Amador County---The New and the Old
By Carmel L. Mooney

Amador County provides the perfect daytrip or weekend jaunt for anyone wanting to experience history, beauty, and excitement, all less than two hours from the Sacramento area.

Daffodil Hill, Sutter Creek, and Volcano are favorite stops and I'll tell you why. Every year from mid-March until mid-April, thousands of visitors each week flock to the spectacular bursting-yellow hillsides of what was originally McLaughlin Ranch in the late 1800's.

The original owner of Dutch decent, planted daffodils around his homestead and these same bulbs became the prize possession of the later owners. Years later it became a way station for travelers and their animals.

After 1935, the Mc Laughlin family planted more daffodils as a family memorial and people began to visit simply to enjoy the view. The visitors grew in numbers right along with the daffodils until finally the number of both daffodils and visitors grew by the thousands annually.

About six acres of more than 400,000 blooms now decorate the hillsides where eager visitors still arrive every year in the spring to walk in awe through the beautiful splashes and blankets of vibrant color. There is no admission charge although donations are accepted. During the peak blooming season, the hillsides are open daily from 9AM-5 PM. This is a fantastic place to take a picnic and photographs. Daffodil Hill is less than a half hour drive from the heart of Sutter Creek. Follow the signs.

About fifteen minutes from Daffodil Hill you'll find the interesting town of Volcano. This former gold rush town really had nothing to do with anything volcanic but the early settlers didn't know that when they saw the odd rock outcroppings throughout which seemingly resemble a lava tube.

This town is small and charming and provides a fun place to stroll and look in small local galleries and shops. A quaint town park is in the center of town, provides the perfect place for kids or the young at heart to explore nature or climb rocks. The grocery store in town offers a full-service deli so you might opt to have sandwiches made there to take along to a Daffodil Hill picnic later on.

Should you want to make it an overnighter, the St. George Hotel in Volcano with its beautiful gardens, is a nice place to stay where families have made fond memories for over 130 years.

If you do decide to stay over, stop by the Sutter Gold Mine just on the outskirts of Sutter Creek, on your way home. There you'll never forget the adventure of boarding large off-road vehicles and donning hardhats to go underground. Hundreds of feet below the surface you'll examine gold bearing quartz veins and mining displays. You can even try a hand at panning.

Amador County offers exciting history and excitement today along with timeless beauty the whole family will surely appreciate.

Contact Info:
St. George Hotel 209-296-4457
Sutter Gold Mine 888-818-7462