Day Trippin’ – Nevada City

Hey friends! A couple of weeks back,  I decided to take advantage of the gorgeous weather and empty calendar and take a little day trip to one of my favorite old towns. Nevada City is about 1.5 hours from me. It’s full of history and charm. I enjoyed wandering the old streets and peaking in the brick buildings that I’m sure would tell the most amazing stories if the walls could talk. I was able to shop at my favorite boutique. Abstrakt is full of cute clothes, jewelry by local artisans and fun little gifts like candles and beautiful scarves.

I discovered a fun new store filled with so much local culinary goodness. It’s called Purveyor’s Pantry and besides the coolest tile floors, they also had jams, salad dressings, pasta and BBQ sauces, olive oil, chutney, chili starter, marinades and of course fun apparel and little flour sack towels. Everything is made in small batches by local artisans which is seriously amazing! I am such a fan of shopping and supporting local businesses. They also had yummy house-made baked goods and a little coffee bar. I am a sucker for baked goods and gimmee all the iced coffee. I took home a small loaf of orange cinnamon coffee cake which was the perfect combo of cinnamon and orange.

How fun are these ceramic tile floors? Everything else was white and it felt so fresh and bright. My Birkenstocks are my trusty travel companions. 😉 My dad always had Birks when I was growing up. I couldn’t quite get on board with the trend until last summer and hello, dad knew what he was doing! I love these shoes.

This sweet little shop would be the best place to gather fun items for the perfect gift basket. I picked up a few treats for some friends while I was there and I will definitely keep it in mind for future visits. Plus, they let you sample things which is kinda an extra bonus, right?

After wandering around for a bit, I decided to pop into Three Forks Bakery & Brewing Co. for a little lunch. There were so many items on the menu that I wanted to try but I opted for the caramelized onions with a little bit of goat cheese and a dollop of olive tapenade. It was served with crostini and it was SO good! I had a refreshing aqua Fresca to drink. As I waited, I saw food being delivered to the tables near me and there wasn’t a single thing that I’d pass on trying. It was bustling and you could tell it was popular with the locals.

After lunch, I decided to walk around and check out the beautiful homes.  The houses have all the charm and character that I envision in my someday home {cause you know, we live in a track home where the outsides all look mostly the same in their varying shades of beige #boring}

The yards were in full bloom and there were flowers everywhere,

After I burned some calories and got some sunshine on my shoulders, I headed over to Treats for a delicious scoop of cookies + cream ice cream in a freshly made waffle cone. Hello heaven! Their ice cream is locally made in small batches using in-season ingredients. The menu also offers things like gelato, floats, and Affogato.

I just love the idea of hopping in my car and heading to a nearby town and discovering new shops and restaurants. It doesn’t have to be an expensive day and it’s a fun break from my own little town where I’ve kinda been there, done everything. Plus, it’s doable in a day so you aren’t worrying about paying to stay somewhere. Another way to discover things close to home it by visiting friends or family and letting them show you around their town. I just did that with a quick getaway to Napa. That post is coming soon!!

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sail. Explore. Dream. Discover. – Mark Twain