17 Historic Main Streets to Visit in the Sacramento Region - Updated

Placerville California’s Historic Main Street has wonderful shops, restaurants and lots of history! 

Placerville was named after the placer deposits found in the river and creek beds around the town during the Gold Rush. So, not only did miners find gold in the rivers and creeks around town, but also it became an important supply center for the surrounding mining camps.

Excerpt from Placerville Downtown Association

Historic Folsom is often termed, “the place where the west came and stayed. Enjoy Folsom’s history by visiting the Folsom History Museum, Pioneer Village, The Folsom Railroad Museum, and the Historic Railroad Turntable. The site of California’s first hydro-electric powerhouse is located nearby.

Historic Folsom is a destination offering a wide variety of things to do.

Excerpt from Historic Folsom

Charming stores, professional services, delightful restaurants and entertainment with a flair for arts, theatre and music.

Roseville is no longer a railroad town, but the Union Pacific Railroad is still the sixth largest employer. Current visitors can now visit the revitalized historic Vernon Street and old Downtown areas which have been recently rehabilitated.

Excerpt from Downtown Roseville Partnership and Wikipedia

Historic Old Town Auburn is a small, quaint town still reminiscent of the 49er gold rush era when it was established. 

Bring the family. Shop, visit our museums, have breakfast or lunch, and enjoy quaint Old Town Auburn. We have special events all year 'round, starting with an every-Saturday-morning Foothill Farmer's Market featuring Placer Grown fruits and vegetables. 

Excerpt from Old Town Auburn

Jackson's charming, 150-year old Main Street boasts one of California’s oldest and most notorious establishments, the newly renovated National Hotel. Antiques, the Amador County Museum, gift shops, popular eateries, even a steam punk-themed bookstore attract shoppers and history buffs. 

A Gold Country adventure isn’t complete without experiencing the miner’s way of life on a tour of the legendary Kennedy Mine.

Excerpt from Tour Amador

Nestled in the heart of the Sierra Nevada Foothills, Grass Valley, California is truly a postcard image. Bathed in a wondrous mix of cedar, pine, and an assortment of deciduous trees that burst forth a multitude of Fall colors as the cooler temperatures arrive, this circa 1800 Gold Rush era town offers a window into the past while providing the best the present has to offer.

Some things change…and some things remain the same!

Excerpt from Grass Valley Downtown Association

Nevada City’s friendly and welcoming merchants offer a shopping experience you won’t forget. Discover clever, unique, and sometimes one-of-a-kind products. Find arts and craftwork by some of the Sierra foothills’ leading artists.

Explore downtown shops for clothing, handmade local jewelry, home and garden products, housewares, furniture, food and wine and other gift items.

Excerpt from Nevada City Chamber

Ba-Mu-Ma, a major Indian village, was the first known settlement in the present Lincoln area. The inhabitants were the Nisenan (also "Nishinam"), a branch of the Maidu Indians, who had been in the area for more than 5000 years.

Excerpt from Downtown Lincoln

Downtown Davis is at the cultural and economic center of an eclectic community that pairs a world-class university with the agricultural heritage of a City striving to retain its small town-feel.

Alive with activity seven days a week, downtown Davis draws locals and visitors alike to experience fine food and wines, retail, services, arts and entertainment in an extraordinary and sustainable gathering place.

Excerpt from Downtown Davis

A wonderful balance of old and new, today’s Sutter Creek maintains its Gold Rush facade while catering to the wants and needs of visitors from around the world.Shop, dine, slumber, stroll, wine taste, and enjoy the quaint atmosphere of Amador County. 

Sutter Creek, the jewel of Amador County & the Gold Country, is steeped in history being born of the California Gold Rush and nurtured by the deep rock gold mines of the 19th & 20th centuries.

Sutter Creek is ideally situated in the heart of the Sierra Foothill Wine Country and is Amador County’s most walkable town with B&Bs, restaurants, and shops along the main street. 

Excerpt from Sutter Creek

If you haven’t had a chance to walk the shops in Historic downtown Woodland, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find some amazing stores. And don’t limit yourself to just the downtown area, shopping options reach well beyond the Main Street corridor.

Excerpt from Visit Yolo

The many hills and valleys offer endless views and hideaways in the surrounding area. Residents of Colfax have quick access to Interstate 80 for travel to Sacramento, Lake Tahoe, or Reno.

Colfax is located in the lower Sierra Nevada mountains at 2,420' elevation with approximately 2,000 citizens inside City limits. Colfax is a small city with strong historical significance in the Gold Rush of 1849 and the First Transcontinental Railroad, which continues to offer an official passenger train stop in the center of town today. Rich natural wildlife inhabit the surrounding region which boasts two rivers, one on either side, and a recreational lake with three marinas and four boat launches.

Excerpt from City of Colfax

Murphys is located in the central Sierra Nevada foothills between Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, in Calaveras County. Rich in goldrush history, Murphys today is a vibrant, thriving community of approximately 2,000 residents, alive with art galleries and live theater, eclectic shops, fine restaurants, charming hotels and B&B’s, and a multitude of outstanding outdoor recreational opportunities all just a short drive away.

Often called the “Queen of the Sierra,” Murphys has retained the charm of yesteryear, even as it has grown and developed into a modern community with all the amenities expected by today’s visitors.

Excerpt from Visit Murphys

For decades Downtown Dixon served as a commercial center for the community of Dixon and the surrounding agricultural areas. Shortly after the turn of the century, a number of substantial buildings were raised that housed primarily financial services, retail businesses, restaurants, entertainment and other fraternal uses such as the Masons. The railroad being located adjacent to the downtown provided transportation to larger markets in the east and west. Downtown thrived.

Excerpt from Downtown Dixon

Lodi is best known for being a center of winegrape production (the "Zinfandel Capital of the World"). National recognition came from the Creedence Clearwater Revival song "Lodi" and continues with the "2015 Wine Region of the Year" award given to Lodi by Wine Enthusiast Magazine. Nearby Woodbridge is the home of the well known winery, Woodbridge by Robert Mondavi. Mondavi grew up in Lodi, and Mondavi Winery is considered one of the most influential in the American wine industry.

Excerpt from Wikipedia

Ione is located in the fertile Ione Valley, which is believed to be named by Thomas Brown around 1849 after one of the heroines in Edward Bulwer Lytton's drama "The Last Days of Pompeii." During the days of the Gold Rush, the miners knew the town by the names of "Bedbug" and "Freezeout." Unlike other communities in Amador County, which were founded on gold mining, Ione was a supply center, stage and rail stop and agricultural hub.

Excerpt from City of Ione

Driving on Sunrise Blvd North of Highway 50 you would never know this gem was just a block to the East. Fair Oaks Village boasts a cute and walkable community with what is likely the highest population of free-range chickens in Sacramento.

"Located approximately a half-mile away from the American River Parkway. The Veterans Memorial Amphitheatre is located in this part of town. Events that take place here include the Fair Oaks Theater Festival, the Fair Oaks Fiesta and Car Show, and the annual Fair Oaks Chicken Festival each September." - Courtesy Wikipedia