KATIE D.I.D. BLOG

You can see the Sutter Creek Auditorium in the reflection

Last weekend, My daughter and one of her friends and I drove up to the Gold Country in Amador County to the little town of Sutter Creek. Tim and I would visit often when the girls were younger but I had not been back for quite a few years. Yearning for a day trip we took advantage of the beautiful day.

Sutter Creek is named for John Sutter. Sutter was a Swiss pioneer who was most well known for his forays into gold mining and for establishing Sutter's Fort which would eventually become the city of Sacramento. Less a miner and more a land baron, Sutter had sent a group up into the foothills in search of lumber. They camped here in the place that would eventually become this bustling mining town, Sutter Creek.

Sutter Gold Mining Company building shows a look at the history of the area

Sutter Creek is the perfect little getaway back in time. Historic surroundings, beautiful Victorian architecture and the quieter pace make for a very restorative relaxing day. The girls and I walked along the Main Street shopping, lunching before wandering over to the Creek that made this town happen. It runs right through town, but maintains it beautiful meandering path....

Sutter Creek

We walked back into town for a little more looking around. The majority of the structures in town are original to the 1850's and include stone from the surrounding area. Covered sidewalks are typical, as are tine roofs.....

....and covered balconies....

Main Street though Sutter Creek

There are numerous bed and breakfasts in town, including The Foxes Inn....

And the Sutter Creek Inn which which are in beautifully preserved historic Victorian homes.....

So charming that one might never want to leave.

Amador County is fast becoming the new California Wine Country destination specializing in Zinfandel and Sangiovese wines, although I have tasted some of my favorite Chardonnays here as well. Many come to Sutter Creek for a little wine tasting at Bella Grace Fine Wines.....

And Amador Vintners, a collection of all of the wineries in Amador. The perfect way to see Gold Country is to wrap it all into a wine trip with your home base here in Sutter Creek for weekend of history, food and wine.

For those of us that live in the area, it is a perfect place for photo opps, like this warehouse off the main street that leads down a quiet lane. The layers of signage paint on the old brick and stone caught my eye.....

Anyone who knows me realizes that I have to see as many shops as I can get away with. I left the girls in a vintage clothing shop while I stopped in at the Antique Gardener. There was such a lot to see here I will be dedicating another post to it! So stay tuned.....

Another favorite.....Water Street Interiors! Back at least 15 years ago, I bought an antique pine dresser from them imported from Eastern Europe. The owners have since switched gears a bit. While still importing from Europe, they are concentrating on reproductions and also importing beautiful things from India. I will be blogging about this shop as well!

One more thing was in order before leaving town to head up to the Gold Country Town of Volcano. Ice Cream Sundays at Sutter Creek Ice Cream Emporium. With ragtime music playing in the background, the nostalgic atmosphere takes you back to the 20's or 30's to the old time fountain shops. Granted the ice cream is Crystal, but the atmosphere is stellar.....