food tours

Come see over 10,000 tulips at the Crystal Hermitage Gardens Tulip Open House. The dates this year are April 7 & 8 and April 14 & 15 10:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. This is a free event with live music, refreshments and gardening questions and answers. The Crystal Hermitage Gardens are located in the Ananda Village, just 15 miles from the Broad Street Inn. It is also possible to see the tulips on self-guided tours throughout the month of April between 8:00 A.M. to 8:00 P.M. Check out our pictures of the tulips from last year on Flickr!

Community Asian Theatre of the Sierra (CATS) opens its 18^th season with The Teahouse of the August Moon. This Tony Award winning play was first adapted by the 1951 novel, then opened on Broadway in 1953, and later MGM produced a movie in 1956. This comedy takes place in a tiny Okinawa village from 1945 to 1952. It is a clash of cultures as Captain Fisby begins the process of “Americanization”. The play runs from April 12 through May 5 at the Nevada Theatre. Show times and tickets are available HERE. (You may have seen CATS’ incredible production of The King and I last year.)

Take a hike! Docent guided Wild Flower Walks will be held every weekend beginning March 17 through May 13 from 11:00 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. at the South Yuba River State Park. Bring a lunch, snacks, good walking shoes and a camera. Take in the flowers and views of the South Yuba River on the Buttermilk Bend Trail. For more information call the Park Visitor Center at 530-432-2546 or visit their website at www.southyubariverstatepark.org. This is a fun, family event and you can support our local park by donating a suggested $3.

For a new way to see Nevada City, go on a food tour! We highly recommend Local Roots Food Tours for a fun and interesting way to discover Nevada City for first-time tourists or return visitors. Read our blog on our food tour experience by clicking on the blog tab above or clicking HERE.

Once a month, join local bird expert Bill Cortright on a birding expedition along the South Fork of the Yuba River. The 2012 schedule is posted on the South Yuba River State Park website or click HERE.

Looking for a way to learn about Nevada City? Whether you’re a local, a first time visitor, or a regular in town, a food tour is a great way to learn about the history of Nevada City, try the different restaurants, and feel truly immersed in the town. Eric and Lisa have a food tour business, Local Roots Food Tours, where they take patrons on a tour of the town, while incorporating food and history. Eric and Lisa are locals who live in Grass Valley and started doing food tours in Sacramento. They saw how successful it was down there, that they decided to expand their business to Nevada City.

I joined in on Eric’s tour last weekend and learned so much about the place I call my hometown! The tour meets at Calahan Park, then heads over to Cafe Mekka. Cory, the owner, gave each person on the tour a taste of three of his favorite coffees. He also talked about where he gets his coffee, which is from Temple Coffee Roasters out of Sacramento, (we buy our coffee from him, so if you stay with us, you can taste some of the delicious Temple coffee!) and why he prefers it over other roasters.

Eric then took us over to the National Hotel where he talked about the history of the hotel and its significance of the town and the Gold Rush. We then went to Lefty’s Grill where we tried their delicious Italian Butcher pizza. Lefty’s has won awards for their Napa Style Pizza, which has a balsamic drizzle over pears, gorgonzola, mozzarella, olive oil, and fresh herbs. Their flat bread pizzas are all grilled in the pizza oven.

The tour moved on to Nevada City Winery, and on the way Eric talked about the Powell House which has just been recently remodeled. Each of the patrons on the tour were welcome to try the many different kinds of wine that Nevada City Winery offers. While at the tasting room, we were also offered to try Calolea Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and their Traditional Balsamic Vinegar. (Interested more about the wine at Nevada City Winery? Read my blog about the day I watched them press the grapes HERE.)

Once we left Nevada City Winery (which took much coaxing!), Eric talked about the history of the Miners Foundry. We then headed up to Elevensies where we got to try both sweet (Pumpkin Pie) and savory (The Petey Pie) crepes. (Read my blog from when Elevensies first opened, HERE.) While everyone was munching on their crepes, Eric led us up to our place, where everyone got a brief tour of the Broad Street Inn. We headed back downtown and enjoyed some delicious homemade treats from the Nevada City Chocolate Shoppe. They gave us samples of their famous Gold Miners’ Delight and a pecan turtle. After everyone finished–and after a few bought some fudge–we headed over to Sopa Thai. They brought out a few of their most popular dishes, which were all big hits.

We were running short on time so we didn’t go up Coyote Street. We then went to Deer Creek Inn where we were offered yummy homemade cookies. The tour then ended at the Stonehouse. The tour was 3 hours long, but went by very quickly. Patrons leave full of delicious food and a good idea of places they would like to return to. We highly recommend going on this tour whether you know the town like the back of your hand or it’s your first visit to Nevada City! Don’t forget about their food tour in Sacramento too!

For more photos from the tour, check out our Flickr page HERE.

Read their awesome reviews on TripAdvisor or write a review if you loved your tour!