Things to do in Nevada City, photos by Erin Thiem/ Outside Inn

What to do in Nevada City?  I get this question every day at the Outside Inn and often I ask folks, tell me a little bit more and I can help send you in the right direction.  What I love is that our guests end up getting out and about and doing so many cool things.

An ideal day of being a tourist in Nevada City would include some food, playing outside and just one of the many activities in our area.  Start with breakfast at South Pine Cafe, can’t beat the Blackstone Benedict and fresh squeezed OJ.  To work off your food take a stroll down to the Deer Creek Trail suspension bridge.  Dash through town and either pick up a few treats, pack a picnic to head down to the river.  The wildflowers at Buttermilk Bend are perfect at this time of the year, or head out to Ananda and check out the tulips at the Hermitage Gardens.  For an afternoon pick me up there are a number of beverage options (coffee, juice bar, wine or beer depending on your preference) and then get dinner before hitting the town.  Whether you’re looking for live music, wine tasting or an event, there’s always something happening in Nevada City and Grass Valley.  Click here for a list of other local itineraries for couples, kids, foodies and more.

So, since I think everyone should get out and explore– I’ve got a fun giveaway for the upcoming Nevada City Film Festival Winter Comedy Show, coming to the Miners Foundry this Saturday night, April 4th.  The show will feature live performances from Tig Notaro, Tim Heidecker, Nick Thune, and Sara Schaefer.  What do you have to win a pair of tickets?  Post a comment here on your favorite local thing to do and I’ll announce the winner on Friday, April 3rd.

Winter Comedy, Miners Foundry, Nevada City

© 2015 InnSide Nevada City, © photos by Erin Thiem and Kurtis Ostrom Photography 

16 replies
  1. Kathy Frey
    Kathy Frey says:

    Being the introverted, town-dweller that I am, some of my favorite things to do aren’t things at all — I love sneaking between all the tiny passageways between buildings and doing weird things like hanging a poster in the Alpha Building just to be in there quietly imagining what could be. I also love the National balcony. Is that enough to win????

  2. Barry Shurtz
    Barry Shurtz says:

    I agree with everything you said in your post-I am a big fan of Pine Street Cafe, the river, etc., but I’ll suggest a more specific weekend adventure that I have done with guest who come to visit us in Nevada City. Start Saturday walking the tribute trial loop — great way to show guests not only our town, but also the beautiful surrounding area around town. Start at Pioneer Park or near Lefties’ (start with a mimosa, beer. or cup of Java there), walk the “trail” through town pointing out all the great historical places, make your way down and over the suspension bridge, looping around until you cross over deer creek via the “non-suspension” bridge. Hang a left there and visit Nevada City Winery for a tasting, then head over to Three-forks for a pizza and beer, and back over to your car at Lefties. We usually then head home to our house for a BBQ or just to freshen up before heading to Mateo’s for dinner and an entire evening of always awesome live music. Sunday morning is brunch at Pine Street, or Ike’s. With the picnic basket and cooler ready to go, head down to the river to Edwards Crossing enjoying the beautiful scenery, stop, take some pictures, take a dip if it’s warm, then continue on to Malakoff Sate Park and enjoy the old town of “Humbug” with a picnic lunch and a walking tour of an old gold rush town. On the way back, stop and take a hike around the “diggins” where placer mining took place. Head back down and over the river back to town and enjoy a great meal at Lefties before saying goodbye to your guests. Always a great time!

  3. Melanie Glenn
    Melanie Glenn says:

    We love to take walks through the Nevada City neighborhoods all year but especially in the fall. We are always dazzled by the beautiful colors. It’s tradition to stop and treat ourselves at the ice cream/candy shop on Broad street afterwards!

