It was my first time to Murphy's and this tour showcased the highlights. Tour guide Laura was very…read moreknowledgeable, personable and fun. Every place we visited gave us a feel for the variety and uniqueness of the town. The company (Local Roots) also does tours in Sacramento so we'll be trying these other tours as well.

The Best of Murphys, CA in one fulfilling three hour tour!…read moreOK, everyone is hearing about how wonderful the little town of Murphys is, but how in the heck can you get the whole experience? Well, with these people. I went on this tour today and I got a wine tour, a food tour and a history tour all in one. Every place we went to (9 total) was very informative about their foods, wines, and/or wares. Though the menus will change I fill I should say something about each and every place they were all THAT good. but instead I'll lastly mention the gal that operates the tour. Her name is Shelby, and wow, what a guide she is. I know this tour just started up, but she must have done this in another life because she knew so much about the town, it's history, the people living there, the businesses and the wine. Delicious food, great wine and awesome history of the town. Oh a few steps here and there but really easy no hills to climb.

Hopped on the Whiskey Wagon on a whim and had an absolute blast!!! I live in San Andreas and…read morebetween work and property maintenance I hardly ever get out to do anything fun, add that to the recent storms and I've been too nervous to drive the icy windy roads at night. Gold Rush Tour Company gave me a completely stress free night, all I had to think about was what to order at each stop. If you're a local who needs a stress free night out I 100% recommend the Whiskey Wagon and Gold Rush Tour Company in general. If you're visiting the area and don't love planning every minute of you trip, you can trust Gold Rush Tour Company to show you the best of what Calaveras has to offer!

We took a tour with my mom, 90-year-old uncle, and cousins that were here to visit. It was super…read morefun. Jorge was fantastic! He made sure my uncle was comfortable and cared for at each stop. We loved the views and the wine at Aloria, which we had never tried before.

We had an amazing experience! James, our driver, was on time, drove incredibly smoothly, and was so…read morepatient with our group, even with a bus full of noisy kids. He spent about 12 hours with us and never once complained. He was always helpful, especially when unloading our bags, and made the entire day run seamlessly. One of the highlights was when he happily stopped so we could watch and take pictures of a bear we spotted in Yosemite. That extra bit of flexibility made the trip even more memorable. I also tend to get carsick, but both of our drivers were exceptionally smooth behind the wheel, so I never had any issues. The bus itself was spotless, comfortable, and well maintained. We couldn't have asked for a better experience. I would absolutely recommend this company and would happily use them again!

My kids are grateful and blessed that you were able to get them safe to and from CCT Camp 2026…read more Thank you!! God bless!

Review for Above the Rush…read more Great vibes and wine. Best experience, service, and wine selection in Murphy Area. I'm a Bourbon & Rum drinker and there were some really cool wines that compliment. The server and staff were friendly and had great conversations with them.

This was my favorite winery in Murphy!…read more They have a sister winery closer to Angel camps. It's called Above The Rush and that one offers bites with wine pairing, tasting fee is still waived with bottle. The bites were delicious really brought out the tastes of their wine!

I planned my cousins bachlorette trip up here mid march (St. Patricks day weekend). I was trying to…read moreplan a girls day out, and definitely wanted to do some wine tasting but didn't really want to be a Designated driver. I found Courtwood by searching online, and I'm SO happy I found Chris @Courtwood! I was a little bummed I didn't find any available tours on their website, so I reached out via email. Chris promptly sent a reply with pricing, details, and that it would be quite packed in Murphy's, so she would take us on a private tour around the outlying wineries (good call, none of the wineries were too packed and we had a lot of "private time" at each vineyard). Chris picked us up right out front of our hotel right on time, had a smile and made sure she knew who the bride was and made her feel extra special! We stopped at Twisted Oak, Chatom, Ironstone (for lunch), and Aryael Vieux (TOP FAVE!! I'll be reviewing these wineries soon). Chris took care of everything, all we had to worry about was sipping wine and having a wonderful and relaxing time. Hanging out with Chris was like having another friend just along for the ride! We picked up a loaf of fresh bread at one of the wineries, and mentioned that we wanted to get some butter later on, Chris told us she needed to pick something up too and that we could come with her! I can't say enough good things, they even include a slideshow of your trip (chris takes photos throughout the tour) and email it to you promptly after your tour. If you are in the area, I would definitely come here and take a tour with Courtwood,

