Visiting Auburn, CA

For most of this fall, I've looked forward to a taking a day-trip to the town of Auburn, CA. I'd driven past it on the way to Tahoe previously, and remembered the town's beautiful courthouse being visible from the highway. While living in Monterey, I also met people from the town who had great things to say. When a free day presented itself yesterday, I was thrilled to make the trip!  

 

I departed the bay area around 8 a.m. to ensure the drive there would be just two hours. I traveled solo and really love the occasional experience of taking a trip on my own. Auburn was located just off the highway and is in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountain range. As soon as I arrived, I could tell there was a peaceful small town feel. I found a parking spot and noticed this large monument paying tribute to how the town was founded -- when gold was found nearby in 1848.

I walked up to the town's main attraction, the large Placer County courthouse built in 1893 from local materials including granite and limestone. The building is still an active courthouse and has a great free history museum on the first floor that details the Native American period in the area as well as the gold rush and pioneer history of the town. I can't share enough beautiful words about the building. It was magnificent and so enormous and fun to spot from nearly every part of town.

I stumbled upon a farmer's market after departing the courthouse and loved walking among the scent of flowers, fresh vegetables, and herbs. There was live music and with the foliage, clear sky, and smell of food, the farmer's market felt like the perfect place to be in that moment. I bought some vegetables and just when it seemed that the surroundings couldn't get any better, I found a wood-fired pizza food truck and got a personal margherita pizza to eat on a nearby bench. It was delicious!

It was fun to explore the many antique shops in Old Town Auburn, a section of the town which dates back to Auburn's gold rush past. Much of this area was devoted to tourism, but it appeared naturally historic too, nothing seemed inauthentic or too touristy. After exploring this area in full, I noticed it was nearly 80 degrees at noon and to escape the sun, I found a coffee shop to relax and start reading a book. 

 

This nitro cold brew was good! As I'd never seen one before and the coffee shop also served beer and wine, I clarified that it was coffee when it was presented. 😂

 

In short, it was a lovely day trip, and I'd recommend visiting Auburn for a day, or as a quick stop if you're on Interstate 80!