Dog-Friendly Adventure!…read more Lake Shasta Caverns was the perfect stop on our road trip from Portland to San Francisco! We were thrilled to discover it's dog-friendly and our pup loved every minute of it. The location is ideal for a midway break, and late May weather was absolutely beautiful. We arrived 30 minutes early and found parking easily. The gift shop kept us entertained while we waited, and the boat ride across the lake set the perfect tone for what was to come. But the real star? The caverns themselves. The natural beauty and the opportunity to explore with my dog made this feel truly special. Fair WARNING: you will get your steps in! The climb to the cathedral room is steep, and my partner and I, who are gym-goers with an active dog, definitely felt it. That said, the views (and the bats!) absolutely make it worth it. I noticed some older visitors and those recovering from knee surgery opted out, and a few families with small children were cautious on the descent, so know what you're signing up for. The walk back down requires careful footing so please take your time and watch your step. The tour guide wasn't as polished as I'd hoped and leaned a bit too playful for our taste, but honestly? You're paying for the scenery, not the commentary. And yes, it's pricey, but it genuinely feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Overall, worth every penny and every step. Highly recommend!

The staff is very nice. The reason only one star is that I don't think they properly warn about how…read morephysically challenging this tour is. Warning: If you are not in excellent and athletic condition, you should not go on this tour. There are hundreds of wet steep stairs in the caves. Then the long steep hike back up to the gift shop and your vehicle is torturous. Older people or people who have any physical limitations should rethink this tour.

I saw a flyer for an art town festival at the discovery museum and I had to check it out with my…read morekids because 1, I had to get a bite of history and check out the 1877 Victorian/Itanliante mansion and 2, the kids would have 8 stations of art enrichment. This event turned out to be a huge hit with the whole family as the workers also invited me and my husband for some art. Some art included shaping clay, art with pastels, assembling paper birds, making stick bumble bees, paper butterflies and more. They even gave out a free book per child and had free face paint. It was priceless for the kids to have engaged in all of the art projects. Only one knows the endless influence it will have on their future selves. Upon arrival, I immediately felt the positivity of the environment-all the workers were happy to be there and happy to teach. I love that they kept track of which schools kids were coming in from so that they can have a better picture and make arrangements for funding. They hold kids' birthday parties(you can bring in food and decorations), special events, legit tea parties (tea and food included), and weddings. I've seen pictures of all their events on their website and they looked amazing. I'm definitely going to do tea and throw a birthday party here one day, especially knowing that the funds will go towards maintaining the beautiful property. Check out their website for events, details for rentals, tours, lessons, camps and volunteer opportunities (they're always looking for art people to teach). Thanks Lake Mansion for having a passionate artistic heart and Reno for hosting art town for the betterment and enjoyment of the whole community.

This was such a fun event. I wish I had taken more pictures. Everybody was dressed up and looked…read moreamazing! The mansion was beyond beautiful and each room featured a cocktail from four different bars. They were all delicious and perfectly crafted, it was so hard to choose a favorite. Our night ended with a little crafting where we got to decorate our own candle holder. I hope there's another event like this one. 10/10!!

Went camping over the weekend at Loafer Creek. Stayed in site 94. They've cleared a lot of the…read moreunderbrush around that site so not nearly as much privacy as in previous years. The a holes in spot 132 decided to party until 4 o'clock in the morning and keep everybody up. Thanks for that. Lots of clean bathrooms, and a central shower area in the first loop provides reasonably priced showers with both hot and cold water. Apparently, there are no evening patrols in this particular campground. No enforcement of the reasonable time to be quiet. When we informed the people at the gate on the way out, they just looked at us blankly. I guess we'll have to contact the district office. Cell phone reception was mixed. People with AT&T did not seem to have good cell phone reception in most places. I have T-Mobile and got two bars in most places. My friend who had Verizon had full service and 5G If you get a chance, go to the waffle shop in town. That's literally the name of the restaurant. See Rachel at the counter for excellent service. Also in the area not to be missed is Jake's burgers.

