The drive here is much more involved than Mercer Caverns with more windy and narrow roads. Once you…read moreget closer the space opens up to a large parking lot and shop you meet at. We were the only ones that signed up for the earliest tour that day and were lucky to have a private tour. The tour has informative history about the caverns with landmarks along the way. The most interesting thing we didn't know about is they have caving adventure tours where you shimny through holes and narrow spaces with a guide but our kids aren't old enough to partake. This was the first show cave in California and townspeople lived in them during harsh winters in the 1800s. There was a bar inside and a church and nails were even given to people to carve on the walls. Because of this there are signs of harm everywhere with soot, broken formations, and dirty coloration from human hand oils and even champagne poured on a rock formation. The caverns are huge and beautiful with some jaw-dropoing rooms. The walking tour is very safe though we loved the slight danger and claustrophobic feel of the Mercer Caverns. When you leave the shop has some cool historical items pulled from the caves on display like glass bottles, etc .. that are worth checking out.

What a cool experience. Got there for the 10:00 am tour, and I was the only guest. The walk to…read morethe cave is only about five minutes, but there's no shade so the earlier the better as the temps heat up. Inside the cave is about 50°. I have no issues with claustrophobia, but if you do there is one tight squeeze that might be a problem. Cash, my tour guide, turned off the lights (after asking my permission) and we experienced total darkness for maybe thirty seconds. It felt like two hours, and I hated it , but still neat and recommend trying if offered. Use the hand rails. They are there for your safety.

Can't believe I haven't left this review sooner! What a fantastic outing, experience, workout and…read moreall around good time! HUGE TIP INCOMING: Bring mouth, nose & eye protection! Read on.... We were staying at the Ione Hotel and saw the flyer. What an interesting concept, but I'll bet they charge something ridiculous for it. Nope! Went to their website and all the details, waivers and booking were easily done through there. $99 for a tandem bike make $48.50 "doable" so we booked "The Golden Hour Ride" for the next evening. Directions were perfect, with vertical flags at the turnoff point, leading to a large gravel parking lot. The small ticket window is on a blue and white, refurbished train car, housing the gift shop as well. Once you're checked in, you can relax under the tent on the Adirondack chairs, play corn hole, watch the crew get the rail cars ready and take pics/video of it! Once the rail cars were ready, we were asked to find our car and stand by it. On the loading side, each car had the name of the Reservation - How cool! And smart - what're gonna do, have John Q Public argue about which car he WANTS to ride? No, a temporary label on the car is perfect. We felt special seeing our names, the company looks organized and everyone wins! After a brief but thorough coverage of safety details and how the cars function, the guides got us underway. Because these inactive rails cross active roads, the guides space themselves ahead, behind and in the middle of the rail cars. I really felt the whole team was extremely safe, professional and personable. The journey up to the Sunnybrook Turnaround (about 30 minutes), was fun and a small bit of a workout - that's coming from someone who has a hard time remembering what a workout is! Put your strongest peddler in the "driver's" seat or, in my case, the one who WANTS to peddle. (Pssst...this also means the person in control of the speed and braking on the return downhill, so chose wisely! Hubs figured this out too late. Sorry, bud, should've volunteered to peddle uphill!) The turnaround was before sunset and it was lovely. There were more red Adirondack chairs dotting the hillside, spread out, to give couples and families some space, but also some clusters a few feet apart, in case you're a larger group or feel like getting to know your fellow riders. We were at the turnaround for 20-30 minutes. Other couples, having done this before, brought some light picnic goodies and a blanket and toasted to the hills. Sláinte! Watching the crew turnaround the rail cars was really interesting. Again, professional and safe! The return was THE BEST! Downhill almost the whole way. Remember that HUGE TIP I mentioned at the beginning? Well, try not to smile as much as I did and definitely DON'T laugh heartily with joy. I think I scraped at least 3 bugs off my teeth and swallowed one more before I remembered to raise my scarf over my nose and mouth. Thank goodness I had my sunglasses! Some little buggers met their timely demise during my euphoric return. When we returned, I quickly bought one of everything in the gift shop, so delighted was I with this experience. I now tell anyone I hear heading north into Gold Country 'You MUST try the Rail Explorers in Ione, CA!' and I, myself, look forward to returning. But also...I just might pack my scarf and sunglasses and head to one of their many other experiences, soaring through the bluegrasses of Kentucky? And elevated train trellis over a gorge in Iowa?? Or maybe creekside in the Catskills??? I could plan whole vacations around this fun way of exploring. Cheers! "CC"

