Get lodged deep in the historic Mother Lode
1859 Historic National Hotel
Belly up to the bar at this historic Jamestown hotel and pay your tab with the gold you panned during your stay, pardner. Guests at this gorgeously restored Gold Rush-era hotel are invited to pay their bills with ore instead of dollars. There’s even a scale on the bar so you can weigh the gold dust in your haul. It’s all part of the charm of this Old West establishment, which has been seducing guests with its inn and saloon since 1859.
Even if you don’t care to quaff a sarsaparilla (or in my case a delish pomegranate margarita), be sure to take a gander at the shimmering pressed tin ceiling in this watering hole. The bar top and bar back are original, as is the cash register (a gilded beauty that can only ring up to $6.95!). The saloon radiates a palpable sense of the history and lore of the ’49er era.
After dinner at the hotel’s charming, seasonal restaurant, with its lovely vine-covered patio, owner Stephen Willey will regale you with tall tales of the Mother Lode, while you sample the local vino.
Rooms: Nine impeccably restored rooms boast antique furniture and wonderful period posters that explain how to use newfangled contraptions, such as electricity. Note that some rooms are on the smallish side, but the stunning front balcony is gracious and wide, the perfect spot to drink in the romance of the Gold Rush.
Zzzz’s: Fluffy comforters and teddy bears set the tone for these elegant Victorian brass beds, which balance historic charm with the comfort of a pillow-top mattress.
Splashes: Bathrooms boast period details such as pull-chain toilets, brass fixtures and hand-tiled showers. There’s also an antique clawfoot tub down the hall in the Soaking Room.
Extras: Keep your eyes peeled for the resident ghost, a lady in white named Flo, who reportedly engages in naughty hijinks such as dumping clothes out of suitcases. Breakfast — quiche, waffles and such — is included. And the chef is happy to pack picnics to go, if you’re planning to pan for gold at a nearby creek.