This place is so cleaned up and so nice it has everything it has the lake going through it it has a…read moreplay array with these little bears in it that the kids can sit on kind of thing it has toys they can ride on it's beautiful it's clean it's monitored with some security driving through once in awhile I was so impressed after seeing the other place the bedrock place and I was so disappointed this place was a thing of beauty

More cities need community swimming holes like this one…read more It's a bit nostalgic, really, to think of a gathering place you could bring your family and friends to swim and have a good time... for free! Even more of a throwback was to see actual lifeguards on duty. There was even a snow cone vendor nearby. For a second I thought I was imagining myself in an 80s flick and waited for John Cusack to float by me on an inner tube... must have been the triple digit heat that day. Anyway, Chico continues to throw a surprise at me every time I visit and explore around. One Mile is a gem and I'm grateful to my friend for introducing it to me. Next time I'm bringing a picnic for sure. Check it out!

it may look clean, but it has a lot of feces problems. There are fresh water showers, and it is wet…read moreand cool. Just do not drink the water.

While driving through Sundial Bridge Dr, I saw a sign that says "Monolith". I had no idea what it…read moreis. We made a stop to check it out. It is located next to Sheraton hotel. Remains of Shasta Dam that was converted into art pieces. Learned a bit about the history of Redding during this quick stop. Free to explore and browse. Free parking as well.

This is an amazing landmark and art piece that's on the grounds of the Sheraton Redding Hotel at…read morethe Sundial Bridge. It's basically an old aggregate plant that took stones from the Sacramento River and used a miles-long conveyor belt to send them to be used in the construction of the Shasta Dam. It's a very cool piece of history that easily flies under the radar.

We were lucky enough to visit the dam on a beautiful day in spring…read more You can drive over the dam and there is plenty of parking on the other side, and even a picnic area. We had lunch and enjoyed the great weather and beautiful views. People were walking, biking and even roller skating over the dam. There is lots of educational information on the dam to read. The area is locked between 11pm and 5 am but otherwise open to the public and free for everyone to enjoy.

When I was in Oroville last year, I finally visited this area. And glad I did!…read more I took a walk along the walkway with a stunning view of the lake on one side and a breathtaking view of the town on the other. People walk, like I did, jog, walk their dogs, or just take a nice stroll through here. I went on a beautifully sunny day and was amazed by the sight and atmosphere of the area. Would gladly come by and take another walk in the future, because I wasn't able to explore the whole area.

Artifacts, items of cultural or historical interest, are intended to counter the natural flow of…read moreforgetting. When I'm out and about I'm always looking around for artifacts. I wonder. What if it could speak? What would it tell me about itself? How has it been used? Where did it come from? How did it get to here? Whom did it belong to? It's a tale as old as time. For artifacts tell more about ourselves than our confessions. My family and I were recently at Reno City Plaza, 10 N Virginia St, Reno, NV, former site of the now demolished historic Mapes Hotel. An artifact, a cool street clock, is there. I remember when it was previously located at Park Lane Mall where it was a popular place for all ages to meet up at or to just hang out at. A couple of my cousins report they had their first kiss under this clock while it was at Park Lane. Park Lane Mall was not this clock's first home. Starting in 1935, this Joseph Mayer 18-foot-tall, 5,180-pound clock, made by E. Howard Co., was located outside Russian immigrants Ginsburg Jewelry https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=163887 at 133 N. Virginia St. Reno, Nevada where it was known as the Ginsberg Clock. "Businesses, especially jewelers, were known to place these types of clocks outside their stores. There was at least one other street clock downtown in the 1940s, located in front of L.C. Griffin, Inc. Jewelers, just across Virginia Street from Ginsburg's. However, as the only street clock remaining in the area, the Ginsburg clock is the last surviving local resource and artifact of its kind." Park Lane Mall, a popular cultural hub for a couple generations of Renoites, acquired it in 1967, painted it green, installed it, and incorporated it into their logo. I liked Park Lane Mall. It had a great selection of stores, supported many local causes held at the mall, held several national visits including a memorable Star Trek event, and was the place to walk for exercise during inclement weather. I always enjoyed watching horologist Brian Bullard, a Bachelors Degree graduate of California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo and 25 year owner of Timeless Enterprises, Inc. in Reno, Nevada, maintain this clock. Sadly, Park Lane Mall closed in 2007. As an aside, many of we Veterans were so sad and disappointed and remain so that City of Reno didn't support the idea of expanding the very old and very small severely over-crowded existing Reno Veterans hospital to the Park Lane Mall location. To date, the Reno Veterans hospital remains very old and very small and very severely over-crowded. No surprise why Nevada has such a much higher rate of Veterans succumbing to suicide than the other states. Private real estate investment company M&H Realty Partners LLC bought the 40-year-old mall from long-time owner The Macerich Co. They donated the clock to City of Reno who put it into storage. Skip forward a few years to conversations between friends Bill Thornton (then co-owner of Club Cal Neva) and Tim Healion (then of Deux Gros Nez restaurant and now of Laughing Planet). They got to talking about this historic clock in storage and Healion mentioned he had a high school buddy -- Tom Erb -- who is a clock expert and owner of Electric Time Co. in Massachusetts. Thornton and Healion decided to get the beloved old clock restored by Erb. Jeffery Siri, president and CEO of the Cal Neva and voluntary donations by devoted-to-history Cal Neva employees footed the bill. As part of Cal Neva's 50th birthday celebration, A Time For Peace, in 2012, it was presented to City of Reno, who dedicated it on 18 September 2013. What makes this beloved historic preservation so special is that Cities of Reno and Sparks are not exactly good at preserving their history. Noted architect Frederick DeLongchamps built some of Northern Nevada's best known and stately landmarks. He designed more than 500 buildings in the Silver State, including the State Capitol in Carson City, Second Judicial District Court in Reno, downtown Reno Post Office, Riverside Hotel (now Riverside Artist Lofts) and the former train depot, now the Depot Craft Brewery and Distillery, and the beautiful Mediterranean Revival architecture Immaculate Conception Church in Sparks, built in 1932, cruelly allowed to be demolished in 2022 although on the National Historic Register. City of Reno just as cruelly allowed the demolition of in 2022, Reno's oldest, longest-standing commercial building, the old Masonic Lodge, which dated back to 1872, an elaborate, for that time, 3-story classic. More cool history about this clock and the Ginsberg Family are at: https://www.historicreno.org/media/custom/docs/FPv12n4.pdf https://www.newsreview.com/reno/content/time-for-preservation/623443/ I rate it 3 stars. According to the Yelp ratings' definitions, 3 Stars is "Ok". That to me is an acceptable rating of something that does day in and day out what it is there to do. It is NOT a negative review.