I really don't have enough good things to say about Chris at Courtwood Wine Tasting Tours. I was…read moregiven the task of setting up a wine tasting tour in the Murphy's area for a bachelorette group of 9 people. We stayed in Angel's Camp in a friend's cabin, and being unfamiliar with the area, I completely put my trust in Chris to arrange everything for us. She exceeded my expectations (and made me look like I had done a lot more than I had!) She asked a lot of questions about our group and the types of wines we liked so that she could tailor the tour very specifically. Preferring the boutique wineries to the large scale Ironstone types, Chris took us to six different wineries that ranged significantly from Twisted Oak, to Prospect 772, to Aerial Vieux. As a large group Chris coordinated with Kristen, who also leads tours in the area to caravan us around in their large air conditioned vans. It seemed like she had personal relationships with the various winemakers and their staff and was able to get us some kind of behind the scenes cave tour/vineyard tour/private tasting room access everywhere we went. I have to say the best thing about the day was the lunch. Chris set it up on a long table outside Chatom winery and it literally looked like something straight out of Sunset Magazine. She brought local cheese and interesting dips, and the salads were presented in ball mason jars. It really was so well done, I think Chris might have a future in putting on lunches in addition to taking tours! After the tasting, Chris and Kristen took us into Murphy's, waited for us while we had dinner, and then took us all the way back to Angels Camp. I highly recommend Courtwood for small and large tours alike. Chris was just wonderful!

I've done a couple trips with OARS now: two on the South Fork of the American River and a 2 day…read moretrip on the Tuolumne. OARS does not disappoint! From incredibly attentive and knowledgeable guides to luxurious camping accommodations, they take care of you. All you have to do is show up and paddle. Maybe you don't even have to paddle if you're sitting in the gear boat. The American River trips are an easy day trip from Sacramento or the Bay Area. If you're looking for a little more adventure, a multi-day guided whitewater trip is so fun, with lots of downtime to swim, look at the stars, play games, and eat yummy food. There's no freeze dried camp meals here. Everything is boated in and prepped on the beach for you. So good. All around, so good.

We spent the 3 days, Fourth of July holiday 2025 in Auburn at The Foothills Motel. For fun we…read moredecided to go white water rafting on The American River. My wife and I had an amazing day (6 hrs) in the river with Oars. The crew was friendly, respectful and fun. Our guide was Alex. She was very knowledgeable of rafting and the river. Not only did she provide a safe and exciting adventure but she was also a great conversationalist with extensive knowledge of all flora and fauna along the river. Plus she shared relevant historical stories from the mining times of the area. We can't wait to book another trip. Thx to Alex for a great time.

This was an enjoyable experience yet you can tell they are short staffed and overworked servers…read more Be kind. Worth noting: you are on long train with 3-4 different experiences and it seems you get different things depending on what you paid for. The my may have a tea, beer train, wine train, etc. We were in the back of the train and got the slowest service and stuck in a car with no AC. Ended up on the open air car and it was nicer. you might be better off paying for the base price; buy a drink or two and call it a day. Don't expect gourmet food here; bring a picnic and eat outside before/after your trip.

Boba Tea train: There were a number of issues with this…read moreexcursion. First off, most of the tea samples came with little to no ice and were somewhat warm. This made some of the undrinkable. Others were somewhat warm cloyingly sweet as to be unpleasant. Overall, though both of us are fans of boba tea- we would suggest a different vendor or more training for the staff preparing the samples. Roughly half of the flavors were not good at all. Additionally, they listed "boozy" flavors on the menu but never said anything about how to get those or whether they were included. Second problem- we preordered dumplings as did apparently a LOT of people. There were no dumplings on the train, only rice bowls. Furthermore- the waitress didn't know what we were talking about when we mentioned having preordered food. At least half of the tables in our car had preordered dumplings and were very disappointed. There was no information on how to obtain a refund if we didn't want the substitute of a rice bowl. About halfway through our trip, the train lost power which included lights, air conditioning, and the ability to flush toilets. Power stayed off with no explanation for more than 15 minutes, causing the car to become very warm and stuffy. Overall, this excursion suffered from lack of communication, lack of staff training, lack of preparation on the part of the organizers. Given the cost, I would not recommend this.

AWESOME 6-day raft trip down the Selway River in N.E. Idaho near Missoula, MT. The river,…read morecampsites, participants, scenery, etc., were great. We had fun and the trip was smooth and went off without a hitch. What made the trip superb were the guides: Izzy, Emma, Kenny, and Woody. The were personable, informatice, accomplished, .... They took care of EVERYTHING! On top of the everyday everything, they made a birthday cake for someone on the trip including the candles.

Amazing tour! I went as a chaperone for a field trip and the guides were so knowledgeable and…read morehelpful throughout the whole trip. We were safe the entire trip and had loads of fun. I would definitely recommend going with ARTA if you get the chance!