Introduction to Nevada City

With the revival of a historic hotel in Nevada City, the former mining town uncovers some hidden gems. The first time I saw Nevada City, California, I turned to my sister, Marina, and said, “I can’t believe there’s a place that still looks like this.” I’d flown across the country to visit her in San Francisco, and she’d talked me into driving up into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to explore the town described as “a more chill Tahoe.” The drive took 2.5 hours and felt like a journey 160 years into the past. Nevada City presents itself as a picturesque former mining town, featuring a rushing river—the Yuba, where, according to Marina, locals swim during summer—and the tranquil Scotts Flat Lake, reflecting the surrounding mountains in its serene surface.

Revival of the National Exchange Hotel

Broad Street, the main thoroughfare, stunned me with its film-set appearance resembling a classic Western. The street showcases two prime examples of the Mother Lode architectural style: the 1865 Nevada Theatre, one of the oldest in California where Mark Twain once spoke, and the 1856 National Exchange Hotel, where notable figures like Twain stayed. During our initial visit in January 2019, the hotel was undergoing renovations. However, despite fewer tourists in town, Broad Street buzzed with locals, second-home owners from the Bay Area, and free-spirited hippies who appeared to have lingered from the previous century, alongside the palpable spirits of miners and gamblers of yore.

Historical Significance of the Area

After gold was discovered in Deer Creek in the summer of 1848, the tranquility of the Indigenous Nisenan people was disrupted by an influx of miners. Within two years, nearly 10,000 people inhabited Nevada City (today, the population is about 3,100). The miners’ impact is deeply ingrained in the town’s history. At the Empire Mine State Historical Park, we explored the grounds of the mansion once owned by a mine owner, admiring heritage roses and a reflecting pool. Additionally, at Kitkitdizzi, a boutique named after a native wildflower, we browsed vintage clothes and organic beauty products, where an employee revealed an underground tunnel once utilized for transporting gold discreetly to banks. Meanwhile, at the Saturday Farmers Market, gluten-free doughnuts and local honey were sold amid relics of mine machinery repurposed as art.

The Artistic Community

The mining industry gradually faded due to various factors, including land exploitation and falling gold prices. By 1957, when David Osborn and Charles Woods arrived, many Victorian homes were in disrepair. The couple, having met while studying at UC Berkeley, initiated the area’s historic preservation movement, eventually restoring an old ironworks that now houses the Miners Foundry Cultural Center.

In the late 1960s, a cultural shift occurred as artists and hippies gravitated toward the town following the Haight-Ashbury scene’s zeitgeist. Erin Lewis, an executive at the National Exchange Hotel, reminisced about witnessing music performances in the hotel before its renovation. Her passion led to spearheading campaigns to preserve the hotel, ultimately bringing her under the umbrella of ACME Hospitality Group, which now owns the property.

Modern Attractions and Experiences

During the renovations, the Holbrooke Hotel, another historic establishment just five minutes away in Grass Valley, became available. ACME’s CEO, Sherry Villanueva, recognized the strategic opportunity to invest in both hotels, citing the region’s proximity to the Tahoe National Forest and urban centers like Sacramento and San Francisco. Both hotels, reportedly haunted, contribute to Nevada City’s charm, understood by many visitors as “magical.”

As I reflect on my experience in Nevada City—from natural waterslides in the Yuba River to insightful conversations with the hotel manager—it’s evident that the energy of the area is as captivating as its rich history. The unique blend of past and present continues to resonate in this enchanting destination.

A version of this story first appeared in the May 2022 issue of iBestTravel under the headline After the Gold Rush.