Nestled in the foot of the Sierras, with Yosemite to the south and Gold Rush country to the north, Sonora puts you in the middle of some of the best recreation that California has to offer:
Winter Sports
If you're a skiing enthusiast, whether downhill or cross country, you'll enjoy being roughly half an hour from Dogde Ridge, and about an hour and a half from Bear Valley to the north or Yosemite's Badger Pass to the south.
Summer Sports
Walk out the front door of this house, and 400 yards later you are in Stanislaus National Forest. You can also walk downhill to the base of the property and enjoy walking or biking along the PG&E Ditch. Within an hour's drive, you can enjoy camping, hiking, or picnicking in any of the following:
- Yosemite National Park
- Emigrant Wilderness
- Calaveras Big Trees State Park
- Knight's Ferry
For boating, Lake Don Pedro, Lake Tulloch, and New Melones Reservoir are all within a half hour. For swimming, the popular destination is Pinecrest Lake, just a half hour away. A better destination, though, is to push on another 15 minutes up Highway 108 to Beardsley Lake. In a deep canyon, Beardsley is actually 2000 feet lower in elevation than Pinecrest, making it both warmer and more secluded. White water rafting is available through several services along the Tuolumne River.
Music
Three of California's biggest annual outdoor music events are within a half hour of the house:
- Strawberry Music Festival
- Jumping Frog Jubilee, in conjunction with the Calaveras County Fair, which has featured headliners like the Doobie Brothers and the Eagles
- The Sonora Blues Festival
Ironstone Vineyards has a delightful outdoor amphitheater that seats about 3500 and each summer has an outstanding concert series.
Drama
Sonora boasts a professional theatre company in Sierra Repertory Theatre, which performs at the East Sonora stage and in Columbia at the Fallon House.
Sonora also has a very respectable community theatre company, Stage 3 Theatre Company.
Casinos
You don't have to travel all the way to Tahoe or Reno for Casino entertainment. Just 20 minutes from the house is Black Oak Casino, a recent but full-featured addition to the California casino scene. An hour away is Jackson Rancheria, a well-established Casino with gaming, fine dining, and an impressive line-up of musicians and other performers.
Food
If you like California cuisine, Mexican, or steak house, you'll be happy with:
- The Willow, Jamestown
- The National Hotel, Jamestown
- The Jamestown Hotel, Jamestown
- The Lickskillet, Columbia
- Banny's, Sonora
- The Old Stan, Sonora
- Diamondback Grill, Sonora
- Eproson House, Twaine Harte
Go a little further afield (40 minutes from the house) to Murphys, and you'll enjoy:
- Alchemy, Murphys
- Murphys Grill, Murphys
- V, Murphys
Wine
Calaveras, Amador, Placer, and El Dorado counties -- the counties immediately north of Sonora's Tuolumne County -- collectively make up the Sierra Foothills wine region. More personal and less pretentious than some other California wine regions, the Foothills has some terrific wines not yet discovered by mainstream wine aficionados.
In Sonora, both Banny's and Diamondback Grill have wine bars adjacent to their restaurants; both feature a strong selection of Foothill wines as well as more general offerings. Most restaurants in the Sonora area have a selection of local wines.
The real jewel of this area is the town of Murphys. There are tasting rooms rooms for a dozen or so nearby wineries in town. Personal favorites include:
- Hatcher, especially the Estate Zinfandel and the Cinsault
- Twisted Oak, especially Tanner Syrah and Viognier
- Black Sheep, especially their Zinfandel
The Foothills region has a strong connection to the Gold Rush era and the Old West. In fact Jamestown was once used by Hollywood as a studio for westerns. Main Street in Jamestown is the set for the classic "High Noon." Jamestown does a gunfight re-enactment once a month during the summer.
Jamestown is also the home of Railtown Historic Park, for train buffs interested in steam trains from the Old West.
For those interested in Gold Rush California, there's Columbia State Historic Park, where you can pan for gold, or see an old Wells Fargo bank and stage coach.
Jamestown and Columbia are each about a half hour from the house.