Page 21 - 2015 Travel Guide to California

RUSSELL SHIVELY/SHUTTERTOCK; ANGEL DIBILIO/SHUTTERSTOCK. OPPOSITE: RICHARD THORNTON/SHUTTERSTOCK
the western slopes to admire impeccably
restored 19th-century buildings, take in
scenic hillside views, ski the nearby moun-
tains, and head to High Country attractions
such as Lake Tahoe. The Gold Rush is
memorialized at the Miners Foundry Cul-
tural Center and by historical mining
exhibits in City Hall. Eye-pleasing and
walkable, much of downtown Nevada City
is listed on the National Register of Historic
Places. The Nevada Theatre, a smartly
restored heritage building, hosts a variety
of live entertainment.
EUREKA: Redwoods & Victorians
Tucked into the northwestern corner of Cal-
ifornia, Eureka, 270 miles north of San
Francisco on Humboldt Bay, has the largest
deep-water port between San Francisco Bay
and Washington’s Puget Sound. The city of
27,000 also serves as the unofficial capital
of the state’s Redwood Empire. Once famed
for its timber, mines and fisheries, Eureka
is a leading West Coast purveyor of succu-
lent farmed oysters. Most significantly for
visitors, Eureka is an attractive preserve of
Victorian architecture such as the grand
1886 Carson Mansion at 2nd and M streets.
Shops, restaurants and B&Bs occupy some
of a staggering 1,500 Eureka buildings listed
on the National Register of Historic Places.
One-million-acre Six Rivers National Forest
is a near neighbor.
PALM DESERT: Low-Profile Oasis
Eleven miles from high-profile Palm Springs
is sunny Palm Desert, a city of 48,000 in the
Coachella Valley. Palm Desert combines the
manicured lawns, golf courses, tennis courts
and swimming pools of a manmade oasis
with rugged cycling, off-road hiking and 4-
wheel-drive excursions in the surrounding
desert. Golf is available at 10 city-owned golf
courses, plus prime links such as the J.W.
Marriott Desert Springs Resort’s 18-hole Palm
Course. The city displays more than 130
public-art pieces, many clustered along El
Paseo or Fred Waring Drive. Culture is on-
stage at the 1980s McCallum Theatre for the
Performing Arts, and visitors can view mid-
20th-century commercial buildings and
homes on free architectural tours.
PASADENA: Rose Bowl & Bungalows
Located 10 miles northeast of Los Angeles
at the foot of the imposing San Gabriel
Mountains, this pretty city of 140,000 is
best-known for the Granddaddy of ’em All:
the annual Rose Bowl football game, its
ever-popular Tournament of Roses Parade
and delightful parody the Doo-Dah Parade.
Some 800 restored early 20th-century
wooden bungalows, clustered in the Bun-
galow Heaven Historic District, give
Pasadena a signature architectural look.
Shopping and dining are abundant along
pedestrian-friendly South Lake Avenue, in
the Playhouse District and in revived, 22-
block Old Pasadena. The Huntington
combines a distinguished library complete
with a Gutenberg Bible, centuries of priceless
fine-art pieces and extensive and beautiful
botanical gardens all in one place.
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