valley showing modern movies. (updated Oct 2021) == Buy == 1 Booktown Books. Booktown is a cooperative of 14 independent booksellers with 4,000 square feet of Used and Rare Books, Ephemera, Books on CDs, Music CDs, DVDs, LP Records and Art. Each Bookseller has their own booth in the store that displays their special genres of books. Every book is coded and priced by each bookseller. (updated Oct 2021) 2 Cosmic Shark Clothing. Locally owned clothing store that offers unique, limited hand screen-printed clothes as well as curated vintage wear. (updated Oct 2021) == Eat == 1 South Pine Cafe, 102 Richardson St. Excellent slightly alternative restaurant. Be prepared to wait a short while at the weekend, but be assured the food is worth it. Try the "south pine sampler", but be aware the Louisiana Hot Sausage can be fiery. The menu has lots of variety—options for vegetarians and carnivores. Great selection of liquid to wash down your meal, from fresh squeezed juices to beer and wine. 2 Diegos Restaurant, 217 Colfax Ave. Open Monday through Saturday. Chilean food. Fun mismatched decor, and pleasant staff. The bread balls they start you off with are melt in your mouth delicious and go perfectly with the dipping sauce and garlic butter that accompany them. The Agave wine margaritas are quite refreshing. Grass Valley Pasty Co, 100 S Auburn St. W-Sa noon-6PM, closes at 5PM on Su. Large numbers of experienced miners migrated to Grass Valley during the gold boom, bringing with them the Cornish pasty. This shop keeps the tradition alive. $10 or so. (updated Feb 2026) == Drink == 1 Gary's Place, 158 Mill St. Dive bar in Downtown Grass Valley with many regulars and frequented by locals. (updated Oct 2021) 2 Grass Valley Brewing Company, ☏ +1 530 271-2739. Local brewery with expansive tasting room, offering flights of beers. (updated Oct 2021) == Sleep == 1 Best Western Gold Country Inn, 972 Sutton Way, ☏ +1 530 273-1393, fax: +1 530 273-4229. 2 The Holbrooke, 212 West Main St. == Go next == Nevada City Marysville Auburn