Placerville Travel

As you drive into town from the highway, you get the distinct impression that this lovely, historic city of Placerville was once rough and ready. A mock dummy in a hangman's noose dangles from a second story at the famed Hangman's Bar, where the bartender will tell you the facts and lore of this once hanging location that brought criminals to their end, while towns folk watched during the California Gold Rush. Placerville was one of the busiest mining camps and even today, you can tour nearby Gold Bug Mine, one of the few remaining mines open to the public for tours. Operated as a California State Historic Park, it is worth the fee to see, and a gift shop sells neat little souvenirs that help support the park facilities operations. You can actually pan for gold there, which is an experience you may want to try, or let your kids dip their hands in the trough filled with cool mountain water, and explore how it must have felt to pan for gold some 150 plus years ago.

Placerville, itself, is a walk back in time. A huge tower sits smack dab near the center of the downtown street, and some of the streets have incredibly high curbs which are original in size and height. Now part of residential neighborhoods, this is where gents would be let off curbside by stagecoach to visit ladies of the night.

While Placerville has modern shops, restaurants, and clothing boutiques (plus some country western themed stores,) you can stay at modern hotels with outdoor swimming pools, but our favorite is the historic Carey House on the main thoroughfare. If you are so lucky, you may feel an unusually soft breeze in the air, or some unexplained experience compliments of the resident ghosts. While most guests don't sense anything at all, you can't help but let your imagination run wild as you hop into the old-fashioned elevator with the metal, spring-loaded door you must shut before you can get the thing to transport you to the second floor. The hotel has wine receptions some evenings, and story-telling. You won't generally find this in the modern hotels, and the location downtown lets you wander out of your room, down to the busy street where you can explore shops, historic buildings, take lots of photos, and even enjoy a healthy hike in the wooded area nearby.