From my separate City of Auburn review: Auburn is an attractive city, especially Old Town Auburn, which attracts passersby on the highway between Reno and Sacramento with the quaint architecture on a hill flanked by a giant sculpture. Its small-town charm is likely why movies like Rocky and Bullwinkle, Breakdown, Wisdom, and xXx had scenes shot here, but the town relates most to the 1996 John Travolta movie Phinome Phenomin Phenomm Look Who's Talking. The guy who discovered gold here in 1849 was memorialized by Ken Fox with a 45-ton concrete (rebar and wire mesh) statue at the entrance of Old Town. Ken Fox was a dentist able to do this in between teeth cleanings and forcing customers to look at super close-up pictures of their teeth in order to sell "special deep teeth cleaning" by the quadrant. This dentist has more "Great Statues" in the area which you'd likely find ful-"filling". Get it? Anyway, it's right off the highway, so stop there and check out Old Town. (Check my reviews on Edelweis 2 and the California Club) read more

Old Town Auburn - You can't argue with signs. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Auburn, California

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Quality/Quantity - What a cool active town, see pictures (and/or their website) of some current events. This might be our new pit stop...? Or a designated location? We usually go to downtown Auburn, so I am glad we came to Old Town this time. Atmosphere - Cool historic town. Lots of locally owned shops. Plenty of places to eat. Walk friendly but not sure if ADA friendly. Dog friendly, at least at the brewery. :) Service - Good, everyone we met was friendly. Price - Depends on where you shop, eat, and drink. Owner Comment - What a great fun town, looking forward to coming back soon when I have more time. read more

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Auburn is a great community. I was born here, but lived in the Bay Area most of my life. I've been back in Placer County since around 2009. I would say it's not easy or simple to find a job and place to live here, everybody who knows anything knows this is the town to be in. I care about our community, we all look out for each other. Our local Sheriff is top notch. So proud to live and work around these men and women. Also Auburn Police are pretty bomb, too. Once you visit you're not going to want to leave. And, go Placer County Hillmen! read more

Go ahead, take your horse to the old town road. We've probably passed by Auburn over a dozen of times on our way to Reno. It's in Placer County and registered as a California Historical Landmark along 80, between Sacramento and Tahoe National Forest. This is where the Gold Rush started, and this town has a lot of old town charm. It has a feel of a Western movie set, but this ain't no fake set. Everything is real that you can touch, feel and experience. Walking around this town gives one an appreciation of the rich history of California. The unfortunate part of that history is the eventual displacement of the Native American tribes that were the original settlers here. I guess gentrification has been going on for a long time. There are statues commemorating the historical figures, including a Chinese Coolie, which is also an integral part of California and U.S. history that are sometimes brushed aside and glossed over. It's important that we learn all of this and teach our children so that they get the whole picture. Towering over the town is Placer County Courthouse, built between 1894 and 1898. Yes, that is over a hundred years of history and she has seen so many changes throughout the generations. She is a beauty, and so is this town. The next time you're in the area, don't just make it a pit stop for gas. I urge you to explore the town and check-out the coffee shops, restaurants and museum. I can guarantee it'll be worth your time. I'm gonna take my horse to the old town road and ride until I can't no more. read more

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On our way to Truckee, we enjoy stopping here and checking out the shops, and especially the brewery. It was not terribly busy today, and we had a pleasant light meal at the brewery, and then my wife checked out the shops. It's not a really large area, and you can walk around easily and check out the shops in about an hour or so. On busy weekends, parking can be an issue, so allow plenty of time and be patient. read more

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Old town Auburn is a nice place to take a break if you're traveling the 80 from Reno or to Sacramento. There's plenty of little shops to see and a few good eating places. History is here if that's your thing. My BF and me just wanted as place to stretch our legs and maybe get a drink. It's more pleasant mid week cause on weekends I sure parking is a pain and lots of people all crowding along the narrow sidewalks. It's worth a stop. read more

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Old Town Auburn is a beautiful little example of a California mountain town. There's plenty to take pictures of, the County courthouse being one of the most impressive. My only issue with old Town Auburn is that it is the seat of anti-maskers and anti-vaxxers. During the worst part of covid-19, old Town Auburn was hosting outdoor events packed with people not wearing masks. today, although still California state law, no business people in old Town Auburn are complying with the covid-19 safety procedures. This makes it especially difficult for a first responder like myself passing through town, trying to avoid catching or spreading covid-19. read more

Really enjoyed the walking tour of old town Auburn that starts at the historic courthouse. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. Highly recommend the tour. Learned a lot of Auburn history and about some of the current businesses too. There is a small history museum inside the courthouse too. The building itself is beautiful to look at and it's fun to walk up the steps to the top and look down. Huge beautiful magnolia tree outside. Parking lot is small but there is an additional larger parking lot down the street on the left hand side. read more

