Overview
Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County in California's Gold Country.
3 sights · 2 things to do · 3 places to eat · 2 bars & cafés · 2 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Grass Valley
Empire Mine State Historic Park
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 product…
North Star Mining Museum
Museum that focuses on the mining history of the region, featuring mining equipment both indoors and outdoors.
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 a…
Wine tasting
Enjoy wine tasting at various locations in the City of Grass Valley and at some of the surrounding wineries.
Del Oro Theater
Beautiful, historic movie theater in Downtown Grass Valley showing modern movies.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Jun–Sep. Summer highs reach about 84°F; winter lows dip to about 15°F. Cold months (Dec) can bring snow and ice; check road conditions. Wettest: Jan and Dec. (climate data from nearby Truckee)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- SMF Sacramento International Airport, Sacramento — 46 mi away (major hub). Directions
- TKF Truckee Tahoe Airport, Truckee — 50 mi away. Directions
From Sacramento take I-80 East to Auburn and then take 49 from Auburn to Grass Valley.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
No prices are listed for this place yet. See the Sleep guide ↓ for options.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Empire Mine State Historic Park, Del Oro Theater, North Star Mining Museum
- Lunch Diegos Restaurant
- Afternoon Victorian Houses, Wine tasting
- Dinner South Pine Cafe
- Evening Gary's Place
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
Nestled in the heart of the Sierras, Grass Valley boomed during the California gold rush, with gold being discovered in nearby Gold Hill in 1850.
Get in
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.
By plane
By train
Go Amtrak
Provides regular service to Auburn Amtrak station, 23 miles south of central Grass Valley. From the station, you would need to take Nevada County Connects bus 5 to central Grass Valley (about an hour bus ride). Be sure to check the Gold Country Stage schedule as buses are infrequent and run only limited times per day.
By bus
Place Local buses
If you have time and the timing work out, you can get to Grass Valley from Sacramento by using local buses. From Downtown Sacramento, you can take Sacramento Light Rail to the Watt/I-80 station. Here, you can take Placer Transit Route 10 to Auburn Amtrak Station and then from there, you can take Nevada County Connects to central Grass Valley.
Get around
By foot
Most of Grass Valley is accessible and best enjoyed by walking. While the town is full of hills, the sidewalks are generally well maintained and easy to navigate.
By bus
Place Nevada County Connects
Local buses that take people all over Nevada County including Grass Valley, Auburn, Nevada City, Penn Valley, North San Juan, Cedar Ridge, Lake Wildwood and Alta Sierra.
See
See Empire Mine State Historic Park
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, and numerous items of mining machinery are on show inside the park. Visitors have the opportunity to enter the top of the mine shaft. The state park also has many miles of riding, walking and mountain biking trails.
See 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.
Do
Do Wine tasting
Enjoy wine tasting at various locations in the City of Grass Valley and at some of the surrounding wineries.
Buy
Shop Booktown Books
Booktown is a cooperative of 14 independent booksellers with 4,000 square feet of Used and Rare Books, Ephemera, Books on CDs, Music CDs, DVDs, LP Records and Art. Each Bookseller has their own booth in the store that displays their special genres of books. Every book is coded and priced by each bookseller.
Eat
Eat South Pine Cafe
Excellent slightly alternative restaurant. Be prepared to wait a short while at the weekend, but be assured the food is worth it. Try the "south pine sampler", but be aware the Louisiana Hot Sausage can be fiery. The menu has lots of variety—options for vegetarians and carnivores. Great selection of liquid to wash down your meal, from fresh squeezed juices to beer and wine.
Eat Diegos Restaurant
Chilean food. 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.
Eat Grass Valley Pasty Co
Large numbers of experienced miners migrated to Grass Valley during the gold boom, bringing with them the Cornish pasty. This shop keeps the tradition alive.
Drink
Drink Gary's Place
Dive bar in Downtown Grass Valley with many regulars and frequented by locals.
Drink Grass Valley Brewing Company
Local brewery with expansive tasting room, offering flights of beers.
Sleep
Go next
Nearby
Nevada City
City / town · 18 listings · 4 mi away
Colfax
City / town · 3 listings · 10 mi away
Auburn
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Marysville
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Coloma
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Yuba City
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Sierra City
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