Fun & Unique Railbike Adventure, inspired by Korean drama!…read more Apparently, modern commercial railbike tourism in the U.S. goes back to 2012, when Mary Joy Lu saw a couple riding a railbike on a Korean TV drama. She was so intrigued that she flew to South Korea to meet the designer, which eventually helped bring the railbike concept to the U.S. Pretty cool that a Korean drama helped inspire this whole thing! Parking: Free and plenty of parking in the complex. Restroom: 1 unisex porta-potty. I did not see a large multi-stall air-conditioned restroom at all! They also have a small gift shop in case you forgot your hat or need drinks/snacks. There's a 20-minute break in the middle, then the staff turns the railbikes around and you ride back the same way. The railbikes are custom 2- or 4-seaters with electric pedal assist, so you don't have to work too hard to keep them moving. We even passed through some hidden seasonal sunflower fields! The ride back felt much faster because we were going downhill. There are several railroad crossings along the route. The staff will stop the cars and put up the road barriers/signs so the railbikes can pass. It was actually pretty fun waving at the cars as we went by, and they waved back! For the 4-seater, one person sits in the right-back seat and is basically the designated "driver." They control the brake and have to keep pedaling the whole time, while the other 3 people can take a break from pedaling whenever they want. The railbike was going a little faster than my comfort level at first but after a few miles I got used to the speed and was able to enjoy the ride more. A few things I'd improve: * No shoe/foot latch. My feet felt a little unstable when the railbike was going fast and I had to keep pedaling. * No roof/cover on the railbike. It was scorching hot during summer. * No restroom at the midway break area. * Although the website says small kids and dogs can join, personally I wouldn't recommend it for safety reasons. The railbike can go pretty fast, and there's no shade. Overall, a pretty unique experience in Sacramento County! Definitely worth trying if you're looking for something different and a little adventurous.

Stayed here 6/25 in site 21. Nice camp grounds. The pot holes on the road in are very big so it…read moretakes a long time to drive the last 5 miles. The trash dumpsters were full when we got there and were over full when we left. For having valt toilets they were clean. We will go back again.

The campground was great in many ways, the good: The campsites were a decent size and all good…read morelocations and access to the creek. The first come first serve sites were almost all empty Sunday-Wednesday mid July when I visited. The creek is beautiful and there are lots of good swimming spots. We stayed with friends in a group site and several single nearby sites. There was plenty of space and fallen trees and meadows for our kids to explore! The bad: Idk why but checkout and checkin are both at 2pm, so the sites aren't being cleaned fully between uses. There was a bit of trash at ours and we almost overlapped with the group there before us. The dumpsters were full the entire time we were there. So many yellow jackets and mosquitos, but that's summer in California near the water for you. The worst, there were several bears that made the rounds scavenging every night. We heard them sniffing around tents, banging around coolers, and people generally letting off foghorns and screaming and dogs barking all night long. The campsite is not equipped for bears. The hosts are doing their best, but this is their first summer with this problem, and they aren't receiving support from fish and wildlife. There are no bear boxes at the campsites and very little signage anywhere alerting people to store all their containers and food out of reach at night. People are also not helping. We talked to one family with their food out and said to pack it up as there were bears out the night before. They said they had been coming to the campground for years and never seen a bear. They didn't pack up their food at night and the bears got it all, and they had to leave the next day. The stupidity was astounding. Overall, I would recommend it except for the bears! Hopefully the government steps up to give the host more support before something serious happens!

Love this place. Rooms are great, staff is amazing and food places are yummy. We loved walking…read morearound and looking at all the beautiful trees.

We recently stayed at Timberline Lodge and was during the same snowstorm when the power was out…read morethroughout Arnold. We had lost our car to a tree and made to the Lodge. We had the opposite experience and highly recommend the lodge. The manager and her husband were wonderful and very caring. They saw our Expedia reservation come in even with the power out and helped us get setup quickly. We were so grateful to have a cozy warm room with the gas fireplace stove. There was hot water and the room was perfect. When we had delays leaving the next day because of the snow and no car, they let us take the time we needed to figure things out. The manager's husband saved us in the end and gave us a ride to Murphy's so we could be somewhere with electricity (and food). He was so kind to do that and we won't forget. Thank you for having such a lovely place and it was beautiful in the snow too! Robert & Marianne

Location nestled around nature's Big Trees and soothing sounds of babbling brooks on the property…read more If you are looking for a peaceful, restful location to get away from any Big City you might live or work in, this is the place for you. Unit is simply kept, but has all that you would need. If there is something additional needed, the staff is very accessible and ready to aid. Don't expect the newest of technology presay, but there is enough to keep the modern day mindset still entertained. There was much to see within short and long distances that would satisfy most visitors. From local mini hikes in the Big Trees forest, to a plethora of vineyards/wineries, spa and shopping...to longer treks to Yosemite and stop at the Sacramento Zoo before flying back home. All in all the R&R that was called for when booking this vacation location was achieved.

