NEVADA CITY, Calif. — When you think of “Nevada City,” think Victorian. Think California Gold Rush. But most of all, think small. Narrow sidewalks, winding streets, pocket parks, narrow Broad Street store fronts, even the Nevada County Fair Grounds are scaled down to fit this historic mining town in the steep ravines of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
Lodging is no exception. There are a couple of hotels. But Nevada City’s most inviting rooms are found in three of the town’s oldest houses, built less than a decade after the Gold Rush turned cedar forests into muddy gullies.
The Deer Creek Inn and the Emma Nevada House B&B are converted Victorian homes; Grandmere’s Inn is built in the Federal style, with Victorian gingerbread tacked on later. they are not private homes, but first-class inns with an innkeeper on duty, a full daily breakfast, special guest amenities, assistance with dinner reservations and theater tickets, sightseeing suggestions and warm small-town hospitality.
THE EMMA NEVADA HOUSE
Step into a time machine at the Emma Nevada House, built in 1856 on a winding tree-lined lane, a pleasant stroll uphill from the center of Nevada City.
The house, with six rooms on two floors, each with private bath, was converted to a B&B 10 years ago. But the remodel, which replaced the old wiring and plumbing and reshaped most of the ground floor space, left the best of the original house untouched.
There’s the typical front entry with a hallway and narrow staircase to the second floor; high ceilings and period fixtures, windows to the floor, and the original woodwork and irregular window glass. Inviting wood porches surround the house, on the front, side and rear. Another is built off the second floor rear.
For first-class pampering, book one of the large downstairs bedrooms, each decorated individually. All have antique furniture, a king or queen bed, sitting area, bathrobe and television. Nightingale’s Bower has a fireplace, a king bed and a Jacuzzi tub. Empress’ Chamber has a queen bed, wall-size garden-view windows and a Jacuzzi tub. The upstairs bedrooms, tucked under the eaves, are smaller, simpler and cheaper. But they feel cozier and more private. Two have an extra bed for a child.
Breakfast is a full meal, with fresh fruit and juice, coffee, tea, muffins or scones, and a main dish such as quiche, scrambled eggs or waffles. Tea, coffee, cookies and wine glasses (BYOB) are set out in late afternoon. The inn has a no smoking policy.
At 528 E. Broad Street. Rooms are $150 to $200 per night. Call (800) 916-Emma, or visit www.emmanevadahouse.com.
DEER CREEK INN
You can try your hand at gold mining at the Deer Creek Inn, once known as the “pound-a-day” creek for its generous yield, but bring your own pan. The real gold on this burbling stream is the house, a Queen Anne Victorian built in 1860, two blocks from Nevada City’s Historic District.
Occupied for most of its 143 years by one family, the six-room inn is bright and cheerful, an eclectic blend of old and new: the original architectural features — windows, doors, moldings, redwood wood floors, wall fixtures — and new carpet, more windows where there were none, modern bathrooms and a gorgeous kitchen.
The bedrooms are pure eye candy, decorated with flair and imagination, bold colors, and collectibles both cute and quaint. Quilts and curtains run from flowery prints and gauzy lace to conservative stripes and checks.
All rooms have four-poster or canopy queen beds (one has a king mattress) and ceiling fans. Some have trundle beds for a third person, garden-view balconies and claw-foot tubs in the room, fancifully hidden behind lace curtains.
The house also has central air conditioning, rare in one of these old Victorians, a bonus not needed during most months but very welcome during the occasional summer heat wave. A full breakfast, with home-made breads, fruit, cereal and an egg dish, are served at the table when there are 12 or fewer guests. When there are more — during weddings or for small meetings — it’s laid out on the buffet table on the sun porch.
The real bonus is the lawn that slopes to the river’s edge, grass and free-form gardens with mature shade trees. No wonder Deer Creek is popular for wedding parties, romantic anniversaries and weekend getaways. Reserve early; holiday weekends require a two-night minimum stay.
At 116 Nevada St. Rooms are $105 to $179 per night. Call (800) 655-0363, e-mail requests to deercreekgv.net, or visit www.deercreekinn.com.
GRANDMERE’S INN
For a grand but less intimate experience, stay at Grandmere’s Inn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This large two-story house with white clapboard siding was built in 1856, by Nevada City resident Aaron A. Sargent, a publisher and U.S. senator.
Unlike its neighbors, however, the house is not a Victorian, but a Federal design, intended to impress both colleagues and constituents. Everything’s just a little larger — the rooms, wider halls, higher ceilings — with an acre of trees, lawn and gardens, ideal for weddings and wedding receptions.
Completely restored and replumbed in 1985, the rooms are painted in dark decorator colors — rich forest greens, burgundy red, intense grays. These shades — and the use of heavy drapes and plantation shutters — are prefect for highlighting framed prints and collectibles. But they also make the interior feel clubby and dark.
The two downstairs bedrooms include a large suite, the Senator’s Chambers, with a fireplace mantel, four-poster bed, huge walk-in closet, oversized modern bath and outdoor porch. A second downstairs bedroom, Ellen’s Garden Room, in the rear of the house, can be reached from the side driveway and sidewalk, and is handicapped accessible (up two steps). The other four bedrooms, one a large suite, are upstairs. All are furnished similarly, primarily with antique reproductions.
A full breakfast is served on two tables in the dining room. For between-meal snackers, a self-serve buffet in the pantry is stocked around the clock with fresh fruit, sweet breads, cookies, coffee and tea.
The Grandmere Inn stays very busy, with weddings and small reunions. And many guests are foreign visitors, in Nevada City for the fall colors, or during the winter, for Nordic skiing. Book early to be sure of a room. At 449 Broad St. Call (530) 265-4660, or visit www.grandmeresinn.com.
