Tiny Hopland contains a number of tasting rooms which deliver down to earth experiences for visitors - focusing on wines from Mendocino County. Although there are many wineries in Mendocino County including a number of tasting rooms in Hopland, this area does not have the recognition that perhaps Napa and Sonoma County have obtained over the decades. For the consumer, that is not a bad thing. Mendocino County is producing some stellar wines (the … [Read more...]
Monterey, CA – Carmel Restaurants
Carmel has a great selection of restaurants, many known for their excellent European influenced cuisine. The one type of restaurant you will not find in town are fast food chain restaurants. Note that Carmel does not use street numbers for addresses - so when giving someone directions to a restaurant you have to include the nearest cross streets and or any other signifying landmarks. Some restaurants offer sunset specials - the meals are … [Read more...]
Mt. Whitney, CA – Big Pine Hotels
Note: The prices listed below range from single person/one bed to double occupancy/2 beds. Prices are subject to change without notice. All Phone Numbers are in the 760 area code unless otherwise noted. Big Pine Motel is located at 370 South Main Street and they are rated 2 stars. 14 rooms. They have a complete courtyard with a gazebo and benches. One story. They also have BBQ and fish cleaning facilities. Easy access to the … [Read more...]
Mt. Whitney, CA – Lone Pine Lodging
Note: The prices listed below range from single person/one bed to double occupancy/2 beds. Prices are subject to change without notice. All phone numbers are in the 760 area code unless otherwise noted. Best Western Frontier Motel is rated 3 stars and they are located at 1008 South Main Street. They have 73 rooms, nicely furnished. They have meeting rooms and a small outdoor heated pool that is generally open from early April … [Read more...]
Gold Country, CA – Restaurants
The following is a list of restaurants for all southern central California gold mining towns covered in this guide. Prices are subject to change without notice. All Phone Numbers unless otherwise noted are in the 209 area code. ANGELS CAMP Cruscos Ristorante serves quality Italian cuisine in the heart of Angel's Camp. Parking (if found) is in front of the restaurant on the street or in a nearby parking lot. … [Read more...]
Gold Country, CA – Lodging
Some of these mining towns are relatively small so lodging is limited. Some of these hotels listed below are historic. The prices vary somewhat depending on the season. Prices subject to change without notice. Our readers often email us concerning a specific property. If we hear anything specific about a particular hotel we will be sure to mention it here. These towns are alphabetized. All Phone Numbers unless otherwise noted are 209 area … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Nearby Towns
Santa Rosa is by far the largest city in Sonoma County - the hub if you will in which all the other towns radiate out on the 'spokes'. Along with Santa Rosa, the 101 corridor is home to the largest cities in the county including Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Windsor. Other towns in the county are generally small. There is a marked difference between the west county and the interior of the county (related to the frigid Pacific Ocean) which … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Neighborhoods
Bennett Valley (named after a resident in the area James Bennett - who lived here in the 1860's) is a mostly residential part of Santa Rosa spread out southeast of downtown with prominent roads in this neighborhood being Bennett Valley Road, Bethards Drive, Tachevah Drive and Yulupa. Located only about a 10 minute drive from downtown Santa Rosa. If there was a 'heart' to this neighborhood it would be where two shopping centers are located across … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Shopping
Coddingtown is one of two primary malls in Santa Rosa and is the city's oldest mall. It continues to undergo a number of select remodels over the years with parts of the mall torn down and then rebuilt from the ground up. Originally founded by Hugh Codding in 1962 as an open-air mall it was later enclosed in 1979. The name Codding is a long time prominent family in town - Hugh Codding developed a number of shopping centers in town as well as … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa, CA – Farmers Markets
Numerous farmer's markets are located throughout Sonoma County. Unlike in the southern part of the state where year round farmer's markets are the norm, seasonal farmers markets far outnumber the year round ones up here. Seasonal smaller markets tends to have live music while the year round (often larger markets) do not always use music to liven up your shopping experiences. We have visited all of the farmers' markets in Santa Rosa and Sonoma … [Read more...]