Guidebook for Sonora

Nancy
Guidebook for Sonora

Food Scene

Convenient to downtown shops, reasonably priced, good food.
30 locals recommend
Sonora Thai Cuisine
51 S Washington St
30 locals recommend
Convenient to downtown shops, reasonably priced, good food.
It is a great place to eat when you want to check out Columbia State Historic Park. Indoor and outdoor eating, dog friendly, very good food, and an amazing selection of terrific and unusual teas.
18 locals recommend
Columbia Kate's Teahouse
22727 Columbia St
18 locals recommend
It is a great place to eat when you want to check out Columbia State Historic Park. Indoor and outdoor eating, dog friendly, very good food, and an amazing selection of terrific and unusual teas.
Right on the main street of downtown Sonora. Great place to stop for some delicious Italian food before heading up the hill to our place for the night. Very popular with the locals...always a good sign.
17 locals recommend
Talulah's
13 S Washington St
17 locals recommend
Right on the main street of downtown Sonora. Great place to stop for some delicious Italian food before heading up the hill to our place for the night. Very popular with the locals...always a good sign.
A little off the beaten path, but has a menu with something for everyone, a lively environment in a cool old building, and a great selection of beers on tap. What more can you ask? Oh, yeah, Taco Tuesdays!
50 locals recommend
The Standard Pour
19040 Standard Rd
50 locals recommend
A little off the beaten path, but has a menu with something for everyone, a lively environment in a cool old building, and a great selection of beers on tap. What more can you ask? Oh, yeah, Taco Tuesdays!
Good tasting, large helpings of Mexican food with an outside dining area. There are several locations, but I prefer the cook in Columbia.
15 locals recommend
El Jardin Mexican Restaurant
76 N Washington St
15 locals recommend
Good tasting, large helpings of Mexican food with an outside dining area. There are several locations, but I prefer the cook in Columbia.

Drinks & Nightlife

We go here for free entertainment on Fridays and never feel pressured to order lots of drinks, though they are reasonably priced. They have a good-sized dance floor and often have great bands in a variety of genres. There is also a bowling alley in the basement and of course.... gambling.
155 locals recommend
Black Oak Casino Resort
19400 Tuolumne Rd N
155 locals recommend
We go here for free entertainment on Fridays and never feel pressured to order lots of drinks, though they are reasonably priced. They have a good-sized dance floor and often have great bands in a variety of genres. There is also a bowling alley in the basement and of course.... gambling.

Sightseeing

Tour the facility to see how hard cider is made and enjoy some tasting, the organic apple orchard, or picnicking on site.
60 locals recommend
Indigeny Reserve
14679 Summers Ln
60 locals recommend
Tour the facility to see how hard cider is made and enjoy some tasting, the organic apple orchard, or picnicking on site.
During the late spring through early fall, take a tour of the old "iron horses" from the 1800s and enjoy a ride through the countryside.
100 locals recommend
Railtown 1897 State History Park
10501 Reservoir Rd
100 locals recommend
During the late spring through early fall, take a tour of the old "iron horses" from the 1800s and enjoy a ride through the countryside.
Walk the streets of a 1850's gold town that has been frozen in time, enjoy a carriage ride, and stop for a delicious lunch at one of the local eateries.
217 locals recommend
Columbia State Historic Park
11259 Broadway St
217 locals recommend
Walk the streets of a 1850's gold town that has been frozen in time, enjoy a carriage ride, and stop for a delicious lunch at one of the local eateries.

