Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(
www.argonautcafe.com
; 331 Hwy 49, Coloma; sandwiches $8; 8am-4pm)
Truly delicious soups, sandwiches and coffee from well-known Sacramento and Coloma
purveyors find their way to this little wooden house between Sutter's Mill and the black-
smith's shop in Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park. The crowds of schoolkids
waiting for gelato can slow things down.
WORTH A TRIP
PLACERVILLE WINERIES
The Placerville region's high heat and rocky soil produces excellent wines, which fre-
quently appear on California menus. Oenophiles could spend a long afternoon rambling
through the welcoming vineyards of El Dorado County alone (though a full weekend of
tasting could be had if it was coupled with adjoining Amador County). Details can be
Wine Smith
( 530-622-0516;
www.thewinesmith.com
;
346 Main St, Placerville; 11am-8pm
Mon-Sat, from noon Sun), a local shop with just about everything grown in the area.
Some noteworthy wineries, all north of Hwy 50, include
Lava Cap Winery
(
www.lavacap.com
;
2221 Fruitridge Rd; 11am-5pm), which has an on-hand deli for picnic sup-
10am-5pm). Both have
free tastings.
Placerville
Placerville has always been a travelers' town: it was originally a destination for fortune
hunters who reached California by following the South Fork of the American River. In
1857 the first stagecoach to cross the Sierra Nevada linked Placerville to Nevada's Carson
Valley, which eventually became part of the nation's first transcontinental stagecoach
route.
Today, Placerville is a place to explore while traveling between Sacramento and Tahoe
on Hwy 50. It has a thriving and well-preserved downtown with antique shops and bars,
and local wags who cherish the wild reputation of 'Hangtown' - a name earned when a
handful of men swung from the gallows in the mid-1800s. Among the many awesome loc-
