• Empire Mine State Historic Park, 10791 East Empire St.,Grass Valley. Ca. 95945, ☎ (530) 273-8522, [2]. 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 itself, and numerous items of mining machinery are on show inside the park. Visitors have the opportunity to enter the top of the mine shaft itself and an underground train tour is coming soon (2008/9). The state park also has many miles of riding, walking and mountain biking trails.  edit

• 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. edit

• 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.  edit

• Gold Country Stage, ☎ 530-477-0103 ext 1004, [1]. Local buses that take people all over Nevada County including Grass valley, Nevada City, Penn Valley, North San Juan, Cedar Ridge, Lake Wildwood and Alta Sierra. Follow the link to get access to the system route map. edit

• Alpaca Yarn and products, 10521 Godfrey Lane Grass Valley, California 95949, ☎ +1 (530) 274-8748, [3]. Alpaca products created by the AStarAlpaca Ranch of Grass Valley including natural and dyed yarns. edit

• South Pine Cafe, Richardson Street, [4]. Excellent slightly alternative restaurant. Be prepared to wait a short while at the weekend, but be assured the food is worth it. Try the the "south pine sampler", but be aware the Louisiana Hot Sausage can be fiery. They also have a good selection of beer.  edit

• Diegos Restaurant, 217 Colfax Avenue,[5], Chilean food. Open Monday through Saturday. 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.

• Bunce's Place, 142 Mill St, ☎ (530)273-6913. 6AM-10PM or later. Full of laid back (drunk)locals. Either sit inside where it's dark and cool or outside where you can inhale tobacco and gossip about those who pass by. Pool table in the back of the bar and a great juke box in the front. Don't let the patrons scare you, they are friendly and harmless. You're sure to hear some interesting stories if you're willing to listen. edit

• The Owl Grill and Saloon, 134 Mill St,( 530)274-1144, open daily at 4:00pm. Casual, welcoming atmosphere. Live music on select nights. The Billy Blue bread is a magical partnership of garlic and blue cheese.