Parks & Nature

This little lake is nestled in the mountains with camping and picnic areas, bathrooms, and a lovely hike to Cleo's Baths to see the water fall in the Spring and dunk your toes in the water. Boat rentals are available at the lake and swimming is allowed.
51 locals recommend
Pinecrest Lake Resort
421 Pinecrest Lake Rd
51 locals recommend
This little lake is nestled in the mountains with camping and picnic areas, bathrooms, and a lovely hike to Cleo's Baths to see the water fall in the Spring and dunk your toes in the water. Boat rentals are available at the lake and swimming is allowed.
If you have never seen the Giant Sequoias, this is a must see! These enormous trees were here before the first white man set foot on our soil. Take a stroll back in time and walk through the trunks of some of these fallen giants.
274 locals recommend
Calaveras Big Trees State Park
1170 CA-4
274 locals recommend
If you have never seen the Giant Sequoias, this is a must see! These enormous trees were here before the first white man set foot on our soil. Take a stroll back in time and walk through the trunks of some of these fallen giants.
Lots of choices here for the active and fit. Brave the long spiral staircase to view the cavern big enough to contain the Statue of Liberty, or rappel down 165 feet and dangle above the void. Ride a zipline and enjoy a picnic at one of the shaded tables on the grounds.
164 locals recommend
Moaning Caverns Adventure Park
5350 Moaning Cave Rd
164 locals recommend
Lots of choices here for the active and fit. Brave the long spiral staircase to view the cavern big enough to contain the Statue of Liberty, or rappel down 165 feet and dangle above the void. Ride a zipline and enjoy a picnic at one of the shaded tables on the grounds.
There is no other park quite like Yosemite for granite grandeur and waterfalls. Best in the spring when the falls are gushing and the tourists are not.... or in the winter if your car is suitable for some snow play and peace and quiet in the valley.
995 locals recommend
Yosemite National Park
995 locals recommend
There is no other park quite like Yosemite for granite grandeur and waterfalls. Best in the spring when the falls are gushing and the tourists are not.... or in the winter if your car is suitable for some snow play and peace and quiet in the valley.
The well-maintained path beside this beautiful, historic ditch runs right through our neighborhood and is one of our favorite places for a cool shaded walk in the summer and to check out the snow in the winter. Only a 2% grade, soft forest floor beneath your feet, the sound of flowing water, and a canopy of trees overhead! When the system was first built in the 1850s, it covered 250 miles of hand-dug ditches that distributed water to all corners of the county. Today, about 50 miles of this remarkable system are still in use by the Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) service areas.
North Oxbow Lane
The well-maintained path beside this beautiful, historic ditch runs right through our neighborhood and is one of our favorite places for a cool shaded walk in the summer and to check out the snow in the winter. Only a 2% grade, soft forest floor beneath your feet, the sound of flowing water, and a canopy of trees overhead! When the system was first built in the 1850s, it covered 250 miles of hand-dug ditches that distributed water to all corners of the county. Today, about 50 miles of this remarkable system are still in use by the Tuolumne Utilities District (TUD) service areas.
This lake is in Yosemite Park, but off Evergreen Rd about 1.5 miles before the park entrance. A great option for a second day in Yosemite if you want to avoid the drive down into the valley and back. There's a nice hike beside the lake to a double falls called Wapama Falls where you can perch on a rock and have a picnic. In the spring, there are 70 different varieties of wildflowers along the path, and don't be surprised if you come across a bear soaking in a pool and munching on some green grasses. There is also a short hike to Carlon Falls just 1 mile off of Highway 120 on Evergreen Rd. There are lots of flat rocks to sit on and view the falls and pools that brave locals like to swim in during the summer.
44 locals recommend
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir
44 locals recommend
This lake is in Yosemite Park, but off Evergreen Rd about 1.5 miles before the park entrance. A great option for a second day in Yosemite if you want to avoid the drive down into the valley and back. There's a nice hike beside the lake to a double falls called Wapama Falls where you can perch on a rock and have a picnic. In the spring, there are 70 different varieties of wildflowers along the path, and don't be surprised if you come across a bear soaking in a pool and munching on some green grasses. There is also a short hike to Carlon Falls just 1 mile off of Highway 120 on Evergreen Rd. There are lots of flat rocks to sit on and view the falls and pools that brave locals like to swim in during the summer.

Essentials

A bit closer to our home, and located in a beautiful little mountain town.this is a smaller, boutique market with a surprising selection of cheeses, wine, and gourmet items in addition to the usual grocery fare.
84 locals recommend
Twain Harte Market station
84 locals recommend
A bit closer to our home, and located in a beautiful little mountain town.this is a smaller, boutique market with a surprising selection of cheeses, wine, and gourmet items in addition to the usual grocery fare.
Most complete and convenient selection of groceries, deli, bakery, and Starbucks. A good selection of organic produce.
30 locals recommend
Safeway
1291 Sanguinetti Rd
30 locals recommend
Most complete and convenient selection of groceries, deli, bakery, and Starbucks. A good selection of organic produce.

Everything Else

The grounds are incredible, the wine is terrific, and there is a cute museum onsite with an ENORMOUS gold nugget taken from a mine in our area.
95 locals recommend
Ironstone Vineyards
1894 6 Mile Rd
95 locals recommend
The grounds are incredible, the wine is terrific, and there is a cute museum onsite with an ENORMOUS gold nugget taken from a mine in our area.

Arts & Culture

A small and intimate community theater that likes to run more "adventurous" plays than the standard fare offered by the more well-known Sierra Rep. Go early for the no host wine and refreshments and you'll often find a local musician on the stage to entertain you before the show.
6 locals recommend
Stage 3 Theatre
208 S Green St
6 locals recommend
A small and intimate community theater that likes to run more "adventurous" plays than the standard fare offered by the more well-known Sierra Rep. Go early for the no host wine and refreshments and you'll often find a local musician on the stage to entertain you before the show.
Well respected local theater with two venues, one on Mono Way and another in historic Columbia. The quality of these shows is consistently good and they specialize in more familiar and popular plays and musicals.
14 locals recommend
Sierra Rep's Fallon House Theatre
11175 Washington St
14 locals recommend
Well respected local theater with two venues, one on Mono Way and another in historic Columbia. The quality of these shows is consistently good and they specialize in more familiar and popular plays and musicals.