Free self-guided tours of the outdoor hatchery facility…read more The parking lot is adequately large and rather empty early in the day before 11am. There are many picnic tables with plenty of shade spread out to the left of the parking lot. There's a water fountain too in case you forget to bring drinks. Great place for a picnic lunch after touring the facility. Depending on the day of your visit, the buildings may or may not be open. Regardless, the outdoor facility is still open for public visitation. To begin your self-guided tour, start at the little gazebo area in the center of the parking lot. There you'll find introductory placards. After finishing, you can begin your rounds toward the gated pools that house the young salmon. At the back left of the facility, you'll also find the step ladder section near the lakes. It gets hot under the sun, so be sure to bring sun protection and some water. Happy learning! :)

U.S. Dept of Fish and Game. Wild salmon, Chinook and Steelhead salmon. 7 jumping dams, nursery and…read moreincubation ponds. 3rd Saturday of October every year is salmon hatching festival.

Fun spot to stop and see nice and cool inside the caves. Great in the heat of summer.I highly…read morerecommend . Very clean restrooms !

Very interesting and unique experience. Very dark cave inside. Definitely bring flashlights,…read moreheadlamps or use phone lights. Short trail inside. Wet, muddy, uneven and rocky trail. Wear appropriate shoes. It can get very cold inside so bring a jacket. Free to explore. Parking lot and restroom in the front.

A beautiful stop in Redding and definitely worth visiting if you're passing through the area. The…read morebridge itself is very unique and photogenic, and the surrounding river views make it even better. It's an easy place to visit without needing a lot of time or hiking. We stopped here during a road trip and really enjoyed walking across the bridge, taking some photos, and enjoying the scenery. A great quick stop to stretch your legs!

I have known about the Sundial Bridge for a very long time but never took the opportunity to check…read moreit out. My boyfriend and I wanted to do a little getaway to celebrate our anniversary. We decided on Redding since I have never been there. We wanted to check out the Sundial Bridge during daytime and nighttime. Very cool and beautiful bridge. The walkway is made of glass panels. Nighttime, the bridge lights up. Easy pathway to walk through. The bridge crosses over the Sacramento River. Plenty of parking. No parking fee. No admission fee to walk across the bridge.