Old Town Auburn - Historic courthouse with museum inside. - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Auburn, California

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Lots of nice shops and eateries to visit... Historic Old Town Auburn is a great little town to visit with old time charm and lots of history like I didn't know that Auburn was where gold was originally first discovered in Placer County. The drive from my hometown of Roseville is about 21 miles straight through I-80 East towards Reno. At the entrance to Old Town Auburn there is a welcome sign and a huge 45-ton concrete statue of a Gold Rush era miner... can't miss it. There are around 15 restaurants when I searched for places to eat 'nearby' in Yelp and plenty of quaint shops and services as well as museums within a few blocks. Our first time dining at the Auburn Alehouse almost 4 years ago and we wanted to have lunch there again but the place was packed and had a long waitlist. We couldn't wait so, instead, decided to eat on the other side of Lincoln Way at Pelicans Roost Fish & Chips. While taking photos of some of the historical landmarks we witnessed our first DUI arrest for 2018 as two officers were administering a breathalyzer on a suspect right in front of a downtown landmark, the Hook & Ladder No 2 Old Firehouse. Well, that ruined my photo of the fire station as police were asking the guy questions and eventually took him in... then shortly after, a tow truck came for his car. We headed to Edelweiss in Sacramento Street to get some ice cream. People were looking at us probably thinking how foolish we were enjoying licking our praline and coffee ice creams in such cold weather. Yum! I think ice cream is good in any season. We visited the Bernhard Museum (Auburn-Folsom Rd) and the Gold Country Museum on High Street [4/21/13]. We all enjoyed it with the kids. So park your car and stroll along Lincoln Way and Sacramento Street and enjoy a bit of Old California's pleasures and treasures. The specialty shops are really cool. They even have a full-service tattoo and piercing studio here. Review #0939 read more

Definitely Chill vibes. I mostly enjoyed the atmosphere. The art and buildings was truly the highlight! The people there are nice and are proud of their old town. read more

Old Town Auburn - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Auburn, California

You've been driving for hours, you're on that home stretch to Tahoe (or San Francisco, depending which way on 80 you are headed), and you just need to stop, maybe have a meal and stretch your legs. Old Town Auburn is a convenient stopping point for drivers to do this. The historic district is pretty small and quite walkable. On weekends, parking can be a bit tricky if you aren't willing to walk a few blocks. Watch for very stringent parking rules around the residential area! Here there are numerous souvenir shops and art galleries and a handful of decent restaurants if you have more time to kill. Check out gas prices too and sure, go pee while you are at it. The architecture is very pretty and photo ops galore are every where you turn. read more

It's so beautiful, older buildings, cool little shops, some really good restaraunts and so worth to take a stroll, do some window shopping and eat lunch. read more

Great food! Amazing service,delivery, take out, they rock! Delivery guy was awesome! If you want a great take out our delivery, go to these guys! ,sooooooo good! read more

Great little gem. The store owners were so friendly. Nice place to spend time exploring.

I freaking love this place. One of the most beautiful old town cities in Northern California. The parking is a little tough to come by, but once you park you'll have hours of fun walking the stores and grabbing a bite to eat. Auburn is one of the most beautiful historic cities in Northern California hands down. read more

Wish we had more time to investigate as time was short. Came in to town enroute to Uncle Toms Cabin, and thanks toYelp found Awful Annie's in middle of town. Will have to come back when more time prevails. This time ECV brothers callin my son and me to frolicking in the woods researching CA history. Town looks inviting. read more

Great location right off freeway. Almost everything anyone would want. Only missing sweet shop that has candy and ice cream. Several really good restaurants and lots of variety. Be sure and walk all over this very small town area as there is so much history and interesting things to look at. The historical statue, buildings, courthouse and firehouse are all very cool. Because of the popularity parking can be tricky but there is plenty of it as long as your willing to walk a little bit. read more

Great little town! It is full of shops, and local restaurants. The people are nice and friendly too :) The historic courthouse gives a FREE tour of Old Town Auburn every Saturday at 10AM. My friend and I took it, and we had a great time. Our docent, Carol Cramer, was wonderful. She was very knowledgeable, and answered all of our questions. read more

Great place to spend the afternoon relaxing with family and friends. Diverse selection of food (price range as well as style), wine tasting (local wineries), eclectic shopping, art, and lots of turn of the century history. Be sure to see the courthouse, old red fire station, Claude Chana statue - all within easy walking distance. Most businesses are kid and pet friendly. read more

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