  4. Joshua Simmons
    Joshua Simmons says:

    There are so many things to do around beautiful Nevada City. My favorite would be hiking on the many trails around the Yuba River, just watch out for poison oak. =)

  5. Hindi Greenberg
    Hindi Greenberg says:

    Nevada County is great for attending a concert put on by InConcert Sierra or The Center for the Arts, or viewing a play put on by any of the many theater companies in the county, or peacefully watching the gorgeous, dark sky filled with stars (except like now, when the moon is almost full–but then we’ll have a lunar eclipse on Saturday morning). There’s so many wonderful things to do in Nevada County and not enough time to do them all.

  6. Mellisa Hannum
    Mellisa Hannum says:

    I have to agree with the breakfast at South Pine. Then it’s time for a hike! After cooling down, if it’s the weekend, you can usually find us hanging out, chatting with Mark, and enjoying Montoliva’s fantastic Italian style wines.

  7. babydaddybrad
    babydaddybrad says:

    I love hikes on Independence Trail and Buttermilk Trail at Bridgeport, especially this time of year when all the wildflowers are blooming. There are so many beautiful walks around Nevada City, you can just pick a direction and go and you’re sure to see something interesting and have an enjoyable time.

  8. Annie
    Annie says:

    I love exploring the trails and checking out the wildflowers this time of year. For an around town outing I love browsing the shelves of Mountain Pastimes for games and novelty items. Brunch at Ike’s and a vegan ice cream at Treats rounds out any day perfectly!

  9. Ingrid Knox
    Ingrid Knox says:

    The tulips at Ananda are breathtaking and worth the drive. Since I’m all about eating – breakfast at South Pine and ice cream at Treats are always favorites. This Saturday (Apr 4th) though, I’ll be at the Friends of the Nevada County Libraries Monthly Book Sale at the wonderful and historic Doris Foley Library (211 N. Pine St) from 9 am – 3 pm. (Thanks for allowing me a shameless plug.) We are so lucky to have two Carnegie libraries in the area – Nevada City and Grass Valley. Foley has lots of historical information about the area, so it’s worth checking out too.

  10. Joseph Glenn
    Joseph Glenn says:

    We love taking our daughter trick or treating through the neighborhoods at Halloween time, checking out the local talent at Friar Tucks while sipping a delicious cocktail, hiking the trails on and around the new Suspension Bridge, grabbing dinner at Leftys for date night, and so much more throughout the year. Would love to have opportunity to check out some comedy at the Foundry this weekend!

  11. Ann Hobbs
    Ann Hobbs says:

    And if it snows a bit, we can enjoy maple syrup snow cones! Thanks for the reminder of some cool spring things to do!!

  12. Shar McLeod
    Shar McLeod says:

    I love to drive from Nevada City up Highway 49 to Downieville, to Truckee then home along Highway 20. That loop in incredible, especially during the fall colors. It’s such a special feeling driving back into Nevada City. A glass of wine and onion bread at Frier Tucks completes the day!

  13. debbie Whalin
    debbie Whalin says:

    On a hot summer day I love to take my kids and my friends and their kids down to Bridgeport where we swim in the cool water (gives you goosebumps) and when the bridge was open we would always walk to the end and back peering through all the lookouts along the way.

  14. Cathy
    Cathy says:

    Halloween in Nevada City is spectacular. The adults dress up more than the kids and you can’t throw a stick without hitting a house (or a Miners Foundry) that has gone all out with spooky decor. Rain or shine, I love Nevada City on Halloween.

  15. Cathy
    Cathy says:

    May through October I look forward to seeing the best and the brightest shine on at First Friday Artwalk. It’s a great way to support our local economy by going to visit the shops who host fascinating and inspiring artists. It’s also a great opportunity to break out the camera and take fun pictures #nevadacityartwalk

  16. Brenda English
    Brenda English says:

    My daughter and i love playing tourist! She is 13 now…we have done it since she was little! We live by Empire Mine…walk downtown, stroll through all of our amazing stores to see what is new, and end the walk with a yummy frozen yogurt or an amazing meals at one of our fabulous restaurants! Summer time would most definitely be to pack a picnic and spend the day at one of amazing lakes!

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