WHAT a hidden gem! Went here for the weekend with my family of 4 and stayed in Unit 1, right next…read moreto the club house. The unit was clean and had everything we needed. 2 bedrooms both with King size beds, 3 bathrooms, a fully stocked kitchen and lovely living space with a fire place. The club house has a very nice heated pool and hot tub, along with a sauna and gym. The place had lots of snow in mid march and you can walk to the Sequoia Woods country club restaurant. (also amazing but make reservations). The staff was kind and very helpful. Check in was a breeze and all our questions were answered. They provide games, movies, puzzles and firewood up front. Looking forward to booking another stay in the summer so we can take advantage of all the hiking around the facility.

We stayed at Gold Creek Cabin for several days during the summer. It is a truly impressive…read morehouse---a real log cabin that is spacious, well appointed, and nicely decorated. Nestled deep in the woods, it is quite secluded and a wonderful place to spend time with family and friends. The only down side is that to get to many places (grocery store, hikes) from the cabin you need to drive for a half-hour or more. If you do stay here, the Shealor Lake hike near Silver Lake is well worth the ~35 minute drive.

This cabin....it revitalizes the soul. Where to I begin. This was my second stay at the Gold Creek…read moreCabin and it was even more magical than the first. Some of my favorite things: Internet - I was able to log in and work while there and had no connectivity issues. Bedding - The duvet and sheets are SO soft. I LITERALLY came home and ordered the sheets right away. I will not stay at some places if the bedding even looks itchy in the photos. The steam shower!! Granted I can only stand it for less than two minutes, that minute and a half is amazing!! Those are my top three favorite things but honestly this place is just amazing. The feel of the rustiness but the modern-ness that you get is unlike any cabin I have ever stayed in. I feel like I am missing stuff because there are so many little things that are really cool when you are there. The downstairs bathroom floor is heated. There is a balcony off of every room upstairs. We only had to drive about 20 minutes to get enough snow to sled in too.

Grand Oaks - Come here for a retreat and escape and peace and hospitality and history…read more We stayed three nights at the Grand Oaks Inn is in Clements CA, just outside of Lodi California, which I visited for the Lodi Wineries. Grand Oaks Inn · Clements, CA. This B&B is like visiting Grandma's house and being hosted by long-lost relatives that couldn't wait to meet you again. I doubt there's anyone owners Joe and Ann Mehrten couldn't warm-up to instantly. They win the award for the most gracious hosts. The home is THE most UNIQUE place ever too, such as: A). Literally packed with the hosts' FAMILY HISTORY B). Onsite museum C). Literally a working Black Angus cattle ranch, with around 100 cattle on 1,000 acres. MANY reasons to stay at the Grand Oaks Inn: 1). You love a welcoming environment from gracious people who literally open up their ancestral home. 2). YOU LOVE HISTORY -- onsite is a MUSEUM 3). You LOVE ANTIQUES --rooms include HANDMADE items and heirlooms 4). CHARMING AND QUAINT is your taste. 5). Dotted-upon but also privacy. 6). The Inn can accommodate a LARGE FAMILY or couples 7). Bonus extra's, like in-ground swimming pool and hot tub DON'T GO HERE IF. 1). You can't do stairs. The rooms are on the 2nd floor with steps 2). YOU MIND A LONGER DRIVE. Since you are literally on a 1,000 acre cattle ranch. If you want to be next-door to town/stores/events/people. To us, that was part of the charm --- a quiet retreat. 3). You want a breakfast on the run ... Come here for a true quaint charming escape. To read the full review see WineSageReview com

We had a wonderful time at Grand Oaks. Ann and Joe were awesome hosts. The room was spacious,…read moreclean, and very comfortable. Don't miss Ann's breakfast! She is a master chef and you will be craving her food all day. They even had a jacuzzi and pool! They have a private small museum on site with all kinds of cool things and carriages from the 1800s. We are sure to return! Doug and Debbie

This was an awesome stop. The ladies working the counter and dining room were great. Very…read morefriendly and helpful with a massive menu. Loads of breakfast items, burgers, and sandwiches. There are a few pages for each of those. My sandwich was fantastic as were the crinkle fries that came with it. They are stingy with ingredients or fries for that matter. It was kept clean and drinks were refilled quickly, which was nice on this hot day. Such cool history with the location of this building and what the previous versions supported back in the day. I believe this is the third building after fires took the first couple. Anyway, it is definitely worth a stop and parking is easy going either direction on the Hwy.

Coolest little place! Hubby and I stopped to use the restroom not knowing it was a little…read morerestaurant too. We ordered the fish and chips which was supper yummy. They had the coolest little quotes and souvenirs all over and just a really welcoming vibe! The ladies behind the counter were awesome.